Interview

Veenapani Chawla is the Managing Trustee and Director of Adishakthi, a theatre group based in Pondicherry. The group is working towards enlivening dying theatre works while discovering new boulevards of ingenuity. Located near Auroville, the performance company is engaged in explorations of traditional forms of theatre, dance, music and movement. Presently, the troupe is here in city to take part in the National theatre festival, Bahuroopi. Here we publish an exclusive interview with Chawla by our special correspondent Geetha Shah. —Ed

Geetha Shah (GS): As the Director and playwright of the dance-drama, Ganapati, staged in Bahuroopi, what exactly inspired you to create it as a musical interpretation ?

Veenapani Chawla (VC): The play Ganapati is an analysis of the birth stories related to the mythological gods, Ganapati and Marthanda. Inspired by the Koodiyattam of Kerala, I linked the large copper drum called Mizhavu and the trumpet called the Kombu to the potbelly and the trunk of Ganapati, respectively. I realised that if I have to depict this play, it has to be using these two musical instruments of Koodiyattam.

Another important factor is that music and rhythm are the signifiers of content. It relates to the Koodiyattam performer's technique with breath.

GS: When was Adishakthi established and what inspired you to do so ?

VC: There was always a burning desire in me to do something different and challenging. I was also captivated by the place, Pondicherry. I was resolute about devoting my time to theatre and contemporary direction, hence in 1981, I established Adishakthi in Pondicherry.

GS: What are the other plays that you have directed ?

VC: Not many to talk about in number, but as a diligent and meticulous performer, I take my time to learn the craft, the musical percussion, rhythm, the language, the script and the art of depiction. Over the years, some of my works are Impressions of Bheema, Khandava Prastha and Brihanala.

GS: Can you give a representation of your background ? Were you an artiste from childhood ?

VC: No, I started theatre acting in 1979. My parents originate from West Punjab, which is now in Pakistan, but we settled in Mumbai. And later I migrated to Pondicherry. This itinerant quality is an advantage — you have scope to meet numerous people in your life.

GS: Are all your plays intended for an intellectual and selected society?

VC: No, in fact, the villagers around Adishakthi in Pondicherry are enamoured by my plays. They motivate and inspire me to go ahead in my ventures.

GS: Having had no formal training in theatre, what or who do you attribute your achievements to in this field?

VC: My parents were never encouraging but I am not bitter about it. It was my aspiration to do theatre and I went on to achieve it. My inspirations have been The Divine Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

GS: Are you a spiritualist ?

VS: I am both a spiritualist and a realist. Very pragmatic and optimistic about life, but at the same time religious and devout in my being.

GS: Do you have a western influence in your plays ? Are they extraordinarily contem-porary ?

VC: My plays are absolutely not with a western influence but yes, they are very contemporary. In fact, I discovered that most South-Asian countries have a similarity in having the richness of culture, tradition and history of the past, present and future. There is an abundance of perspective and viewpoint due to this opulence. And there's this broad attitude of people to accommodate the diversified ideas in these countries. This makes it easier for artistes like us to choose the various topics, be it mythology, history or legend, to depict the stance on stage very contemporarily.

GS: Have you inter-related with other Asian countries ?

VC: Yes, we have come together with the Japanese performing groups and conferred our respective similarities and comparisons in theatre.

GS: Are you working on a new mission ?

VC: Yes, my new play is named 'The hare and the tortoise'. It's based on racing and competitions exactly like the original tale but with a present-day standpoint.

GS: What do you say about the present day audience ? Is theatre a fading media ?

VC: I don't think theatre is fading, but it has competition from various other sources of entertainment. As far as the audience is concerned, they have been very reactive to my plays, though they may have their own interpretations.