By Shwetha Shrinivas (President & Co-Founder Director, Rangaratha IPAC)During the initial days of lockdown, the only agenda was to fight back the pandemic by being extra alert and safe at home. Those were the times of anxiety and a sort of depression due to the continuous information about deaths and suffering on television, internet and newspapers.
As the days rolled, the fear of economic insecurity overpowered the fear of COVID-19 infection owing to the fast depletion of my tiny bank balance. With the closure of theatres, ban on rehearsals it was like end of the road!! Fear in mind, burden of finance management on head, hope in heart, I just walked into the times of darkness!!
We, the theatre people, are always lived among and interacted with our extended family, the audience!! Without them our souls become empty and our dreams become shallow.
At one point of time I decided not to crib over this unfortunate situation and treat this time as a blessing in disguise. I convinced myself that Mother Nature has pressed a refresh button to start everything fresh and new. So, I started preparing myself for all new ways of perceiving and showcasing my theatre art and activity.
As a first step, I revisited all my previous theatre works, analyzed them and introspected. Then I pulled out all the notes which I had prepared during my studies at NINASAM and read it again and again. Surprisingly all those stuff appeared new to me and I looked at them with a different perspective altogether. This gave me lot of insights. Also, I caught up with lot of history books and read about many cultures and traditional practices across the world. This will surely give me an extra edge while I either act or direct my next play. I explored how I can use classical dance forms, theatrically. Brushed up my Odissi dance skills and Yakshagaana too. Apart from these, I connected with most of my old friends and exchanged some nostalgic memories. Spent time with my neighbors, talking to them about theatre, art, culture, quality living, social harmony and social responsibility. I played with children. This brought out from within, many hidden facets of my personality traits which I never noticed. A fresh breeze indeed!!
Between, I stitched 100 face masks for Care Club Foundation to be distributed among poor and needy. This boosted the feeling of empathy within me. I strongly believe that to be a good theatre person, one must be a good human being free from ego, jealousy, dishonesty, hatred, indifference, selfish and materialistic. It has been my honest efforts always to be a humble and truthful person. To make myself better, I started practicing inward journey.
I, along with couple of senior members organized a BODY CONDITIONING WORKSHOP online, exclusively for the members of our RANGARATHA team. This was to make members realize how important it is to be physically and mentally fit to become a good Actor and a technician.
There was a time when I too was tempted to start performing some bits and pieces of my theatre works like so many did and still doing online!! Instead I, along with my collegue and mentor Aasif Kshathriya, started training children and youth, the nuances of ACTING and this was of course ONLINE !! Contrary to my early opinion, it’s working out wonderfully. Also started teaching Kannada language to Non-Kannadigas !! This too was ONLINE !!
Rest of the times, I took time to be at peace and listen to the sound of floating clouds, the crackle of sprouting seed, the murmur of swaying trees, the chirping of the birds!! It was an effort to connect with nature and strengthen my soul to shape me up as a better actor. The best thing about the lockdown period was that, I could get time to watch best of the global plays, classical dance performances, folk art of many cultures across the world which enriched my knowledge.
Though it is a hand-to-mouth struggle for me to survive without any shows and hence without any substantial income, I am hopeful that a day will come soon when I get back to stage again, put my makeup on and laugh out loud all my previous agony and hunger in front of audience. I believe the spot lights of FOH will lead my path of an artistic life.
Yes.. soon the gates of theatres will open… soon the stage brightens up with lights… and soon the sleeping energy awakens… the curtains raise… the actors come back to life and the applause will be sweeter than ever!! Soon …
Shwetha Shrinivas (shwetha.rangaratha@gmail.com)