Let the body talk

Sangeeta Sharma, who makes use of theatre and dance for her productions, feels words are only an aid to communicate the essence of a play

Manika Ahuja

She minces no words, as she terms India a society which essentially harbours a “conservative outlook.” Founder director of ASPA (Anveshana Society for Performing Arts), Sangeeta Sharma holds the view that unlike the popular conception, one need not break with everything traditional and classical in order to embrace the contemporary scenario.

“The classical and the contemporary have to run parallel to each other by achieving a 50:50 ratio, you see,” Sharma states with conviction, as she directs one of her artistes to light up the stage for one final rehearsal before curtains are drawn for her theatrical production— Antatah-the 13th day, at Tagore Theatre.

As she puts it, the play that traces the events of the thirteenth day of the war from the epic Mahabharata, predominantly focuses on “Abhimanyu’s crusade in the Chakravyuh.” Almost prepared for the question that would follow the snippet of information, she elaborates of her own accord, “Why Abhimanyu, you would ask me. Why not, I’d say. While the Chakravyuh is a metaphor for birth and death, the sixteen-year-old Abhimanyu stood for virtues such as courage, righteousness and innocence in the epic battle. Characters like his continue to instil inspiration in youth, till date. They need to be explored and delved deeper into.”

Rich amalgamation

With the subject of the production in place, what arouses one’s curiosity to an all new level is when Sharma reveals, “My productions make an innovative use of dance and theatre. It is an amalgamation that drives its force from the two equally rich mediums of creative expression, which, when juxtaposed, never cease to create something magical.”

Is that to say that her productions make use of more of dance, and less of dialogues? “Words do aid in communicating the essence of the play, but then, the audience has to strike a balance between what they hear and what they watch. Presenting a Hindu epic - Mahabharata on stage, we took it up as a challenge to make use of no props, the body, in all its supple movements is the most powerful tool we have.”

Exploring the unexplored

According to Sharma, the primary reason that prodded her to take Abhimanyu’s tale to theatre enthusiasts was her drive to explore the unexplored. “As I dwelled deeper into various aspects of Mahabharata, it was the 13th day which starkly stood out to me. In the epic battle, Abhimanyu’s spirit of valour and selflessness is generally overlooked. I wanted to explore it more.”

As Sharma sees it, the epic tale becomes symbolic of life. She shares the essence of the production, “The Chakravyuh Abhimanyu entered into was not just a formation; it is a powerful metaphor for cycles of life— birth and death. He knows how to enter the cycle, but cannot trace his way out. While, Lord Krishna, who has a premonition of what is about to happen, does not warn Abhimanyu. It is the inner workings of mind that we have set out to explore.”