ncpa mumbai events calendar - july 2011

PROGRAMME GUIDEJULY 2011

Cultural ConnectionsNCPA Membership benefits

Giving Voice to IndiaA look into Patricia Rozario’s workshop

Bandish 2011NCPA Tata Capital present a unique festival this July

1On Stage June 2011

2On Stage July 2011

Dear Madam,

I was delighted to read about the National Theatre Live broadcast of Franken-stein on June 17th, 18th and 19th.

As you are undoubtedly aware, such live transmissions are now available from opera and ballet companies all over the world. Would it be possible for the NCPA to bring us more of these?

According to an article in the New York Times dated May 31st, 2011, seven Bolshoi Ballet broadcasts are scheduled in the next 13 months. The November 20th performance of will also highlight the official reopening of the Bolshoi Theater, after its renovation.

Mumbai’s music and ballet lovers would greatly appreciate an opportunity to view this and other similar broadcasts!

– Roshun Birdy

Please feel free to write in with your comments to Lily Shroff (RelationshipManager – On Stage). We are committed to providing you with an enjoyablemagazine and look forward to your feedback after each issue. We’dlike to know what you think about our programmes and our stories, and lookforward to bringing you exciting events on an ongoing basis. You may sendan email to [email protected] with your comments and feedback.

The Bandish Festival features compositions by legendary composers performed by well-known musicians

Cover Art: Rahul Das

NCPA – On Stage Magazine

Relationship Manager: Lily Shroff

Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Jaideep VGEditorial Co-ordinators: Divya Mishra, Priyanka Mathur Hilda Darukhanawalla Art Director: Rahul DasNational Photo Editor & Art Director: Chirodeep Chaudhuri PR Manager: Rashmi DhanwaniSenior RM Sales (West): Vishwanath ShanbhagDesigners: Brijesh Gajjar, Chittaranjan ModhaveDesign and Digital Imaging: Devang H Makwana

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Materials in On Stage cannot bereproduced in part or whole without the written permission of the publisher. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. All rights reserved.

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Letter to the editor

We look forward to your feedback and suggestions on the NCPA’s programmes, as well as our magazine On Stage. Please do write in to The Editor – On Stage, The National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021 or E-mail [email protected], or Fax (022) 6622 3830.

NCPA DepartmentsIndian Music: Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head – Programming

International Music: Farrahnaz Irani Sr.Manager – Programming

Centre of Photography as an Art Form:Mukesh Parpiani,Head – Piramal Art Gallery

Theatre & Film:Deepa Gahlot, Head – Programming

Dance: Amrita Lahiri,Head – Programming

Marketing, Sales & Administration:Deepak Bajaj,Director

Jt. Executive Director:D. B. Biswas

NCPA Chairman: Khushroo N. Suntook

J U L y 2 0 11

On Stage July 2011

1

Returning to Mumbai in the second week of June, I was in time to see the stunning theatre screening of Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein, from the National Theatre, London, which unfortunately couldn’t be broadcast live because of the

time difference in our two countries, but nevertheless, saw our special invitees give it great reviews. The technology was staggering and the performances characteristically energetic of the trend in the presentations at the National Theatre. We hope to make this alliance between the NCPA and National Theatre bear fruit in different ways and this is the first step in ensuring that first class theatre is available to the Mumbai public at affordable prices.

I hope to inform all our readers that plans for the SOI Seasons for September 2011, February 2012, and September 2012, are gradually falling in place and both Marat and I were able to discuss and source artistes of high calibre to take part in our Seasons.

With the onset of the monsoon season last month, the rain-gods and music enthusiasts alike will witness the return of the Bandish festival, launched last year. This festival is an integral part of the thematic Indian Music programmes curated by Dr. Suvarnalata Rao for the NCPA. The Bandish event this year has an exciting line-up of artistes paying homage to legendary Indian composers, whose works have stood the test of time and terrain.

The Edinburgh Festival, which is one of the major art festivals of the world, receives a thorough review from Deepa Gahlot. I have vivid memories of hearing many great artistes at the venues, which have now become a part of the cultural scene of Britain in summer. Many of these festivals, including the Salzburg and Byreuth, can serve as inspirations for similar festivals to be organised at the NCPA, not only for the regular theatre and concert goers, but also for tourists visiting the city.

A number of people have approached me and ask whether it is possible to become a member of the NCPA, and what benefits it offers. An elaborate article on the benefits is penned in this issue and hope you will pass this on, not only to your family, but also to your friends.

Many fine presentations made at the NCPA, whether they are Indian or Western music or dance, remain comparatively unappreciated by a large part of the audience on account of the lack of information provided, by the presenting organisations. We seek to remedy this by trying to explain the intrinsic raison d’etre of each offering, by either in the pro-gramme notes and/or pre-concert talks, as well as music appreciation programmes conducted, so that the audience appreciates the subtleties and quality of each performance.

We will certainly follow this in other areas of performing arts, and suggestions and/or offers to contribute to this educa-tional process, would be most welcome.

from thechairman’s

desk

Khushroo N. Suntook

contents

August 2011 Highlights35

What to look forward to in the coming month.

Glimpses of May and June 201134

All that was memorable in the last two months.

Master your Rhythm10

Sanjukta Wagh’s workshop is all about improvisation in dance

Cultural Connections14

The NCPA has a lot of attractive offers which members can avail of

Giving Voice to India12

Patricia Rozario scouts the country for some of the finest singing talents

Programme Guide 18

All of July’s events at the NCPA.

08

04Binding traditions with a song

The Bandish Festival 2011 promises to bring forth some of the most treasured bandishes created by eminent composers of the past

A world class celebrationThe much-awaited Edinburgh Festival

showcases some great performances from all over the globe, including Asia

A preview into the Bandish festival at the NCPA throws light on this distinguished concept, and what is in store for music enthusiasts

The concept of bandish is one that has been looked upon with great reverence by musicians over many

generations. The bond between tala and raga, the core ideology behind this concept, was passed on from a guru to his shishya. In its endeavour to celebrate the richness of Indian music, NCPA in collaboration with Tata Capital, has organised the Bandish Festival 2011, in which celebrated musicians will bring forth unique renditions of priceless, age-old compositions. Veejay Sai finds out more...

Since time immemorial, one of the key factors that set Indian music apart from other genres of music anywhere else in the world, is the way in which it is inherited, via the guru-shishya parampara. While the West believed in the written word, In-dia believed in the power of its gurus and

what they taught their students. Be it mu-sic, dance, theatre or folk traditions, these have been delivered to us absolutely undiluted over centuries, thanks to this thriving parampara.

The term ‘bandish’ essentially means to tie or bind, and is hence aptly used with refer-ence to a composition including a melo-dy, rhythm and text. Before this term came into usage, it was predominantly called cheeza, which was used more for literary compositions. The bandish came with its own unique set of grammar and vocabu-lary rules, which needed to be adhered to by the artiste. A delicate mingling of liter-ary text set to tunes and patterned to a certain format of rendering and presenta-tion soon took over the very aspect of its existence. In its second year, the Bandish festival celebrates some of the greatest composers of Indian music.

“Last year, when we started this festival, we wanted to offer music lovers a whole new experience. We designed the festival with a view to bring to the audience the trea-

The term ‘bandish’ essentially means to tie or bind, and

is hence aptly used with reference to a

composition including a melody, rhythm

and text

From left to right: Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan), Rashid Khan and Shubha Mudgal

On Stage July 2011

5

sures of our great Indian heritage,” says Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head – Programming (Indian Music), NCPA, the curator of the festival.

When dealing with a subject like bandish, one ought to take extreme care regarding the histories, facts and genealogies that are being dealt with. Though the guru- shishya parampara has been a longstand-ing tradition, over the centuries, the art of Indian music itself has undergone several changes. In the late 19th century, colonial writers who came to India and were fasci-nated with its performing arts, took great efforts to document selected histories in their journals and travelogues. So most documented evidences from books and such sources based themselves on these colonial re-interpretations. As the gharana system evolved in north Indian music and different schools prospered in the Carnat-ic genre, bandish settled down to being adapted by artistes over the centuries. Till today, several bandishes still have mysteri-ous pasts, with their composers remaining anonymous and have thus been catego-rised as ‘traditional’, and thus continue to be sung by artistes. Some of these ‘tradi-tional’ tunes have also been adapted by various musicians in the fold of their re-spective gharanas. To put the spotlight on the value of bandish and let music loving audiences experience its diversity, a festival of this nature is immensely enriching.

Last year’s festival saw several musicians undertaking the works of several com-posers. Dhrupad exponents Gundecha brothers paid their tribute to Miyan Tansen;

Ullhas Kashalkar sang the compositions of poets Adarang and Sadarang; Bombay Jayashri presented the works of Muthus-wami Dikshitar and Papanasam Sivan; Shujaat Hussain Khan and Shekhar Sen enthralled the audience with the compo-sitions of the Sufi mystic saint poet Hazrat Amir Khusrau and renowned medieval po-ets - Ras Khan and Raheem respectively. The festival turned out to be a wonderful eclectic mix of composers from main and sub-genres of Indian music, transcending timeline or genealogies.

“This year, we have an exciting lineup of artistes and composers they are paying tributes to. Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan) will present Faiyaz Khan’s composi-tions followed by Rashid Khan, who will be showcasing the dynamic works of Inayat Hussain Khan. The second day is devoted

to the saint poets – Kabir, Surdas and Tul-sidas being presented by Shubha Mudgal and Anup Jalota. On the last day of the festival, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande will sing compositions of Alladiya Khan and Va-sundhara Komkali will present the works of Kumar Gandharva. Once again, we have dealt with a fair cross-section of genres and composers across Indian music,” says Dr. Suvarnalata Rao.

Raja Miyan is the torch-bearer of one of the most important gharanas of Indian music. He pays tribute to the doyen of the Agra gharana - Faiyaz Khan, who wrote under the pseudonym ‘Prem Piya’. Raja Miyan, one of the foremost disciples of Padmabhushan Late Khadim Hussain Khan, absorbed the best of his gharana music. He was groomed to present the beauty in bandish with a special love for both sur and bol blended with a fine sense of laya rendered in a resonant and pliable voice. Marked by Dhrupad like nom-tom aalap, bol-taans, bol-banav and bol-baant, his singing stands true to the tradition of his gharana. Anup Jalota, who inherited his bhajan sampradaya from his celebrated father Purushottam Das, is one of the country’s finest bhajan singers. He will sing a selection of bhajans written by Surdas and Tulsidas (saint poets who belonged to the ‘Bhakti Movement’ that played a major role in India’s renais-sance). Shubha Mudgal is a versatile ar-tiste known for her wide repertoire span-ning across Hindustani classical music, semi-classical genres and popular Indian music. She will be presenting the works of Kabir, the mystic poet of the Bhakti era, known for his path breaking

From left to right: Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan), Rashid Khan and Shubha Mudgal From left to right: Anup Jalota, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Vasundhara Komkali will be performing renditions of great composers

To put the spotlight

on the value of bandish and let music loving

audiences experience its diversity, a festival

of this nature is immensely

enriching

6On Stage July 2011

philosophy, which preached social equal-ity and broke down class and caste dis-tinctions. Late Kumar Gandharva’s wife, Vasundhara, and daughter, Kalapini, have taken his legacy forward by retaining his style of singing. He was a versatile genius, who could sing khayal, thumri and other semi-classical genres with equal ease.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, who will pres-ent the bandishes of Alladiya Khan, the patron of the Jaipur-Atrauli style of singing says, “There has been controversy about what the Ustad has composed and what he has not. I have researched and found a few of the Ustad’s bandishes, which he wrote under the pen-name ‘Ahmed Piya’. Apart from these, there are also others where the word ‘Ahmed’ just occurs and we don’t know for sure if he composed them. Since he was the court musician of the royal court of Kolhapur, he might have composed music for specific events, like festivals or royal celebrations. It was very challenging for me to put together the piece that I will perform in this festival.”

Rashid Khan, of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana tradition, will sing the composi-tions of Inayat Hussain Khan, one of the doyens of the gharana. Among the salient features of this gharana’s style of singing is the perceptible impress of the instrumen-tal style in the singing, where devices like meend and soot are integral parts of the overall scheme of ornamentation. The compositon is given equal importance in its poetic aspect, as well as in its presen-tation. The intricate sargam patterns add to the joy of listening. Taranas have always been an integral part of this gharana’s repertoire. Decorated with meend and delightful layakari, the taranas are very different from the familiar variety. Rashid Khan enchants the audience with his full-throated style of singing, which makes all of his concerts treasured events and has helped re-establish his gharana’s unique style.

With the Bandish festival, NCPA has strived to treat music aficionados to a thematic presentation of timeless compositions, which continue to thrive and live on through generations.

Hope the Mumbai rains do not stand between music and its lovers!

The Bandish Festival 2011 takes place from July 7 - 9. For more information see page 21 of the Programme Guide. (Clockwise from top left: Faiyaz Khan, Inayat Hussain Khan, Kumar Gandharva, Alladiya Khan)

Saint poets Tulsidas (left) and Kabir (right)

592406_TimeOutINDIA_FB_SVCK4055AG_206x273_e.indd 1 19.05.11 15:59

8On Stage July 2011

This month, NCPA brings forth a series of dance workshops that are a unique combination of education and pleasure. Isabel Putinja takes a look.

Apart from showcasing Indian and international performing arts, the NCPA also gives immense priority

to the education of the performing arts. Numerous learning opportunities are offered to the public through workshops, lecture demonstrations, seminars and appreciation courses in music, theatre and dance. Also, through its informal and interactive arts forum, Chauraha, arts enthusiasts can now experience film screenings, drama and poetry readings, as well as presentations of work-in-progress followed by the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas.

A series of educational events organised recently by NCPA’s dance department has succeeded in attracting audiences of all ages.

Amrita Lahiri, Head – Programming (Indian Dance), NCPA, explains, “To fully appreci-ate the classical arts, we need educated

audiences. We also need to create op-portunities for fresh talents to get the best in arts education. NCPA is a site of ongoing creativity in the arts, especially dance. Ear-lier, it was confined to auditoriums, but we are now shifting to studios.”

The next dance education event is a movement research workshop for danc-ers by Kathak dancer and performer San-jukta Wagh. Post her dance course at the Laban Centre for Dance in London, she decided to use more improvisation in her work.

“Improvisation as a skill grows through practice and engagement,” says Sanjukta. “Once a musician learns how to play and is familiar with the structure and technique of music, he can make the music happen and respond to immediate sound around him. I began asking similar questions in dance. Can I respond to the floor, the air, the vibrations… so that I am not the danc-

er but the danced?” The approach of her workshop is one of ‘movement research’, where improvisation will be explored as a group in a structured studio-based prac-tice. This workshop will enable students of dance to explore their own forms and bodies in a structured framework.

NCPA’s long history of dance education of-fered local dancers opportunities to learn with renowned gurus. This had started un-der NCPA’s very first director, Dr Narayana Menon, who invited Guru Mohanrao Kaly-anpurkar to teach Kathak. For many years, Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan would visit the NCPA for annual abhinaya workshops. The celebrated late guru Kelucharan Mo-hapatra taught regular workshops in Odissi at NCPA for over ten years, starting in 1982.

Mumbai-based Odissi dancer and teach-er Jhelum Paranjape reminisces, “Guruji would return to the NCPA every year and teach for a month. We would have classes every day, from 10 am till about 6 pm in the evening. We would stop at that time only because we needed to get home.”

Recently, the NCPA held several suc-cessful dance education events. In May, Mehneer Sudan introduced them to jazz dance, Seema Mehta taught the basics of Kathak, and Mohiniattam dancer Mita Desai taught storytelling through design and dance. On March 25, school children from six Mumbai schools met celebrated Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri and renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Pri-yadarshini Govind at the Tata theatre. They learned about Carnatic music, Bharatanayam, Hindu mythology, rhythm and percussion from them.

Sanjukta Wagh’s upcoming workshop is scheduled from July 26 to 28. It will con-clude with a performance, Bheetar Bahar on July 29, followed by Chauraha. “This workshop aims at uniting professional dancers together so as to create, impro-vise and try new things by stepping away from technique and structures in classical dance,” explains Lahiri. “This is the first of a series of workshops at NCPA. We hope to have others on abhinaya, lesser known dance forms, dance music, lighting, cho-reography and others aspects of dance.”

This workshop is from July 26 to July 28.For more information see page 31 and 32 of the Programme Guide.

RhythmMaster your

On Stage July 2011

9

The Edinburgh Festival promises to be an enriching experience for visitors this year, with new and vibrant performances from all over the world, including Asia. Deepa Gahlot takes a look at

what’s in store

The Edinburgh Festival is uttered with reverence, as if it were a place of pilgrimage to be visited at

least once in a lifetime. Thousands land up at the beautiful Scottish city over the three weeks that it hosts the best perform-ers from around the world. The Edinburgh Festivals collectively attract audiences of four million, over 25,000 artists and 2,000 accredited media and according to the last independent study, generate £184 million towards Scotland’s economy (£61 for every £1 of public investment) and

3,900 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. ‘Edinburgh’s six major theatres and con-cert halls, a few smaller venues and often some unconventional ones too, come alive with classical music, theatre, opera, dance and visual art from around the globe,’ the festival’s website boasts. ‘The atmosphere in the city is something spe-cial. The Daily Telegraph said – ‘not just the most thrilling, beguiling, preposter-ously enjoyable place on Earth; it is also wonderfully addictive.’ Or as The Specta-tor suggested, ‘you can sleep in Septem-

ber’.’ Being there is a heady feel of excite-ment and discovery; while performing at Edinburgh is an experience every artiste dreams of.

The Edinburgh International Festival was founded in 1947, after the Second World War, to provide ‘a platform for the flower-ing of the human spirit ’. This belief in the power of the arts to nurture and transform is the main aim of the festival today. The Edinburgh International Festival was the first of its kind, and inspired similar events

The Korean ballet Princess Bari is one of the big attractions at the Festival this year

around the world. The main fesatival is curated; all artistes and groups are in-vited by the festival director. The festival inspired performers to stage shows of their own and these grew into the now-equally popular Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since then, more festivals have emerged around it in August and early September, including other times of the year. There are now 12 major annual festivals in Ed-inburgh.

There have been 10 directors since the festival began, and current director Jona-than Mills, visited Mumbai recently. Since the 2011 event (August 12th – September 4th) - his fifth festival, he has explored ideas about the influence of Asia’s diverse cultures on the West. Participants this year are from China, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Indonesia, as well as North America, Germany, Belgium, Russia, and the UK. From India, Shashi Tharoor, Anita Nair and Shoma Choudhary will be giv-ing talks on India in a globalised world; plus stalwarts like Ravi Shankar, Amjan Ali Khan, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and folk musicians from Rajasthan will be per-forming. There will also be an exhibition of Indian textiles.

When asked why India has not been rep-resented by a more contemporary selec-tion, Mills said that the participation from India was balanced out by performances from other Asian countries. His visit to India indicated the possibility of Indian culture becoming more prominent in the future. This year’s performances will include a young Korean Company performing Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a production of King Lear from Taipei and a Chinese op-era version of Hamlet – a mix of styles from the East and West. As Mills said, “The focus on Asia acknowledges that we live in a globalised world.”

‘Bringing together East and West - The Pe-ony Pavilion, performed by the National Ballet of China with western classical bal-let, a classic symphony orchestra, tradi-tional Chinese instruments, and a quint-essentially Chinese story demonstrates the ideas and ambitions of the Edinburgh Festival 2011. This ballet is based on a love story by one of China’s greatest writ-ers, and a contemporary of Shakespeare, Tang Xianzu,’ states the programme. Orchestras participating this year include the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Phila-delphia Orchestra, Orchestre sympho-

nique de Montréal, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the yogyakarta Court Gamelan. The Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra per-form Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet Song of the Earth, set to Mahler’s song cycle, in-spired by Chinese poetry from the T’ang Dynasty, alongside the world premiere of a work created for the company by inter-nationally acclaimed American-based choreographer Jorma Elo. Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Op-

era bring a large-scale production by Jonathan Kent, designed by Paul Brown, of Strauss’s epic opera Die Frau ohne Schatten, spanning life on earth and in the spirit world. Currently rehearsing in Fez, with actors from across the Arab-speaking world, One Thousand and One Nights looks at the brutal and enthrall-ing stories of Shahrazad, directed by Tim Supple. Staying in the Middle East, resonating strongly with recent events, Nigel Lowery’s production of Semiramide for Vlaamse Opera, conducted by the great Rossini expert Alberto Zedda, is set during the last days of an Arabic dictator’s regime. Stephen Earnhart and Greg Pierce’s pro-duction of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is based on Haruki Murakami’s novel, which premieres at the festival, bringing to the stage performance, music, pup-petry, dance and film. Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto brings two poetic series of work to Europe for the first time. Light-ning Fields and Photogenic Drawings re-veal Sugimoto’s exploration of the nature of photography, presented in partner-ship with the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Dance this year includes French-Vietnam-ese choreographer Ea Sola’s re-creation of her critically acclaimed meditation on the human cost of war, Drought and Rain and New york-based Chinese choreogra-pher Shen Wei’s Re-Triptych. There is also the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Ko-rean choreographer, Eun-Me Ahn and her company’s tale of Princess Bari. Musicians at Festival 2011 include Kent Nagano and Myung-Whun Chung, Meagan Miller and yundi making their festival debuts. Joining them are Maria João Pires, Ravi Shankar, Amjan Ali Khan, Vladimir Jurowski, Melvyn Tan, Xuefei yang, Belcea Quartet, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Diana Damrau. The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, with over 100,000 firing sequences launched from Edinburgh Castle and choreographed to music performed by the Scottish Cham-ber Orchestra, will be the grand finale. Mills wrote in the Festival brochure, “In the past, Festival 2011 might have been described as coming from the East or the Far East. Today, in recognition of a changed world, we describe it as a jour-ney of discovery and revelation, in which the finest artists of these Asian countries share their virtuosity and skill with all of us in the Far West.”

Bringing together East and West

demonstrates the ideas and ambitions

of the Edinburgh Festival 2011

Exposed to western classical music and recordings of opera singers from an early age, Patricia Rozario

was one of the few Indians who decided to make a career as a soprano. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music for four years and for a year at the National Opera Studio, she started working professionally, but continued to have private singing lessons.

“After changing teachers a few times, I eventually met Jeffrey Talbot, who teach-es the Italian Belcanto method of singing, and who made the biggest impact on my voice. He taught me about the vo-cal instrument, how it works, how to build its strength, flexibility, accuracy and bril-liance. Thanks to his training, I was able to take part in a few international singing competitions in UK, Holland, Austria and Spain and win awards, which led to me getting an agent and also opera con-tracts and concert work,” she says.

Rozario has sung all over the world, with famous conductors, orchestras and soloists. Next year, she will complete 30 years in the field of classical music internationally.

“Being a soprano is a difficult career path to follow, not just be-cause there are so many good so-pranos in the field, but also because the music written for this voice type is always challenging,” explains the singer.

About 12 years ago, she came up with the idea of conducting singing lessons for people of 15 years of age and above. However, she was unable to exe-cute her plans at the time. But the idea remained and two years ago, when her agent Shireen Isal, of Sargam Associates, organised a concert tour for her in India, she decided to scout for talent in each city. Impressed with what she heard, she has returned every quarter since then to run her sessions, which

are now called Giving Voice to India.

“Word has spread and we’ve had singers from Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi and Coimbatore signing up for the course,” she says. “One student successfully audi-tioned for the Royal College of Music and will start the BA course in September. In January, I decided to work with one of the choirs in Bombay, and once again in April. It is amazing how the voices change even during the six-day intensive course.”

She now wants to train some teachers with the aim of keeping students on track in between the courses. There are a couple of singers, who teach, as well as study, and she feels they will be able to imple-ment her ideas in their teaching style.

“The NCPA is where I place my hopes. I don’t need to make any recommenda-tions to the faculty, because I know that

when the voices are ready and well-developed, they will use them in the concerts. In my last meeting with NCPA

Chairman Khushroo Suntook, he asked me if I would train a group of 15 to 20 voices for the choruses of the double bill to be premiered next February – Cavalleria Rusti-cana and I Pagliacci.”

Next year, Rozario plans a tour with two of her soprano students from

England. “Susanna Hurrell is an award - winning student of mine from the Royal College of Music, who is just finishing the Opera Course and Joanne D’ Mello is about to graduate from the Royal Col-

lege of Music with a distinction and has gained a place at the Gh-

ent Opera Studio in Belgium. I am very proud of what she

has achieved so far, and feel more can do the same,” she concludes.

Patricia Rosario’s workshop is from July 23rd to 28th.

For more information see page 31 of theProgramme Guide.

Patricia Rozario

Arguably one of the most talented western

classical musicians to have visited India,

Patricia Rozario speaks to Jehangir Batiwala about her career and

her new project of training voices in India

Kashmir Awaits You

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As the temperature rises and the rest of the country faces the harsh vengeance of the summer sun, Kashmir �nds cool and pleasant chilliness in its unpolluted natural beauty.

Visit Kashmir this summer and discover the Paradise on Earth

For a long time, members of the NCPA have had the opportunity of viewing some of the best art performances. Now, a member can avail of much

more, as the NCPA brings to the fore a lot of wonderful offers in addition to satiating India’s cultural appetite. Lily Shroff throws light on what is in store

Is it possible to become a member of the NCPA? In 1965, Dr Jamshed J Bhabha wrote a letter to the Dorabji Tata

Trust about the need for an institution that would safeguard India’s rich heritage of performing arts for future generations. He pointed out that in India, “music and the related arts constituted an extremely im-portant part of the country’s 5,000-year-old cultural and spiritual legacy”. His vision extended to even selecting a kind of au-dience to view these art forms. He would interview prospective candidates from society and after scrutinising their request, would take a decision on whether or not to make them a member. Such was the de-gree of excellence and cultural stimula-tion required in not just an artiste or a per-former, but also in an audience as well. Four decades later, times have changed, and today, the NCPA membership is open to all. The proximity of the complex to the office area in the financial district of the country makes it an ideal getaway from the hectic life one leads today, while it also hopes to draw in the youth with the many colleges in and around the vicinity. As a lively cultural hub, the NCPA boasts of five state-of-the-art theatres (Tata Theatre, Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Experimental Theatre, Dance Theatre Godrej and the Little Theatre) that can accommodate symphony orchestral concerts to vast the-atrical productions and bringing the best from around the country and the world. Every performing art genre has a dedicat-ed programming team at the NCPA, that churns out high quality events, which are, in every sense, one of a kind.

The revered artiste and NCPA member Gulzar, very beautifully put it when he commented, “The NCPA is the greatest cultural gift to the city of Mumbai. your body rests and the soul starts inflating af-

ter you enter the premises!”

As a patron of the arts, an NCPA mem-ber already belongs to an exceptional group of people because of their support and contribution towards NCPA’s mission of preserving and promoting arts and culture.

The NCPA membership is the perfect gift for an art-lover. It makes a unique offer-ing that is a whole year long and pro-vides several opportunities for your friends and family to experience the incredible world class performances and truly ex-plore the arts. Additionally, there are ex-cellent archives, recording studios, art and photographic galleries, as well as multi-purpose rehearsal rooms (that can house conferences, seminars and train-ing programmes) and open-air spaces for performances and receptions. If you become a member of the NCPA, the cul-tural benefits are limitless, and audienc-es also gain access to a lot of lucrative offers:

MEMBER BENEFITS WOuLD INCLuDE:

1. Discounts on all tickets for NCPA productions

2. A copy of our coveted monthly arts magazine Onstage, accessible only to members, which contains detailed in-formation on all the programmes and events at the NCPA, as well as well-writ-ten articles on happenings in the world of culture and the performing arts.

3. Priority bookings for all events that gives members an advantage before the shows/concerts reach a houseful sta-tus, this facility is available for members upto three days in advance of the box-office opening to the public

4. Access to exclusive events organised for members alone

5. Free use of the extensive NCPA library facilities. (Three rooms housing the only Stuart-Liff Collection in India, an audio and reading room, where 500 books, and CDs are added each year)

6. Exclusive discounts and offers on select brands

Cultural Connections

NCPA members watch the SOI performing a Western Music concert

16On Stage July 2011

7. Discount at the new NCPA restaurant located at the heart of Nariman Point - ‘Amadeus’

Further details on specific offers for NCPA members on various brand and eateries are listed below:

AMADEuS RESTAuRANT AT NCPA:Members will enjoy an exclusive discount at our newest restaurant.

BASECAMP:10% discount to NCPA / SOI members upon presentation of the voucher

HuSH:• 1 FREE Hush Standard Pillow (17” x 27”)

for any NCPA members who drop into a Sleep Studio prior to July 15th, 2011, or till stocks last upon production of their membership cards

• In addition, NCPA members will be entitled to a 15% discount on any pur-chases made from a Sleep Studio

JIVA GRANDE SPA at Taj Wellington Mews Luxury Residences:Take a dip in our stimulating pool, have a set spa meal at the Deli and a 45 mins aromatherapy massage for Rs. 4,500 (ex-cluding taxes). Or, enjoy a workout, steam, yoga session, set spa meal at the Deli and a 45 mins champi for Rs. 4,100 (excluding taxes).*Terms and conditions apply. Offer valid till September 30th, 2011. Tel: 6656 9494 or

email: [email protected]

LANDMARK:• Landmark voucher worth Rs. 1,000, re-

deemable on Rs. 5,000 and above, on purchase of books upon presentation of the voucher till November 30th, 2011

• Landmark voucher worth Rs. 1,000, re-deemable on Rs. 5,000 and above, on purchase of movies and music upon presentation of the voucher till November 30th, 2011

ALDO, CHARLES & KEITH, INGLOT, LA SENZA, MANGO, NINEWEST, OKAIDI, PROMOD,QuEuE uP:Gift voucher of Rs.500 applicable on any one of the above mentioned brands

SuBWAY:15% off on a minimum expenditure of Rs 150 upon presentation of their mem-bership card

SuZETTE Cafe:10 % discount on offer to NCPA / SOI members upon presentation of their membership card on all the items on the menu THE BOMBAY STORE:• 10% discount on offer to NCPA / SOI

members upon presentation of their membership card.

• An additional 5% off on purchases dur-ing The Great Bombay Store Sale, which is from July 22nd to August 15th

Terms and Conditions:• Members are required to provide their membership cards in order to avail of the offers mentioned above (except if gift vouchers are

available)• In the case of gift vouchers, it needs to be submitted at the time of purchase to avail of the offer• The gift voucher cannot be exchanged for cash and can be used one time only • These offers are exclusive to NCPA/SOI members and cannot be clubbed with any other prevailing offers at any time• HUSH management reserves the right to alter/modify their offer at any time• Members must personally visit one of the HUSH Sleep Studios, along with his/her NCPA/SOI membership card to avail the offerFor any further queries on how to become a member of the NCPA, log onto www.ncpamumbai.com, or email: [email protected] Tel: 022-6622 3719, 2283 4500

Attending performances at the NCPA is a perfect way to interact with like-minded people

On Stage July 2011

17

BAALBECK INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL JuLY 7 - 30With a history spanning several decades (including an interim period of gestation due to the Lebanese Civil War), the Baal-beck International Festival, held in the city of Baalbek in Lebanon each year, is considered one of the most prestigious festivals in the Middle East. The festival pro-vides the best of Lebanese talent an op-purtunity to perform on a stage as grand as this, with over 40,000 spectators each year. It also aims at presenting the finest international talent in the arts to the fore-front, incorporating different forms of the classical arts with artistes from the fields of ballet, theatre, opera, and classical mu-sic presenting their creations to the watch-ing eye. This year’s programme features the Gershwin Piano Quartet interpreting important works of Stravinsky and Ravel, while renowned pianist Abdel Rahman El Bacha also presents a piano recital. Fur-ther highlights include “From the Days of Saladin”, a Lebanese musical play with music and direction by Farid and Maher Sabbagh.

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL JAZZ AND BLuES FESTIVAL JuLY 1 - 10The first 10 days of July will see thousands of visitors heading towards the second city of England, as Birmingham plays host to

the 27th edition of its annual jazz and blues festival. Audiences can expect over 200 performances spread out over 50 differ-ent venues in the region, and with most of them allowing free-of-charge entrance, the musicians are all set to play to packed houses listening to the soulful and pensive melodies of jazz. The festival line-up con-sists of both British, as well as respected international artistes from all over, and some of the highlights for this year include Digby Fairweather, Alan Barnes and Roy Williams.

FESTIVAL D’AVIGNON (FRANCE)JuLY 6 – 26Festival d’Avignon, created back in the year 1947, will be hosting its 65th edition this year. The festival remains till today a grand celebration of the arts and an important event on the theatre and performing arts calendar. It is attended by tens of thou-sands of visitors each year, and one of the highlights for this year’s extravaganza is “Kristin, nach Fraulein Julie (Christine, after a Miss Julie)”, a musical production adapt-ed and staged by the British theatre direc-tor Katie Mitchell, with music by Paul Clark.

KINSALE ARTS WEEK (CORK, IRELAND) JuLY 9 – 17Architecture, music, theatre, comedy, lit-erature, visual art – they all merge togeth-

er at the Kinsale Arts Week, an exceptional multi-dimensional salutation to the arts. The theatrical presentations at this year’s event include the staging of “Horse”, a mesmerizing dark comedy about a wom-an’s equestrian obsession, directed by David Bernstein.

The music presentations include recitals by renowned cellist William Butt, as well as the Tin Pan Alley. Jarlath Regan will play his part in providing some comic relief, as he puts up a stand-up comedy routine as well. In short, the festival provides some-thing for everyone.

SuMMER BALLET FESTIVAL, MOSCOW JuLY 12 – SEPT 10Held at the glorious Moscow State Aca-demic Music Theatre (also known as the Natalia Sats theatre) with its magnificent architecture and grand stage, the Sum-mer Ballet Festival is a unique project held on a massive scale each year and aims at popularising classical ballet in its most splendid form. The famous Russian ballet company - the Russian State Ballet, as well as the 110-pronged Novaya Opera Or-chestra, are among the many remarkable artistes, who will take the stage this year, and the performances will include some of the very best one-act ballets by great composers, like Chopin and Stravinsky.

On Stage Global

The Baalbeck International Festival celebrates the very best of Lebanese talent across various genres

A look at interesting performing arts festivals taking place around the world in July


DanceExhibitions – Art, PhotographyFilm ScreeningsIndian MusicTheatrePresentations & DiscussionsInternational Music

BOX OFFICETel: +91 (0)22 2282 4567, 6654 8135, 6622 3724

National Centre for the Performing Arts, N.C.P.A. Marg, Nariman Point,Mumbai 400 021. Tel: +91 (0)22 6622 3737

www.ncpamumbai.com www.soimumbai.in

Tata TheatreFriday, 1st – 6.30 pm

The Sujaya Language Show 2011 is based on the Paris School of Improvisation shows – a combination of sport and theatre that en-gages audiences of all ages. Certain linguistic structures are worked on; students have targeted some key issues modern society is facing. The

show has been staged suc-

cessfully over the year. This

year, supported by Deutsche

Bank, is the first time the Su-

jaya kids will perform at Tata

Theatre.

Passes should be collected from the Sujaya Foundation’s Office: Sujaya Foundation, Adarsh Guest House, Above Adarsh Mithai Mandir, 3rd Floor, Nana Chowk, Grant Road, Mumbai 400 007. Contact: Shraddha Shetti on 2382 6238 / 2207 8490

Hindi Play (150 mins)Experimental TheatreFriday, 1st and Saturday, 2nd - 7.00 pm

S*x, M*rality and Cens*rship explores the controversial issue – morality and censor-ship. The play goes back to the early 70’s

when Vijay Tendulkar’s classic, Sakharam Binder, created controversy in the theatre scene. The stage censor board came down heavily on the script and the play was attacked by sections of society. The story of Sakharam Binder, the parallel world of tamasha and the spirit of the 70’s

all make up an exciting mix of theatre, mem-ory, live music, dance and video. The show provokes, challenges, entertains and asks the question – who says NO!? And why?

Developed by Shanta Gokhale and Irawati Karnik Directed by Sunil Shan-bagStarring: Nagesh Bhon-sle, Gitanjali Kulkarni, Shubhorojyoti Barat, Ketaki Thatte, Raja-

shree Sawant Wad, Hridaynath Jad-hav, umesh Jagtap, Gulshan Devaiah, Puja Sarup, Dhanashree Karmarkar and Prasad Athalye

An Arpana Production

FOR ADuLTS ONLY

Tickets: On Friday: 225, 180 & 150/-

(for Members) 250, 200 & 150/-

(for the Public)On Saturday: 270, 225 & 200/-

(for Members) 300, 250 & 200/-

(for the Public)Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

The Sujaya Language Show 2011

S*x, M*rality and Cens*rship

Programme guide

On Stage July 2011

19

Indian MusicVaibhav Risbud (tabla solo)Ashwin Dalvi (sitar), accompanist Gautam Pal (tabla)Little Theatre Friday, 1st – 6.30 pm

In collaboration with ITC-Sangeet Re-search Academy (Western Region)

Vaibhav Risbud has trained under Sud-hir Mainkar and Praveen Karkare. Sudhir Mainkar is a beneficiary of the Support to Gurus Scheme, which facilitates the Guru Shishya Parampara to impart training in Indian Music. This is an educational initia-tive pioneered by NCPA and sponsored by Citibank.

Vaibhav Risbud has accompanied many artistes in public performances and has also amassed awards and scholarships while pursuing his training in tabla.

Ashwin Dalvi was initiated into music by his father Mahesh Dalvi, a noted tabla player. He specialised in sitar under the guidance of Arvind Parikh, who belongs to the Vilayatkhani gharana of sitar, and who also happens to be one of the lead-ing musicians of India.

Dalvi has performed extensively on vari-ous national platforms, including AIR and television. He has been recognised for his efforts and suitably awarded the titles of

Sur Mani and Nad Sadhak by distinct or-ganisations.

He will be accompanied on tabla by Gautam Pal, a disciple of legendary tab-la maestro Shankar Ghosh. He was initially trained under Shib Shankar Karmakar and now has many performances in India to his credit. Admission on a first-come-first-served basis (NCPA members will get preferential seating)

Kathak and Percussion EnsembleTata TheatreSaturday, 2nd – 7.00 pm

The evening features Hindustani and Car-natic percussion and music by some of India’s top artists.

MusiciansTabla – yogesh Samsi - Mumbai Pakhawaj – Bhawani Shankar - Mumbai Sitar – Jayanta Banerjee - KolkataVocal – Debasis Sarkar - Kolkata Mridangam – N. Ramakrishnan - Chennai Ghatam – Venkatasubramaniam - Chennai

Chitresh Das explores Kathak techniques

and performance, creating new works

that are deeply rooted in the Kathak

tradition.

His technique, Kathak yoga, was pub-

lished in a doctoral dissertation at Harvard

University. Das formed the first university

accredited Kathak course at San Fran-

cisco State University, USA. He received

the National Heritage Fellowship from the

Obama Administration for maintaining

the highest standards in Indian Classical

Dance in America.

A Chhandam Nritya Bharati presentation

Tickets : 600, 450 & 300/- (for Members)

800, 600 & 400/- (for the Public)

Box Office: June 18 for Members and June 20 for the Public

English Play (80 mins)Dance Theatre GodrejSaturday, 2nd and Sunday, 3rd – 7.00 pm

It happens at least once. To everyone. An awkward situation. Most people weather it, some change because of it, some aren’t affected at all and some people even go looking for one. The one thing everyone does – laugh at one. But only when it’s not them. Meet Natasha, Adil, Bob and Kara – sometime friend or lover or colleague or roommate. Not always mutually exclusive. When it all comes together one evening,

mixed with copious amounts of memories

– it tastes pretty funny!

Written by: Eric Gordon

Directed by: Vivek Madan

Cast: Tariq Vasudeva, Diksha Basu, Karan

Pandit and Kallirroe Tziafeta

A Q Theatre Production

Tickets: 200/- (for Members) `225/- (for the Public)


Hindustani Music Recital

Dynamic Feet ~ Dynamic Rhythm

Nostalgia Brand Chewing Gum


Photography ExhibitionPiramal Art Gallery

Saturday, 2nd to Saturday, 9th – 12.00

pm to 8.00 pm

Photography has been Ramesh Desai’s

hobby for many years now, and he has

participated in several club level com-

petitions, as well as All India Salons. He

has won many awards and participation

certifications, which include first prize in

the Photo Competition on Mumbai held

by Mumbai Municipal Corporation - 1999

– 2000, a participation certificate in the

20th FIP Convention Jodhpur - 2000, a

participation certificate from the Nehru

Centre Discovery of India, a Certificate

of Merit from the Photographic Society of

India, All India Salon 2003, and second

prize at the Photographic Society of In-

dia, All India Salon 2003, among others.

In his latest exhibition, enthusiasts can

see his love for the outdoors and nature,

especially the monsoon season, depict-

ed in his series of photographs.

English Play (120 mins)Tata Theatre Sunday, 3rd – 7.00 pm

With the conviction that children should not be exposed only to low comedy in the theatre, Motley first attempted Bernard Shaw’s satire on war and heroism, for the Prithvi Summertime Festival. Words are an integral part of theatre, sometimes the most integral part. And this revival (with a younger cast) is being done with the in-tention of introducing our children to Mr. Shaw’s exquisite use of words, and his ge-nius as a playwright.

Written by Bernard Shaw

Directed by Naseeruddin Shah

Cast: Faezeh Jalali, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shivani Tanksale, Amit Sial, Saahil Vaid, Vijay Tilani, Naseeruddin Shah and Ran-deep Hooda

A Motley Production

Tickets: 375, 300, 240, 180 & 150/- (for Members)

500, 400, 320, 240 & 200/- (for the Public)


English, Hindi, and Marathi playExperimental TheatreSunday, 3rd - 2.00 pm, 4.30 pm, and 7.00 pm

The NCPA is collaborating with Ranga-peeth, on a unique production. For the first time ever, the same play will be per-formed by the same set of actors in three languages. The play is based on Bhasa’s Sanskrit classic play Madhyam Vyayog. Through this play, an effort has been made towards reviving the principle of Natyashastra with an absolutely modern and contemporary approach. Madhyam Vyayog by Bhasa revolves around Bhima, Ghatotkacha, Hidimba and a Brahmin family. Hidimba, who is fasting, orders her son Ghatotkacha to bring a man from the forest to eat at the end of the fasting. Ghatotkacha stops a traveling Brahmin family in the middle of the forest. To save his parents and two brothers, the second son Madhyama gets ready to

sacrifice himself. As his last wish, he goes to drink water with Ghatotkacha's permis-sion. When the Brahmin boy is not back at the expected time, Ghatotkacha gets furious and calls out loud, “Madhyama Madhyama”. Bhima, the Madhyama Pandav, who is in that forest at that time, hears the call, and responds. He prom-ises to save the Brahmin family, and asks Ghatotkacha to take him instead of the Brahmin boy, but only if he is able to de-feat him in a test of strength. Ghatotkacha accepts the challenge. Bhima is defeated and is brought in front of Hidimba. She recognises Bhima as her husband and tells Ghatotkacha. Ghatot-kacha refuses to accept Bhima as his father, because he had never seen Bhi-ma as his father since birth. Ultimately, Hidimba successfully convinces Ghatot-kacha, who eventually accepts Bhima as his father, and the three are reunited. Adapted and directed by Waman KendreCast: Sanjay Shejwal, Suhas Suryavan-vashi, Bageshree Joshirao, Sanket

Oak, Rutwik Kendre, Tejashree Prabhu, Hitesh Rane, Sakhi Gokhale and others

A Rangapeeth Production O MY LOVE (in English) at 2.00 pmO MY LOVE Arthat MORE PIYA (in Hindi) at 4.30 pmO MY LOVE Arthat PRIYA BAWARI (in Marathi) at 7.00 pm Tickets: `270, 225 & 200 (for Members) `300, 250 & 200 (for the Public)Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

Jyotiba: A Photography Exhibition by Ramesh Desai

Arms and the Man

O My Love

On Stage July 2011

21

Bharatanatyam by Meenakshi ChitharanjanLittle TheatreWednesday, 6th – 7.00 pm

Meenakshi Chitharanjan has trained un-der Guru Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Guru Subbaraya Pillai, and has performed extensively in India, and abroad.

Through Kaladiksha, her dance acad-emy, she trains numerous students in the

legendary Pandanallur tradition. For this performance, Chitharanjan has selected

verses of Saint Adi Sankara from his works

- Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari and

Ananda Lahari. The performance com-

mences with Sringara Lahari, celebrating

the divine beauty of Devi, followed by a

verse from Soundarya Lahari bringing out

the Navarasas set to different contexts.

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis.( NCPA members will get preferential seating)

Lahari (A flood of divine bliss)

Indian MusicTata TheatreThursday, 7th to Saturday, 9th - 7.00 pm

Indian music centers around well-struc-tured melodic and rhythmic composi-tions known as bandish. It represents a central idea or base upon which the edifice of the performance is sculpted and realised. The three-day festival will showcase some of the most treasured works of the great composers, presented by eminent artistes.

July 7Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan)Rashid Khan

Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan) will present Faiyaz Khan’s (1886–1950) com-positions. Known for his chhota khay-als, which were chiseled to perfection, Faiyaz Khan was one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. In Fai-yaz Khan’s hands, the bandish emerged from its chrysalis, evolving into a three dimensional, multifaceted, dazzling per-sonality, synonymous with the raga. Rashid Khan will showcase the exquisite and dynamic works of Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919), one of the most cel-ebrated vocalists and composers of the Rampur–Sahaswan gharana. The gha-rana excels in its repertoire and distinct style of rendering tarana compositions and power-packed speedy taans of various types and lays emphasis on the use of lyrics (bol) in all stages of khayal development.

July 8Shubha MudgalAnup Jalota

Shubha Mudgal is a renowned singer of Hindustani classical music, khayal, th-umri, dadra, as well as popular Indian music. An accomplished composer of works that include rare texts from Sufiana poetry and teachings of Indian poets, she will present the divine works of Kabir (c. 1425–1505).

Anup Jalota, a much revered bhajan and ghazal artiste, will present the works of noted saint poets Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623) and Surdas (1478–1581), who com-posed famous pieces of literature based on the life and times of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna respectively. These include Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas and Sur Sagar by Surdas that have been immor-talised by their timeless relevance and following till date.

July 9Ashwini Bhide DeshpandeVasundhara Komkali

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande has trained in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and is known for her melodious tonal quality and

emotiveness, whilst retaining the basic raga framework. She will be presenting the compositions of Alladiya Khansaheb (c. 1855–1946), known for his immense repertoire of traditional dhrupad, khayal compositions and compound ragas.

The finale of the Festival is Vasundhara Komkali presenting the compositions of her husband, Kumar Gandharva (1924–1992). Her music reveals an indelible impact of the inimitable style pioneered by Kumarji through his various thematic presentations. Hailed as the harbinger of the avant garde movement in Indian music, Kumar Gandharva was a non-conformist who made bold attempts at assimilating the best from contemporary styles, both art and folk.

Daily Tickets: Rs.570, 375, 225 & 90/- (for Members)

Rs.760, 500, 300 & 120/- (for the Public)

Box Office now open

NCPA Tata Capital BandishFestival of Legendary Indian Composers


events at a glanceDay Date Time Programme Theatre

Fri 1st 6.30 pm The Sujaya Language Show 2011

Fri and Sat 1st to 2nd 7.00 pm Sex, Morality & Censorship Hindi Play

Fri 1st 6.30 pmVaibhav Risbud (Tabla Solo) & Ashwin Dalvi (Sitar) with

Gautam Pal (Tabla) Hindustani Music Recital

Sat 2nd 7.00 pm Dynamic Feet Dynamic Rhythm Kathak by Chitresh Das

Sat and Sun 2nd and 3rd 7.00 pm Nostalgia Brand Chewing Gum English Play

Sat and Sat 2nd to 9th 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm

Jyotiba Photography Exhibition by Ramesh Desai

Sun 3rd 7.00 pm Arms and the Man English Play

Sun 3rd2.00 pm 4.30 pm 7.00 pm

O My Love - English Play More Piya - Hindi Play

Priya Bawari - Marathi Play

Wed 6th 7.00 pm Lahari Bharatanatyam by Meenakshi Chitharanjan

Thu to Sat 7th to 9th 7.00 pm NCPA Tata Capital Bandish: Festival of Legendary Indian Composers

Thu 7th 6.30 pm young Talent Western Music Recital

Fri 8th 6.30 pmHema Upasani (Hindustani Vocal)

Nivedita Mukherjee (Odissi) Music and Dance recital

Fri 8th 7.00 pm Rafta Rafta English Play

Sat 9th 7.00 pm A Guy Thing English Play

Sun 10th 4.00 pm 7.00 pm

The Interview English Play

Sat 9th 6.30 pm Kalpana Short film screenings

Sun 10th 7.30 pm One Out of Six English Play

July 2011

DanceExhibitions – Art, PhotographyFilm ScreeningsIndian MusicTheatrePresentations & DiscussionsInternational Music

Day Date Time Programme Theatre

Tue to Mon 12th to 18th 7.00 pm Con Brio 2011 Western Music Festival and Piano Competition

Wed 13th 7.30 pm Pant on Fire English Play

Wed 13th 3.00 pm Filmi Chashma Children’s Film Screenings

Fri 15th 6.30 pm Urumi Malayalam film with English subtitles

Sat 16th 7.00 pm Srishti Odissi by Namrata Gupta

Thu 21st 6.30 pm Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai Hindi Film

Thu 21st 6.30 pm Sangit Chintan: Musical Reflections Workshop on Sitar by Arvind Parikh

Fri 22nd 6.30 pm Jaane Bhi Do yaaro Hindi Film

Fri 22nd 7.00 pm Me Grandad ‘ Ad An Elephant English Play

Sat 23rd 7.00 pm Panchakanya Bharatanatyam by Gayatri Sriram

Sat to Thu 23rd to 28th 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

Giving Voice to India Voice Training by Patricia Rozario & Mark Troop

Sun 24th 5.00 pm 7.30 pm

One on One English Play

Tue to Thu 26th to 28th 10.00 am to 3.00 pm

Improvisation as a studio-based practise Workshop by Sanjukta Wagh West Room 1

Fri 29th 7.00 pm Bheetar Baahar Contemporary Kathak by Sanjukta Wagh

Fri 29th 6.30 pm Music Mirror - Siddheshwari Documentary Film in Hindi on Siddheshwari Devi

Sat and Sun 30th and 31st 7.00 pm The Real Inspector Hound English Play

Sat Sun

30th 31st

7.00 pm4.00 pm and

7.00 pm

The Cherry OrchardTheatre film screening


Western Music RecitalSuman Sridhar (Soprano)Nayantara Jain (Piano)Vishal Lalwani (Piano)Experimental TheatreThursday, 7th – 6.30 pm

In collaboration with the Stop-Gaps Cul-tural Academy

Suman Sridhar is a singer, actor and song-writer. She grew up in Mumbai studying Indian classical music and earned an un-dergraduate degree in western classical music from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Suman collaborated with classical, jazz and independent musicians in clubs and theatres across the NyC area. Her on-stage appearances include original musical productions, The Flying Wallas: Opera Noir (Mumbai, 2009), Yoni Ki Baat (New Jersey, 2006) and musical adapta-tions of Exit the King (Bangalore, 2007), Day I Met the Prince (Mumbai, 2009) and My Fair Lady (New Jersey, 1998). She has per-formed internationally at the Great Escape Festival (Brighton, 2011), Southbank Centre

(London, 2010), Galle Literary Festival (Sri Lanka, 2008), Prithvi Theatre Festival (Mum-bai, 2009), etc. Nayantara Jain studies piano under Myrna Fernandez. Last year, she was a semifinalist at Con Brio, and topped the ATCL diploma in India. This year, she ac-companied singers in Delna Mody’s pro-duction, ‘Life Through the Songs We Like,’ and occasionally accompanies the Mehli Mehta Adult Choir. She recently complet-ed the IB Diploma at Dhirubhai Ambani International School, and will be continu-ing her education at Stanford University this fall.

Vishal Lalwani comes from a musical fam-ily. He started learning the piano at the age of four with his father and later, with

Freda Soares. For the last year, he has

been studying with Norma Carneiro Al-

phonso, under whom he secured distinc-

tions in the ATCL (performer’s) diploma

examination last December. He has per-

formed with Parvez Doctor’s B.P. Chamber

Orchestra and in his college functions. On

the academic side, he has a BBI (bachelor

of banking and insurance) degree.

The programme will include works of

Beethoven, Scarlatti, Schubert, Chopin,

Debussy, Mendelssohn, Purcell, Verdi,

Schoenberg and others.

Tickets: `80 & 40/-Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

Music and Dance RecitalHema Neralkar upasani (Vocal) Nivedita Mukherjee (Odissi)Little TheatreFriday, 8th – 6.30 pm

In collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Hema Neralkar Upasani, daughter of Nath Neralkar, a Hindustani classical vocalist from Maharashtra, completed her M.A. in music from S.N.D.T. University in Pune, with a distinction of having se-cured five prizes of the S.N.D.T. university in different aspects of music, along with

the C. RAMACHANDRA prize for maxi-mum marks in M.A.

She is well-known for her versatile per-formances, and has carved a place for herself by singing bhajans and ghazals in an exclusive style.

Nivedita Mukherjee, an Odissi exponent, initially received her training from Rabi-ndra Atibudhi of the Nalanda Dance and Research Centre, Mumbai, and later from Jhelum Paranjape and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra . She has numer-ous performances to her credit, some of which include the Raindrops Festi-val by Samved at NCPA, Nadgauda Festival in Nasik, Pallavothsava in My-sore, Thalam Festival in Trichur, Hampi Festival in Karnataka, among others. She has participated in all ballets and group choreography by Smitalay run by Jhelum Paranjape.

Nivedita continues her training with here guru, as she believes learning is an on-going process. She also trains aspiring young dancers at her institution Aratrika Institute of Performing Arts in Thane. She

takes keen interest in choreography.

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis (NCPA Members will get preferential seating)

Young Talent

Horizon Series

On Stage July 2011

25

Short Film Screenings (120 mins)Little Theatre

Saturday, 9th – 6.30 pm

In collaboration with Friends of Cinema.

Friends of Cinema (FoC) is a network of people who like and love short and small budget cinema. Kalpana, the brainchild of Friends of Cin-ema, is a venture to provide exposure to short and small budget filmmakers.

Many of us might have dreamt of mak-ing a movie one day that would make the world stand up and take notice. Few of us actually went a step ahead and made the movie. However, due to budget con-straints and other barriers, they were un-able to deliver the movie to a wider audi-ence or receive inputs to better the film. Kalpana is for these filmmakers. It brings together talented film makers under one roof and offers them an ideal opportunity to expose their works of art to other film-makers and connoisseurs, and get posi-tive feedback.

The objective of the group is simple – screen little known movies (short films that don’t exceed 20 minutes) to a wider audience and initiate a constructive dis-cussion on each of the movies so as to give inputs to the movie maker and also to understand the subtle nuances of filmmaking.

Everyone is invited irrespective of whether you are a filmmaker or not. All you require is a zest for cinema.

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis (NCPA Members will get preferential seating)

Kalpana

Three Contemporary Comedies in English by Akvarious ProductionsExperimental TheatreFriday, 8th to Sunday, 10th Rafta Rafta (120 mins)Friday, 8th – 7.00 pm

Floundering fathers, meddlesome moth-ers, sleepless sons and a beautiful virgin bride. A hugely warm hearted, comic tale of close-knit Indian families living abroad by the writer of East is East. Critics are call-ing this production of Rafta Rafta “a great comedy” with “a scintillating cast” and “never a dull moment”, which leaves you feeling “warm and fuzzy”.

Written by Ayub Khan-DinDirected by Tahira Nath and Akarsh KhuranaCast: Abir Abrar, Kshitee Jog, Ahlam Khan, Adhaar Khurana, Akarsh Khurana, Faisal Rashid and others

A Guy Thing (70 mins)Saturday, 9th – 7.00 pm

Lino and Mitch, an outrageously mis-matched pair of strangers, find themselves stranded in a hunting cabin during a fero-cious storm. Unable to leave, we gradually find out these men aren’t exactly here by mere happenstance. During their tumultu-ous and often hilarious day together, the two explore what defines being a man, the value of emotional intimacy, the lies we tell each other and most devastatingly the lies we tell ourselves. Critics have la-belled this as a production that is both “hi-larious” and “insightful”, and “veers clever-ly between a laugh riot and an intelligent play that keeps you thoroughly engaged”.

The evening will also feature a short open-ing act - #309 - by the same playwright.

Written by Michael PuzzoDirected by Akarsh KhuranaCast: Neil Bhoopalam and Ali Fazal

FOR ADuLTS ONLY The Interview (80 mins)Sunday, 10th – 4.00 pm and 7.00 pm Winner of 4 Mahindra Excellence in The-atre Awards, including Best Play and Best Actor, The Interview is being hailed as “a tightly packed action comedy” with “bril-liant contemporary writing”. In the play, a bright, young man, holding his resume close, waits nervously at the reception of one of the country’s largest corporations. Moments later he is called in for his job interview. But nothing he learnt in college, university or his last few jobs has prepared him for what comes next – perhaps the

most unusual and challenging hour of his life. But he’s keen to make it through this. After all, it is a job to die for.

Written by Siddharth KumarDirected by Akarsh KhuranaCast: Karan Pandit, Amrita Puri, Kashin Shetty and Tariq Vasudeva FOR ADuLTS ONLY

Tickets: On weekdays: 225, 180 & 150/-

(for Members) 250, 200 & 150/-

(for the Public)On weekends: 270, 225 & 200/-

(for Members) 300, 250 & 200/-

(for the Public)Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

Chase the Monsoon Blues

Lino and Mitch explore what being a man is all about in A Guy Thing


English Play Tata TheatreSunday, 10th – 7.30 pm

An Artistic Exclusive Event

One out of Six deals with a pompous dry cleaner, who is forced to re-evaluate his life when his wife rebels against his ways by running off with his own brother. Jo Pereira heads to New york, seeking his son Melvin's sympathy. Instead, he discov-ers his son has a lover, who is a man. Jo cannot come to terms with his son being gay, and recruits a young girl Candy to rectify the situation, with hilarious conse-

quences. Meanwhile, Jo’s wife runs away from his brother George and decides to visit Melvin. How will Jo react when he sees her? What will she do when she finds out

that Melvin is gay? Will Melvin accept his father’s shenanigans? Will Rock, the lover, succumb to the young girl's charms? Get ready for a laughter-filled evening. Produced by Raell PadamseeDirected by Karla SinghCast: Cyrus Broacha, Bugs Bhargava, Aman uppal, Jeanine Advani and Parin-az Jal

An Ace ProductionTickets: `1,500, 1,250, 1,000, 750, 500, 400, 300 &200/- Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

One out of Six

Con Brio 2011

Paul Stewart and Zarin Ghadialy-Hodiwala

Marialena and Ranko

Western Music Festival & Piano CompetitionExperimental Theatre July 12 to 18

“Con Brio” The John Gomes Memo-rial Piano Competition and Festival is an annual event, which aims to promote “strong relationships” among Western classical musicians, especially pianists. The event has musicians from India and abroad coming together to perform and embark on educational projects, like music lessons, masterclasses, workshops and a piano camp. Presented by NCPA and Furtados, “Con Brio” is dedicated to the late John Gomes, who, as the owner of Furtados for 50 years, made a sig-nificant contribution to the development of music.

The objective of the competition is to en-courage young Indian pianists to aim for high standards of pianism by providing them with a strong incentive.

Directed by Parvesh Java, this year’s festival will be anchored by four pia-nists: Marialena Fernandes, Mark Troop, Paul Stewart and Ranko Markovic and soprano Patricia Rozario. To celebrate the birth bicentenary of Franz Liszt, the concerts will feature a large number of

pieces by the Hungarian virtuoso pia-nist – well-known works and lesser known ones, some in their original form and others in unique arrangements. To mark the death centenary of Gustav Mahler, a selection of his songs and symphony transcriptions will be presented.

Experimental TheatreTuesday, July 127:00 pm

Canadian pianist Paul Stewart will give a solo piano recital performing Nikolai Medtner’s Danza Festiva, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27 in E minor (Op. 90) and Brahms’ Six Piano Pieces (Op. 118). The main composer of the evening will be Liszt and to celebrate his big year, Paul will play some of his original composi-tions, as well as transcriptions for piano.

Experimental TheatreFriday, July 15 7:00 pm

The four guest pianists – Marialena, Mark, Paul and Ranko, will begin the evening with a 2 piano 8 hand arrangement of Liszt’s Symphonic Poem Les Preludes. Zarin Ghadialy-Hodiwala will sing a se-lection of Brahms songs accompanied by Paul Stewart. Marialena will play a piece for recorded electronics and live

piano by Chicago-based composer Kyong Mee Choi. Patricia and Mark will perform, for the first time in India, Mum-bai-born Vanraj Bhatia’s Six Seasons – a song cycle which recently received its world premiere in London. Four song settings of poems by Victor Hugo for so-prano and baritone will be sung by Ni-tya Thomas and Oscar Castellino while Shirish Malhotra will present a short selec-tion of French flute repertoire.

Experimental TheatreSaturday, July 16 7:00 pm

One half of this programme will be a celebration of Mahler by Marialena and Ranko. To compare the four hand tran-scriptions of Mahler’s Symphonies by Zemlinsky (Mahler’s assistant at the Vien-na Court Opera) and Casella (French in-fluenced Italian composer and pianist), as well as Mahler’s own arrangement of Bruckner’s Third will be an “ear opening” experience to the perception of music in the early 20th century.

The rest of the evening’s programme will include David Popper’s Requiem for 3 celli and piano with Friedrich Kleinknecht, Bianca Mendonca and Vian Pereira. The concert will also feature The Chamber Singers, directed by Ve-ronica Krishnayya. In addition to works by Fauré and Vaughn Williams, the choir will perform a selection from Tavener’s Trib-ute to Cavafy with Patricia Rozario and Rehaan Engineer.

A very special part of Con Brio 2011 will be the revival of a work by the Russian Alexander Glazunov – Festive Canata (Op. 69). Composed for soprano solo, alto solo, women’s chorus and 2 piano 8 hand accompaniment, the score for this work has been retrieved from the

On Stage July 2011

27

Stand-up Comedy in English (105 mins)Dance Theatre GodrejWednesday, 13th – 7.30 pm

An Artistic Exclusive Event

Watch as comedian Sorabh Pant unleash-es his inflammable stand up comedy on anything from racist GPS systems, why the Royal Wedding was like Britain’s CWG and his unnatural love for chai. The show also features Pantjot Singh Sidhu and Sorabh Pun, including Mumbai's most promising

young comedian Kunal Rao. Pant on Fire has done over 50 shows last year in eight cities and will become the third home-grown stand up comedy show to hit the-atres in India.

Written and directed by Sorabh Pant and Kunal RaoCast: Sorabh Pant and Kunal Rao

Tickets: 250/- (for Members) `300/- (for the Public)Box Office: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

Pant on Fire

archives of the Belaieff Foundation spe-cially for the festival. Experimental TheatreSunday, July 17 11:00 amCompetition Semifinal

The semifinal round of the competition will feature about a dozen pianists cho-sen from all over India. To select these pianists, German pianist Dr. Heinrich Karl Weihrauch travelled to cities around In-dia in June, listening to participants.

Experimental TheatreSunday, July 17 7:00 pm

For the very first time in India, two interna-tionally-celebrated divas from Mumbai will perform together as a duo. Mariale-na and Patricia both grew up in Mumbai and, as young talent, received scholar-ships to study music in Europe at pres-tigious schools. They have been good friends over the years and have per-formed abroad together. It is really a spe-cial opportunity to have them both back in Mumbai making music together. The programme will include German songs by Mahler and French songs by Liszt and Berlioz.

The rest of this concert will have pieces by Liszt. Friedrich and Ranko will perform La Lugubre Gondola, originally for solo piano, but arranged for cello and piano by Liszt himself. Chelsea De Souza, the winner of Con Brio 2010, will perform the virtuosic La Campanella, as well as Liszt’s transcription of the Schubert song Gretchen am Spinnrade. Also featured will be a melodrama by Liszt for narrator and piano. Rehaan and Mark will pres-ent Liszt’s setting of the German ballad Lenore, in one of its earlier English trans-lations. To finish off, Marialena, Mark, Paul and Ranko will play an exciting 2 pi-ano 8 hand arrangement of the beloved Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

Mark Troop, pianist, broadcaster and writ-er, is the founder of The Chamber Music

Company; a group devoted to creative performance of all types of music. Mark taught at the Guildhall School of Music for two decades, and still teaches at Dar-tington International Summer School and St Paul’s Boys’ School. As a writer, he has been published in Musical Opinion, Pia-no and Musical Performance. He is pres-ently recording a CD of solo piano music to celebrate the Chopin bicentenary.

Experimental TheatreMonday, July 18 7:00 pmCompetition Final

A few pianists selected from Sunday’s semifinal will perform in the final round of Con Brio 2011. The repertoire will include works by Haydn, Mozart, Liszt and other composers There are exciting prizes to be won including a piano! Based on the high standard of the finals last year, this year’s final too holds great promise.

There will also be masterclasses and workshops at the Little Theatre on July 12, 13, 14 and 18. For information about these and any other inquiries related to the festival and competition, please visit our website www.conbrio.in or contact Parvesh Java via email at [email protected]. All entry fees for the competition and part of the ticket sale receipts will go to the NGO, Committed Communities Development Trust.

July 12, 7.00 pm: Solo Recital by Paul StewartJuly 15, 7.00 pm: Les Préludes for 2 piano 8 hands, Lieder, Chanson, Modern musicJuly 16, 7.00 pm: Marialena and Ranko play 4 hands, The Chamber Singers sing Tavener, Revival of GlazunovJuly 17, 11.00 am: Competition semifinal July 17, 7.00 pm: Marialena and Patricia - first time together in India, Rehaan narrates Lenore with Mark, Second Hungarian Rhapsody for 2 piano 8 handsJuly 18, 7.00 pm: Competition final

Tickets for concerts: `500, 300/-Tickets for competition rounds: `300/-Box Off ice: June 26 for Members and June 29 for the Public

Patricia Rozario (left) and Marialena Fernandes (right)

Rehaan Engineer (left) and Mark Troop (right)

Frederick and Marialena at ConBrio 2010


Children’s Film ScreeningsLittle TheatreWednesday, 13th – 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm

A Comet Media Foundation event

Supported by Children’s Film Society of India

Comet’s Filmi Chashma project aims at working with children, teachers and emerging filmmakers. Six short films made by young filmmakers awarded the first set of Filmi Chashma Awards for short films for children 2011 will be screened.

A Coincidental Tale, or Ekti Kaktaliya Golpo10 mins, Bengali with English subtitles

Direction: Tathagata Singha, Film and Television Institute of India, Pune

A boy, pressured by his mother for his poor marks in school, lives in the world of his imagination.

Gullak 19 mins, Hindi with English subtitlesDirection: Manish Saini, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

A tale of a brother and sister’s struggle to

pay off their debt to local bully – Gagan,

who threatens them.

Sitaron Se Aage

10 mins, Hindi, with English subtitles

Direction: Manuja Tyagi, LV Prasad film

and TV Academy, Chennai

A film on friendship, quarrels and a child’s

perspective on coping with death and

grief, set in Bhopal.

Khel Khel Mein

8 mins, Hindi with English subtitles

Direction: Mahima Kaur, Radha Kain and

others, Dreaming Child Productions,

New Delhi

A tale about the friendship between two

girls, which turns dark when one gets jeal-

ous of the other. This film is about becom-

ing responsible for one’s own actions.

Chatkhaara

16 mins, Hindi, with English subtitles

Direction: Maaz Kazmi, Department

of Communication Studies, university

of Pune

A hilarious story based on the traditional

tongue twister about Chandu ki Chachi.

Metamorphosis

10 mins, Hindi with English subtitles

Direction: Shikha Gupta, Symbiosis Insti-

tute of Design, Pune

The story of a boy, his mother and little

brother and a puppy on an ordinary after-

noon at home.

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis. (NCPA members and Filmi Chashma invitees will get preferential seating)

Filmi Chashma

Fresh Pix SeriesMalayalam Film with English subtitles

(Col-130 mins-2011)

Little Theatre

Friday, 15th – 6.30 pm

An NCPA Presentation

The NCPA Fresh Pix Series was

started to create an audience

for regional and indie cinema

that often does not reach the

lay audience, outside of the film

festival circuit.

Urumi is set in the backdrop of

the fierce warrior clans of North-

ern Kerala in the 16th century

and focuses on the cult of a hero Chi-

rakkal Kelu Nayanar – a man with an

epic mission. His target is Dom Vasco da

Gama, the Viceroy of Portuguese Empire

in India. The film is spread between the

second and third visit of Gama to India

and chronicles a varied version of how

Gama could have met a bloody death

in AD 1524. Kelu Nayanar has to encoun-

ter the seamless conflicts within the kins-

men and also kings, ministers, peasants

and a warring Muslim warrior princess

Ayesha of the famed Arackal Sultanat.

He has a forte, a legendary golden

urumi, specially made from the leftover

ornaments of the dead women and chil-

dren, who were burnt alive in the mas-

sacre of a Mecca ship, Miri, set on fire

and drowned by Vasco da Gama. Kelu

tracks his mission through the wild roads

of treachery, treason and a hidden pas-

sion to reach a master plan to create his

own army against the mighty

Empire. His action in creating

an organised revolt becomes

the first of its kind movement

against the first Colonial ad-

vance in India.

Directed by Santosh Sivan

Cast: Amole Gupte, Ankur

Khanna, Alexx O’Neill, Jag-

athy Sreekumar, Vidya Balan,

Robin Pratt, Nithya Menon,

Prabhu Deva, Arya, Genelia

D'souza, Prithviraj and Tabu (in a spe-

cial appearance)

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis(NCPA members will get preferential seating)

Urumi (Curling Blade)

On Stage July 2011

29

Odissi by Namrata GuptaNCPA umang SeriesLittle TheatreSaturday, 16th – 7.00 pm

Supported by the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation

Namrata started training with her guru, Smt. Daksha Mashruwala at the age of six. After graduation, she continued train-ing intensively with Mashruwala. Soon af-ter, she joined Kaishiki, the dance institu-tion founded by Mashruwala. Apart from

being passionately involved in teaching, Namrata also plays a pivotal role in the running of Kaishiki. She has performed at numerous prestigious venues and festi-vals, such as the International Dance Fes-tival (Orissa), yuva Mahotsav Doordarshan, Raindrops Festival and Nalanda Nritya Ut-sav (Mumbai), to name a few.

Namrata’s performance is an ode to our environment - to Mother Nature. To-day, Mother Nature is brought to forefront again, through three separate yet inter-linked items.

The evening begins with a salutation to Surya, or the Sun-God. All creation be-gins with the rising of the sun; without his light, warmth and wisdom, Mother Nature would not exist.

After a prayer to Surya, Namrata moves on to the navarasa. The ode to Mother Nature concludes with a Sanskrit chant. The final prayer is “Sarva Mangalam Bha-vatu”- “May tranquillity be everywhere and in everyone”.

Admission on a first-come-first served basis (NCPA members will get preferential seating)

Srishti (The Dance of Nature)

Hindi Film with English ubtitles(Col - 110 mins -1980)

Little Theatre

Thursday, 21st – 6.30 pm

In collaboration with

Taj Enlighten Film Society

The film captures the angst of

an ordinary citizen of Mumbai

exemplified by a young Chris-

tian car mechanic, Albert Pinto

(Naseeruddin Shah), who de-

rives vicarious pleasure from

his rich clients’ lifestyle, and

spends much of his time ar-

guing with his girlfriend Stella

(Shabana Azmi). At home, he

witnesses his father’s increasing

politicisation due to a textile

strike.

Directed by Saeed Mirza

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Sha-

bana Azmi, Smita Patil, Om

Puri and others

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis(NCPA and Taj Enlighten Film Society members will get preferential seating)

Workshop on SitarExperimental Theatre Thursday, 21st – 6.30 pm


This series involves instructive and interactive sessions on various top-ics that have a direct bearing on the contemporary performance practices of Indian music. Panel discussions, lecture-demonstra-tions, encounters with maestros, seminars, workshops and appreci-ation courses are conducted with the help of experts in the field.

In India, both vocal and instrumen-tal music traditions are equally vibrant. After having presented a series on the gharanas (styles/

schools) of vocal music, the forth-coming edition focuses on the per-forming traditions associated with different instruments.

Arvind Parikh, the eminent disciple of the sitar maestro Vilayat Khansaheb, will present the first session on sitar. The presentation will cover issues re-lated with the origin, physical and stylistic evolution and gharanas of si-tar with special focus on the Itawah-Imdadkhani gharana.

Admission on a first-come- first-served basis (NCPA members will get preferential seating)

Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai

Sangit Chintan: Musical Reflections


Hindi Film with English Subtitles(Col -131 mins -1983)Little TheatreFriday, 22nd - 6.30 pm

In collaboration with Taj Enlighten Film Society

Two friends, Vinod Chopra (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir Mishra (Ravi Baswani), attempting to start-up their own photo studio, come across shady dealings, corruption and murder, and must fight to bring the guilty to light.

Directed by Kundan Shah

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani,

Satish Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Neena Gup-

ta and others

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis

(NCPA and Taj Enlighten Film Society

members will get preferential seating)

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

English Play (100 mins)Experimental TheatreFriday, 22nd – 7.00 pm

The story revolves around the growing pains of a young Muslim – Malayali girl in a society of conflicts. The play attempts to

understand this shy girl, who is at the cen-tre of human life, a community, a village in north Kerala. Captivating music and lyr-ics take this enchanting story forward and present a time long forgotten and a love story that takes place beyond place and time. What emerges is an unexpected

blend of laughter and tears, of mellow moments and sudden threat that are very intimately related to a fanciful legend about a granddad, who possessed an elephant.

Based on the novella by Vaikom Mo-hammed Basheer

Translated by R.E.Asher and Achamma CoilparampilAdapted for stage by Ahlam KhanDirected by Digvijay Savant

Cast: Ahlam Khan, Ayesha Raza, Dilshad Edibam, Tom Alter and Zafar Karachi-wala

A High-Pot-In-use-Tri-Angle & Not Quite There Production

Tickets: 225, 180 & 150/- (for Members)

250, 200 & 150/- (for the Public)

Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for the Public

Bharatanatyam by Gayatri SriramGodrej Dance TheatreSaturday, 23rd – 7.00 pm

Gayatri Sriram is a disciple of Kalakshet-ra alumnus, Minal Prabhu. For Gayatri, Bharatanatyam is not only her passion, but also a way of life, a spiritual quest, which is never ending. Her involvement with the art is complete.

Gayatri executes the traditional format of the art with the exactness that her style demands. She continues to perform and choreograph for herself and her students at her school – Shruti Laya in Singapore. Under her guru’s guidance, she has per-formed widely in festivals and sabhas,

both in India and abroad. She has also been actively involved in numerous pro-ductions choreographed by her guru and herself, such as Krishna and Dwitiyam and Moods of Shiva.

It is an insight into the lives of five remark-able Indian women: Ahilya, Sita, Draupadi, Tara and Mandodari. Each of them went through the trials of life and rose anew from the depths of despair. Panchakanya is a celebration of their strength and soul, the most modern of women in the most ancient of times. The production com-pares each woman to an element from the PanchaBhoota, or the five elements of earth, fire, water, wind and space. The Tala patterns also follow the five jathis, or

rhythmic patterns, and are set to suit the mood of each kanya.

Gayatri begins with an invocation to the universal devi, and then tells the tale of these five women, interspersed with crisp jathis or footwork patterns. The piece cul-minates in a thillana specially choreo-graphed for the production, in Raag Desh. Panchakanya has been choreographed by Minal Prabhu of Kalakshetra, who runs the Mudrika Foundation in Bangalore.

Tickets : `50/-Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for the Public

Me Grandad ’Ad An Elephant

Panchakanya

On Stage July 2011

31

Workshop for Professional DancersWest Room 1

Tuesday, 26th to Thursday, 28th

– 10.00 am to 3.00 pm

Sanjukta Wagh conducts a movement

research workshop for Indian Classical

and Contemporary Dancers, in which

improvisation will be addressed as a

skill that grows through practice and

engagement. A musician, once famil-

iar with the structure and technique of

music can let go and make the music

happen, respond to immediate sound

around him and jam.

In Indian classical music, one allows the raga to unfold. Similar questions will be asked with respect to dance: Can I allow the space around me to dictate what unfolds so that I am not the dancer but the danced? What is “neutral” in dance? What is the starting point of an improvi-sation? Can one truly inhabit the pres-

ent moment? Where does the mind end and body begin and vice versa?

This workshop endeavoured to make the performance space more inclusive, and question performer-audience boundar-ies. This process is also a reaction to the increasing popular idea of dance today as a finished product, to be marketed and sold as opposed to a process, which has within itself tremendous transforma-tional energy, for the performer and the spectator. The aim is to make an archive of these interactions between artists for a learning that is non-hierarchical, per-sonal, experiential and collective.

The participants of the workshop will

Improvisation as a Studio-based practice

Vocal Training by Patricia Rozario and Mark TroopLittle TheatreSaturday, 23rd to Thursday, 28th – 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

In collaboration with Association Sargam (UK), Furtados and The Poona Music So-ciety

Renowned soprano Patricia Rozario’s in-ternational career has spanned three decades. She has sung all over the world and has had composers John Tavener and Arvo Pärt specially compose for her. She has collaborated with many great conductors and her CDs have won great

acclaim. She has also been a professor of voice training at the Royal College of Music in London.

Recently, Patricia has taken on the chal-lenge of finding and training voices in her native India. The National Centre for the Performing Arts partners with her in her en-deavour and offers the facilities for con-ducting this training in Mumbai. This will be the 7th such training session and some singers, who have participated in the course, have decided to take up singing as a career and have applied for further vocal training courses abroad.

For enquiries please contact: teju@

poonamusicsociety.com or contact@

poonamusicsociety.com

Giving Voice to India

Monologues & Duologues in English/Hindi (110 mins)Experimental TheatreSunday, 24th – 5.00 pm and 7.30 pm One on One is a theatrical collaboration of Shernaz Patel, Rajit Kapur and Rahul da Cunha, collectively known as Rage. In this unusual theatrical event, several of Mumbai’s leading playwrights have writ-ten short 10 to 15 minute monologues, or in some cases, dualogues. The theme for the evening is India Today, wherein each writer is addressing an is-sue/subject/theme about our country, both hilarious and tragic - the legalisation of homosexuality, the state of the Indian bureaucracy, the farce of Ajmal Kasab’s trial, the absurd popularity of Big Boss, the

obsession with skin fairness, the decline of Mumbai city, etc.Writers: Rahul da Cunha, Purva Naresh, Farhad Sorabjee, Ashok Mishra, Joanna

Murray Smith and Oliver BealeDirectors: Akarsh Khurana, Rajit Kapur, Arghya Lahiri, Nadir Khan and Rahul da CunhaCast: Rajit Kapur, Shernaz Patel, Anand Tiwari, Neil Bhoopalam, Preetika Chawla and Amit Mistry

A Rage Production


`300, 250 & 200/- (for the Public)Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for the Public.

One on One


also get the chance to participate in

the Chauraha interaction after the per-

formance of Bheetar Baahar on Friday,

29 June.

Those who wish to participate in the work-

shop must be available on all three days of

the workshop, must have sufficient mastery

over one’s dance form and a minimum of

three years experience as a performer- cho-

reographer, willingness to share their expe-

riential knowledge as artistes and human

beings in a studio space, and an interest in

exploring their own forms further in a collec-

tive studio-based research.

Registration fees: `500/-.

Please write to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or call 6622 3822, 6622 3805, 6622 3745, to speak to Binaifar, Am-rita or Bilva or see www.ncpamumbai.com. Professional dancers with a minimum of three years of performing experience can apply.

Please fill in the form and send it to NCPA along with your CV. Seats are limited. Selec-tion at the discretion of the instructor and NCPA.

Kathak by Sanjukta WaghExperimental TheatreFriday, 29th – 7.00 pm

Sanjukta Wagh is a performer, choreog-rapher and teacher of dance based in Mumbai. Her extensive training under Rajashree Shirke in Kathak, Murli Mano-har Shukla in Hindustani music, along with her study of literature and theatre has led to her interdisciplinary mode of work.

She won the British Council’s Charles Wallace Award to study in London and her experience at the Laban Centre of Dance has been pivotal in redefining her form and approach. On her return, she began experimenting with improvisa-tion as performance in Bheetar Baahar, in collaboration with Hindustani vocalist

Makrand Deshpande.

A vocalist and sculptor, Makrand Desh-pande is an ex-student of Sir J.J. School of Art. He has been trained in Hindu-stani Classical music under Narayanrao Deshpande for some years now. He en-joys playing with form in both music and sculpture.

Bheetar Baahar is an invocation to nirgu-na through music and dance, exploring the fluid boundaries between inner and outer space

Jal mein kumbh kumbh mein jal hainBaahar-bheetar pani phoote kumbh jal Jal hi samaana yaha tath kahe giyaaniAade gaganaa ante gaganaa madhye Gaganaa bhai kahe kabir karam kis lagjhooti ek upai

The participants immerse themselves in the present, in a space that resounds with resonances of Kabir’s words and the drone of tanpuras, to allow forms to emerge, vocabularies newly discov-ered, experienced and forgotten in that very moment.

Concept and Direction: Sanjukta Wagh and Makrand DeshpandePerformed by Makrand Deshpande and Sanjukta WaghCostumes: Sapna RegeLights: Hrishikesh Ambre

Tickets: `100 & 50/- Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for the Public

Bheetar Baahar, followed by a Chauraha

On Stage July 2011

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English PlayExperimental TheatreSaturday, 30th and Sunday, 31st – 7.00 pm

The police are still searching in vain for the madman, who is at large in the deadly marshes of the coastal region. Inspector Hound, who is masterminding the oper-ation, is not available for comment, but it is widely believed that he has a secret plan. Meanwhile, police and volunteers are combing the swamps, shouting,

“Don’t be a madman, give yourself up.” That is the end of the police message.

A delightful comedy that twists, turns, and somersaults its way through all the conventions of a murder mystery. Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound is guaranteed to keep you entertained and guessing.

Written by Tom StoppardDirected by Nayantara Kotian and Prashant Prakash

Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Neil Bhoopalam, Ali Fazal, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Tariq Vasudeva, Suhaas Ahuja, Prerna Chawla and Gulshan Devaiah. A Quaff Theatre Production


300, 250 & 200/- (for the Public)

Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for the Public

Siddheshwari

The Real Inspector Hound

Theatre Screening (150 mins)Dance Theatre GodrejSaturday, 30th - 7.00 pm and Sunday, 31st – 4.00 pm and 7.00 pm An NCPA-National Theatre Live (London) Presentation

National Theatre Live is a new initiative to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. Screen-ings will also feature interviews with artists and behind-the-scenes footage, allow-ing audiences to share in the acclaimed work the National Theatre produces.

Ranyevskaya returns bankrupt after ten years abroad. She and her brother snub the lucrative scheme of Lopakhin,

a peasant turned entrepreneur, to save

the family estate. In so doing, they put

up their lives to auction and seal the fate

of the beloved orchard. The Cherry Or-

chard captures a poignant moment in

Russia’s history as the country rolls inexo-

rably towards 1917.

‘Wonderfully fresh, funny and deeply felt. One of the finest ensembles I have ever seen at the National.’ - Daily Telegraph

‘A funny and affecting production with an excellent cast, who capture the wild exuberance and piercing melancholy of Chekhov’s play.’ - Metro

‘Zoë Wanamaker is superb.’ - The Times

Directed by Howard DaviesWritten by Anton ChekhovAdapted by Andrew uptonCast: Charity Wakefield, Zoe Wana-maker, James Laurenson, Claudie Blakley and others

Tickets: `300/-Box Office: July 9 for Members and July 12 for Public

The Cherry Orchard

Documentary film on music (90 mins / Hindi)Music Mirror

Little Theatre

Friday, 29th – 6.30 pm


Siddheshwari is a documentary on the life of classical Indian singer Siddhesh-wari Devi, directed by noted filmmaker, Mani Kaul.

Siddheshwari Devi (c.1907–1977), the in-imitable diva of Banaras gharana, was trained by many stalwarts: Siyaji Maha-raj, Rajab Ali Khan of Dewas, Inayat Khan of Lahore and Bade Ramdas ji. Although adept in singing khayal, she became known for the Purab ang bol banav ki thumri, and allied genres like dadra, kajri, chaiti. She was truly one with her music.

“Music is love, the greatest prayer….Prayer means meditation and music is the meditation of love….”Siddheshwari Devi

This documentary offers an insight on the life and times of Siddheshwari Devi, fondly known as Maa. It won the National Film Award for Best Documentary Film in 1989 and is regarded as a path-break-ing work deviating from all conventional modes of biographical or documentary film-making.

Produced by Films Division - 1989

Cast: Mita Vasishth, Pandit Narayan Mishra, Ranjana Srivastava, Shrabani Mukherjee, Malviya, Anoop Mishra, Raman Shankar Pandya, Manmohan Chibber and Mohar Biswas.

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis(NCPA Members will get preferential seating)


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May 6 and 8: NCPA Ananda: Hindi Natya Utsav presented a series of Hindi plays, covering a spectrum of genres and generations

June 17, 18, and 19: Mumbai theatre-lovers were treated to a screening of Danny Boyle’s theatre production of Frankenstein

June 9: Subhra Guha rendering a vocal recital in NCPA’s Rain Raga event

June 5: Sham Manchekar’s ‘Tree’ppreciation, a photography exhibi-tion, was a celebration of the beauty of the trees

June 2: SOI’s Japan Tsunami Benefit Concert was organised for the benefit of the tsunami victims

Glimpsesof May and June 2011

On Stage July 2011

35

August 2011 highlights

Santoor RecitalTata TheatreWednesday, 24th – 7.00 pm Supported by Khanna Family in memory of Kiran Khanna. On February 4, 2008, Kiran Khanna tragically died in a violent robbery attack. Amidst that trauma, she died with the name of god on her lips. She lived with this divinity throughout her life. The Khanna family responds by commissioning one concert per year. Each concert will feature the world’s greatest musicians, selected singularly for their noble ability to replace violence in the world with their tranquility. This is a fitting tribute to the enduring spirit of Kiran Khanna.

The folk musical instrument from Kashmir, santoor owes its unique position in contemporary music to Shivkumar Sharma. His performances are a blend of rich artistry and abundant spontaneity, captivating audiences globally.

In this concert Shivkumar Sharma will render special compositions to convey the message of peace and harmony.

Photography ExhibitionPiramal Art GalleryTuesday, 16th to Sunday, 21st – 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm

National Institute of Photography (NIP), in Dadar holds a photography exhibition every year to promote the work of its students. The exhibition covers the work of past and present students of NIP. It also celebrates the World Photography Day on the 19th of August every year. This year, the same will be done at NCPA. The exhibition will be held from August 16 to August 21 at the Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA. Some of the photographers who will be participating are Dr. Dinesh Maskeri, Dr. Ravindra Rane, Harkiran Singh Bhasin, Mukesh Trivedi, Prathamesh Rangole, Alok Shah, among others.

Concert for Tranquility by Shivkumar Sharma

Experimental TheatreThursday, 4th – 6.30 pm

Supported by Krishnakumar M. Daiya Charitable Trust

With Janmashtami approaching in August, we present Shyam Rang, a festival celebrating the legend of Krishna, through music. Shekhar Sen will explore the theme of Krishna through traditional repertoire known for its literary content and poignant devotional flavour. Sen is a musician, composer, lyricist and actor known for his unique monoact musical plays worldwide.

Shyam Rang

Western Music RecitalExperimental TheatreFriday, 12th – 6.30 pm

The Young Talent Series of Concerts, started in 1989 by the Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy, in collaboration with the NCPA, will showcase budding artistes to enable them to perform in front of a live audience. The concert shall feature three pianists: Sooraj Bhisnoi, Aditya Deshpande and Yamini Teresa Prabhu, and soprano Farah Ghadiali.

Young Talent

Experimental TheatreFriday, 5th to Tuesday, 9th

Last year, NCPA Pratibimb showcased the best of contemporary Marathi theatre by young playwrights and veterans. The performances were preceded by lively Katta (chauraha) sessions. Atul Kulkarni was the face of the festival. This year, the plays include Sai Paranjpye’s Jaswandi, Aniruddha Khutwad’s Mister Behram and Mohit Takalkar’s Gajab Kahani, among others. Amol Palekar will be the face of the festival this year.

NCPA Pratibimb: Marathi Natya Utsav 2011

National Institute of Photography


• The Rivers of Babylon live in India (Remembered Rhythms)American Institute of Indian Studies, 2006

• Remembered Rhythms Live in India (Video CD)American Institute of Indian Studies, 2006

• D’bhuyya Saaj Live in India (Remembered Rhythms)American Institute of Indian Studies, 2006

• Sidi Goma Live in India (Remembered Rhythms)American Institute of Indian Studies, 2006

• Leherein ( Raag: Sampurna Malkauns, Sohini) by ulhas KashalkarAIM Records, 2009

• Creation (Raag : Prabhati Todi,

Rupkalyani, Khamaj Thumri) by

Chinmoy Lahiri

Heritage Series, 2010

• Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (Raag:

Darbari kanhra, Chaturang Des,

Khamaj)

Sangeet Natak Akademi, 2008

• Bade Ghulam Ali Khan : Thumris

Sangeet Natal Akademi, 2009

• Rasoolan Bai (Thumri, Dadra, Tappa,

Chaiti, Poorabi, Kajri)

Sangeet Natak Akademi, 2009

• Kesar Bai Kerkar (Raag: Tilak Kamod,

Kanhra, Bhajan-Surdas, Shuddha

Bhopali

Sangeet Natak Akademi,2008

(The listed books and CDs are available at the NCPA Library. For membership details call 66223715)

• The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India 3 Volsby Sangeet Mahabharati New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2011

• Homi Bhabha and the Computer Revolution by Shyamsunder R.K. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2011

• Cinemas of South India by Sowmya Dechamma C.C. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2010

• Athanga: Manoj KolhatkarKankavli, Pandit Publications, 2006

• Mee Ek Abhimanyu ani Itar Ekankika: Ratnakar MatkariKankavli, Pandit Publications, 2009

• Natake Thevnitli: Kamlakar Nadkarni Kankavli, Pandit Publications, 2010

• Bhojpuri Samskar Geet aur Prasar Madhyam: Shailesh ShrivastavaNew Delhi, Radhakrishna Prakashan, 2009

• Teen Ekankika Mahotsav: Dr. Vidyadhar KarandikarKankavli, Pandit Publications, 2000

• Satvan Rang: Devendra Raj Ankur

New Delhi, Rajkamal Prakashan, 2010

• Aadhunik Bharatiya Natya Vimarsha: Jaydav TanejaNew Delhi, Radhakrishna Prakashan, 2010

List of CDs

List of Books:NewArrivals

37On Stage June 2011

38On Stage June 2011

With a prime location in the

heart of Mumbai's downtown

business district, Nariman Point,

the NCPA houses an impressive

complex of structures, modern

facilities and outside spaces

suitable for all occasions.

For further details contact:The National Centre for the Performing Arts Marketing Department, NCPA Marg,Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021.Tel: +91 (0)22 66223737Email: [email protected]

South Asia'sfinest multi-arts and entertainment venue

South Asia'sfinest multi-arts and entertainment venue

ncpa mumbai events calendar - july 2011

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