of independence and a little this and that

(a still from Nagamandala, courtesy roopinder singh's blog )

Its one of those ineffable moments when the heart wishes to scream out from the nearest rooftop. The pounding just doesn’t seem to pacify and the mind (for a change) connives with it, almost justifying it. It sure is an addition to ones repertoire of those experiences, watching Neelam Mansingh’s troupe (The Company) perform Nagamandala; sitting alongside (almost) Girish Karnad! I admit that the redoubtable Mr. Karnad has been reasonably demystified since I first saw him during the Shoestring Performer’s - A Pint of Pinter (almost two years ago, I remember furtively glancing right through the performance, looking for cues, for Pinter can be quite a task to watch – when to laugh, when not to) but this time it was the charm of observing the writer watching the creation recreated. Translated, remolded, breathing, occasionally hissing; conjured up in a whole new world.
The evening dawned today, complete with signs. Ustad Amir Khan sahib was playing on the radio, his trademark 'ultra' vilambit (meditatively lazy) khayaals followed by an inspired tarana as I was getting ready to leave. The downpour which had been threatening stopped precisely at six thirty and there was an auto waiting just outside the apartment road. Rabidranath’s self rendition of the national anthem preceded the performance commemorating our 61st independence day. It was brilliant.
Never before have I seen the story within a story theme being produced on stage with such aplomb. My craving for Punjabi could be a reason for the impact, but much more than that was the sheer brilliance of the director and her troupe!

Thank you very much.