Making films gives me the power to say things which otherwise I couldn’t. It gives me an opportunity to create an alternative world on screen. It is an immersive and spiritual journey in which I discover a new facet about me.
From my childhood I had a keen interest in the performing arts. But when it came to my career choice, I decided to become a teacher. After a sudden turn of events in my life, I began questioning my purpose of life; My own identity.
Around that time I’d been selected for a role in a TV series in Assam, on requesting my brother to accompany me for the shoot, my mother had said, “Why can’t you go on your own?”
My mother was the first woman entrepreneur in our village which was still a novel concept. Being fiercely independent is what I learnt from my mother. I decided to travel to Mumbai to chase my dream of becoming an actor.
Assamese being my mother tongue, neither Hindi nor English came naturally to me. But I tried my best audition after audition.
I didn’t give up. I did a few plays, ads and music videos. But the projects I was getting were few and far between. I was filled with self-doubt.
While growing up I’d seen Assamese and Hindi films and gradually, discovered World Cinema; I got fascinated with the films of Satyajit Ray, Ingmar Bergman, Majid Majidi, Wong Kar Wai, Terrence Mallik, Pedro Almodovar. I was amazed how organically they depicted stories deeply rooted and yet striking a chord across boundaries.
This story is from the Vol. 22, No. 2, 2019, 'IDENTITY' edition of International Gallerie.
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This story is from the Vol. 22, No. 2, 2019, 'IDENTITY' edition of International Gallerie.
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Perils Of Nuclear Energy
Addressing negative consequences of nuclear tests for the environment and human health in the areas around these sites, pointing the finger at the Soviet and current governments, “This is Silence” highlights one of the main points that the artist seeks to stress: the absence of public discussion about critical issues.
Greta Thunberg. It Is Time To Rebel!
Student, activist and initiater of ”The Greta Effect”
THEATRE UNDER PRESSURE.
The facts [some of it] about Climate Change are out there. With a few articles and videos, anyone can know that Climate Change is serious and needs immediate attention. Yet, we continue living our lives at the cost of the planet. With so much awareness, why are we not moving towards climate action and justice? How can our collective consciousness be pricked? Can we use the theatre to tell the story of the tree that I was looking at? Can we understand climate change from the aerial view of the parrot? Can we reflect on how much plastic waste we generate every day? With these questions, we set out to explore how theatre can talk about climate change.
WHERE TIGERS ARE HAPPY!
Initiated by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, ‘Kids for Tigers’ is an inspiring project that educates schoolchildren about the welfare of wild animals. Spearheading this program, is Govardhan Meena, a sensitive village boy who grew up to be a saviour of tigers, of forest land and their inhabitants. Born in 1980 to a Meena tribal family living on the outskirts of Ranthambhore, Rajasthan, the unassuming young man is a virtual Pied Piper for children learning about the environment. He works 24x7 with a single-mindedness, building bridges between people and parks. No wonder, the awards and certificates in his prized possession, are more than deserving for a man whose life is dedicated to helping village children seed bonds with nature’s wilderness.
DANCE LIKE A MAN!
Dancer, choreographer and actor, Revanta Sarabhai, the third generation of a famed family of classical Indian dance, believes the arts have a way of reaching out to people in an entirely different way than scientific data or information does; that performance tends to have a greater emotional and empathetic impact on people’s senses rather than only their rational brain. Believing that the arts have a tremendous role to play in championing the cause of climate change [or any major challenge human beings face globally], he urges artists to harness the power of the arts to create change. With this conviction, Sarabhai shares with us his conceptual performance questioning climate change.
DANCE OF THE ACTION BRIGADE
When a dancer is concerned about climate change issues there is a strong potential to nudge the emotions of viewers in a way that can impact an audience sometimes more quickly than an entire thesis on the subject.
CELEBRATING THE WILDERNESS
“Humanity can no longer stand by in silence while our wildlife and nature are being used, abused, and exploited.
THEATRE SALUTES THE ENVIRONMENT
Theatres evolve to reconnect us to each other and the environment
FROM TRASH TO TREASURE
Veena Sahajwalla is a whirlwind of ideas and energy, determined to tackle the mountain of waste, especially -waste generated by Australians every year. Recycling waste into ‘green steel’ and ‘green ceramics’ is the result of years of experimentation at UNSW [University Of New South Wales, Sydney]. Director of the UNSW Sydney SMaRT Centre and a Eureka Prize winner [considered the pinnacle of scientific achievement in ustralia], Professor Sahajwalla was also awarded the PLuS Alliance prize for innovation in 2017.
BITTU SAHGALSEEKING SANCTUARY
In kinship with wildlife, with nature, with the air we breathe Bittu Sahgal shares his lifetime’s camaraderie with the environment
