‘Adapted myself to digitalisation of theatre’

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 21

In the last three lockdowns, Mandeep Ghai, a theatre artiste and director, looked at her life from different perspectives. Always busy in travelling and performing across the nation, she hardly got time for herself.

However, she says when the lockdown 1.0 was enforced, she felt herself disconnected from the outside world for the initial days.

“The initial days of the lockdown 1.0 were like resting period for me as I had travelled a lot and performed across the country before that. As I was neck-deep in work, this period gave me enough time to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with myself. It gave me an opportunity to find long lost friends and enjoy their company,” she says.

She said, “I read several comic books also. It was really fun. I also started growing vegetables in my kitchen garden, the hobby I had been planning to pick up again for long, but was unable to due to tight work schedule. I feel the concept of growing veggies in your kitchen garden will now become more popular as people must have realised its importance.”

Mandeep says she devoted the second lockdown to exploration. “Being from a creative field, one is always open to new ideas, so I too adapted myself to the digitalisation of theatre and performing arts.

Mandeep worked on the script of a bilingual film during this period. In between, she also extended helping hand to the needy by arranging essential items for them through her network of friends and fellow theatre artistes. “Our theatre group ‘Alfaaz’ helped many needy families during this time,” she said. However, she says the last few days of the lockdown are full of anxiety.

“There is so much uncertainty and dilemma that one cannot help, but think if things will ever be normal again. I still have not been able to understand the politics and economics behind the pandemic and the situation doesn’t seem to be improving, at least for now. It’s going to be a long road to recovery for all of us,”she said.