Meet the Theatre Awardees of 2017 — Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Blog

What’s life without a little drama?

Meet the Theatre Awardees of 2017, Vaibhav Lokur and Natraj Hasrat. We can’t wait to see their theatrical transformation during the course of their programs.

Vaibhav Lokur

At Khula Aasmaan, Belgaum, ‘we believe art reflects ourselves and also to realise the basic purpose of art is to influence our day to day life’. Theatre teaches me to attain an equilibrium between body and brain. Attaining this equilibrium is seen and implemented by the folk forms in India, and hence I aspire to study Yakshagaan in detail.

Unaware of what I was about to begin, I expressed my desire to study Yakshagaan during my masters, and the journey began. With guidance of my Gurus I planned my visit to Yakshagaan Kendra Udupi to observe this ‘folk form’ closely. However in those 15 days at the Kendra I went under a transformation of being an observer to a performer. The charm and the energy of the people around me made me participate and thus a realisation came to me that this is not just mere performance but it’s a way of life. The music, dance, costume, colours add a charm to these performers and most importantly these teachers who are unstoppably imparting the knowledge of Yakshagaan to the generations. Here they are just applying the theory of ‘the future lies in the hands of youngsters’. I learnt some of the exercises in Yakshagaan and recorded few aspects of Yakshagaan without any prior focus and planning. Now I feel I am ready to study this in depth as I now know what I will be doing it for. At the Kendra, I wish to take ahead my study of Bhagwat and his style of performance which distinctive in ‘Taal maddalle’ and in ‘badagutittu’ style of performance. And to understand the development of Krishna Parijaat. Thus trying to find a way to make myself believe that Yakshagaan is still relevant and it contributes towards betterment of my life.

Natraj Hasrat

I’m an actor, driven by firm believe in rigorous training, like an architect, an engineer, a doctor, or a scientist goes through, where a trainee gets a structure to practice, explore, experiment and learn further after graduation.

After many failed attempts to get trained at a dramatic-institute, my desire to learn and study at an institution never ceased.

In my endeavor in this regard, Inlaks Theatre Awards 2017 came as a great opportunity and I’m really glad to receive it.

My project is one year foundation training in Kudiyattam, Kallaripayattu and Mizhavu under the guidance of Kudiyattam exponent Guru GopalVenu at Natanakairali, Irinjlakuda, Thrissur, Kerala.

I’ve started practicing theatre in July 2007 in Delhi. Over the period since 2007 to 2016, I’ve worked with theatre organizations/companies like ‘Bahroop’, ‘Anveshna’, ‘Saksham’, ‘Kaivalya’, ‘Ex-TRA: An Organization’, ‘Theatre Garage Project’, ‘Kingdom of Dreams’, ‘Vivadi’, ‘Tadpole Repertory Company’ etc.

In 2012, I came across a Nangiarkuthoo-performance, (when a female actor performs, it is called Nangiarkuthoo) ‘Narsimha-Avatar’ by KapilaVenu Madam. I was so intrigued by the role of eyes in Kudiyattam, that I wanted to learn it anyhow; the idea of story-telling through eyes excites me so much that if it could be learned like a Kudiyattam-actor……just imagine the quality of a contemporary dramatic-performance, provided with text. My one month stay at Natanakairali in January 2016 for NavarasaSadhana made my desire to learn Kudiyattam stronger.

A biography that inspired and motivated me in my belief of actor-training is,‘Balraj My Brother’ by BhishamSahni, in which he has shared legend BalrajSahni’sperspective that ‘Acting is Science’….. This idea is so engaging and thoughtful, that it gives a notion, ‘if acting is science, so an actor is a scientist’.I may (or may not) be able to deduce this perspective; but an actor must work like a scientist.