In the midst of a storm.

The last days of March 2020 pushed the globe into an impromptu state of lock down to disarm any further affects to be caused by the Covid -19 Virus. Here's how we took to it.

As the state of global affairs became increasingly dominated by the Covid-19 and the price states, though increasingly aware were paying with the lives of its subjects, we too were becoming consciously aware of where it might leave us not just at that moment, but also in the near future. At the time of the composition of this blog, the lock-down is about to surpass 1.5 months. Clear signs of entering a state of lock down appeared when the Govt of Karnataka on the eve of 13th March 2020, issued a ban on public gatherings in places such as theatres and what have you. Consequently the second and final day of our annual Dhrushya Natakotsava had to be postponed indefinitely. A week later, the Country in its entirety officially entered a lock down as defense against the virus, which has seen two extensions at the time of this blog and is preparing to exit the lock down in a planned manner. These weeks of lock down has given us (all of us, in fact!) an excellent means of re-tooling our creative frame work.

What began as a casual online meeting to digitally rehearse a production assuming no further extension at the beginning of the lock down, instantly transformed into a make shift book club where we started to read each other stories from across the collectium of Kannada literature. Poems were served as desert to this little new found hobby of ours. Soon, another tale was read after the usual menu, or critical insights to the world of theatre from Stanislavsky to Aristotle were discussed and read to, under the guidance of our founder-director Smt Dakshayani Bhat. As of today, 03-may-2020, we have completed 36 days of this literary exchange and more than 50 short stories and poems have been read, analysed and debated about.

one such session

At the core of our story sessions at 7 PM everyday, is a deep rooted motivation to constantly think beyond the box for not only our productions but also re-define the responsibility we have towards society. Amidst the session's audience are front line warriors risking it all during this crisis, such sessions help maintaining vigor to fight this virus. Also at the core of this exercise is telling ourselves (all of us!) that we are in this together.

Tomorrow, may give us a newer protagonist, a newer perspective, a newer dialogue to our debate of life, but what it shall never leave us with, is the probability of facing the rough seas un-deterred.

- Team Dhrushya.