You are invited to the second of three rehearsed readings of plays that have won the TOTO for Creative Writing in earlier years. With inputs from the playwright, Vivek Vijayakumaran will read Swetanshu Bora’s Pagdi, which won the TOTO in 2013. The performance will take place at Atta Galatta (178, 5th Main, 9th Cross, 1st Stage, Indiranagar, Bengaluru 560038) on Friday, 24 November 2023 at 7.00 p.m.
These readings form part of a series of events that connect to young artists whose work TFA has encouraged and validated over the last 20 years.
About Pagdi
Pagdi explores the place of history in modern life. How much should and can a modern man acknowledge and value history, and what are the repercussions of ignoring it? Written in the first person, the play recounts the life of a young Sikh man who chases the world of opportunities and wealth. It asks: What did he achieve and what did he have to give up on this journey?
The jury for the 2013 Toto Awards for Creative Writing described Pagdi as ‘an emotional piece, without being sentimental or maudlin. The character of the protagonist is fully fleshed, believable, very human … it is a narrative of change which spans generations, cities and even different times of recent Indian history, all of which is told with sensitivity but without ever hitting a false note or lapsing into everyday sentimentality. Balancing contradictory and competing emotions in a style where hyper naturalism is delicately inflected with surrealism, this is an impressive piece of writing.’
About Swetanshu
Swetanshu is an actor, playwright, director, lighting designer and musician. He has been nominated for several playwriting awards such as the Hindu MetroPlus Playwright Award (2011, 2018) and the Blue Elephant Award, London (2015). His plays include Guilt and Once, On That Street among others. He has performed in close to thirty theatre productions in India and abroad, some of which he has also directed. He has also acted in several independent films.
Swetanshu was inducted as a member of the Mediterranean International Directors Lab, Barcelona in 2021. A published poet and short fiction writer, Swetanshu is the recipient of several writing residencies.
About Vivek
Actor, actor trainer, director and theatre maker, Vivek has trained with some of the most renowned theatre stalwarts and masters, such as Shri Heisnam Kanhailal and Shri G Venu. He has also done two month-long master courses at The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards in Italy.
Recipient of the Inlaks India Theatre Award 2012, his work Bhima was performed at the Colombo International Theatre Festival (2016) and was featured at META 2017 (Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards) with 7 nominations and 1 win. His other notable works as an actor include Naariyal Paani, Pagdi, Prelude, Yayati, Bali and, most recently, Adhura, the Quest and the award-winning Malayalam film Pada. As director, his recent work includes Imagine a Room and a play for children called Just hiss.
Vivek is the artistic director of Our Theatre Collective which runs and manages Our Theatre Studio. a space for creative expressions and exploration in the theatre. Vivek was featured in Forbes India Life (October 2015) as one of the 12 theatre practitioners who are pushing boundaries and innovating in India today.
Poster by MD Pallavi
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