| Monday I must begin this diary with some confessions. One, I am still prone to Monday morning blues. Two, I feel there should be life beyond work. Luckily for me, hectic Odissi dance classes take care of the manic-Monday-syndrome and though I walk a little late into office with a sheepish face, the routine is worth it. |
| This Monday was special for other reasons too. NSD (National School of Drama), having announced its ninth Bharat Rang Mahotsava on Saturday, was hosting its annual theatre fest. A majority of productions this year are concentrating on dance-drama and with 52 plays being showcased between January 6-20, I wish I could take a two-week leave and just watch plays and more plays. |
| Tuesday I wake up in the morning to a text message from a television producer that reads: "When was my article published and in which magazine?" This, after his quotes appeared in a cover story for Weekend almost five weeks ago. This, after telling him that Business Standard is NOT a magazine, NOT a credit card company, but a national daily. At 4.30 pm, I'm sitting in the dingy Shri Ram Centre to watch Paperdoll, another NSD theatre fest offering by Chennai-based Padmini Chettur. The show, according to the director, is based on the concept of paper dolls "where dancers are perpetually in a tense negotiating space of nearness and distance". While I start tearing my hair apart by 4.40 pm, the person sitting on my right snores gently. To my left, the girl flips her phone open and begins SMS conversations. Behind me, I hear someone abusing and by 4.50 pm audiences are urgently abandoning the hall. A show that should have lasted for not more than 10 minutes threatens to go on for one hour, 15 minutes. I endure this torture for 30 minutes and then flee. |
| Wednesday I can't attend Pratham Parth, a play based on the Mahabharata, revolving around the character Karna. It's mid-week and I have to speak with ousted members of reality show Bigg Boss for a BS Weekend story. While model/actor Aryan Vaid says such shows "damage the human psyche of participants", director Deepak Tijori calls it a "dangerous mind game". I also speak with another ex-Bigg Boss member, Ragini Shetty who admits to coping with severe depression after the show. Then I watch YouTube videos of actor Shilpa Shetty coping with strangers in the original Big Brother. In one of the videos, other members are busy talking about "India's very own Anjelina Jolie and her lifestyle complete with chauffeurs, maids and cooks." |
| Thursday For another story, I've begun peeking into social networking sites like Orkut to find out how love stories begin there. While one could start another chapter on this topic altogether, I leave you with this gem that a gentleman "scrapped" (yes, that's what experts call it) on my page: "hi fren how're you 'n' you wanna frenship?" |
| Also... |
| I reiterate that there's never enough time to catch cultural happenings in your city. Production work has prevented me from seeing Kachchhism, a lovely exhibition showcasing the weaves of Kachch. I hope to catch it by the time you are "" or not "" reading this. Also, why are NSD plays overlapping all the time? Interestingly, many directors are adapting Shakespeare plays in their respective regional languages this theatre season. While Rajkumar Hemendrajit, an Assamese play, was based on Hamlet, the fest also showcased O Lear, a Kannada play and Alyque Padamsee's Macbeth." |
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