Vijay Padaki, the founder-trustee of Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation (BLT) has written over 50 plays. Next week, he presents Finding Ananda, a play which was par t of the History of Ideas program (a celebration of prominent Indians who have impacted the history of the country). Based on the life of Swami Vivekananda, the play falls under the genre of documentary theatre. Ahead of its ‘courtyard theatre’ debut, Vijay talks about the inspiration behind Finding Ananda. “2013 was Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary. The Ministry of Culture invited us to produce a play on him as part of our History of Ideas program. Most available information on Swami’s life is strongly religious in content, making him a saint. They do not capture him as a social activist, as someone who stood for social justice and service for the poor,” says Vijay on the inspiration for the play. He adds that after expressing his concerns regarding the play, the Ministry of Culture gave them the freedom to develop the script as they wished.
Though it was staged in a conventional format in 2013, it has been adapted for courtyard theatre for the first time. “Since it is becoming increasingly difficult to bring audiences to an auditorium, we thought of taking theatre to the people,” explains Vijay. So far, the team has converted nine plays into a storytelling theatre format with just two actors presenting the entire play. This version of presenting a play does not have the conventional stage decor, sets, costumes, props and lighting.
The storyline of the play is loosely based on the experience of the BLT team. Giving a glimpse into the
story of the play, Vijay says, “A theatre group undertakes the task of producing a play on Swami Vivekananda, supported by the Ministry of Culture. From the beginning, they are conflicted about the content of the play — if it should focus on the prevalent views of Swami’s life or the lesser-known aspects of his personality.”
“We have many more plays in the pipeline that will be converted into the courtyard theatre format,” he says signing off.
Entry free. January 12, 3.30 pm and 7 pm. At Bangalore International Centre, Domlur
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