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Great Text Reading - Come read a play with us!

On the last Monday of every month people meet in Q's drawing room to read a play they may have heard of but not necessarily have read. Writer's come to see how the greats wrote, actors come to play multiple parts and theatre lovers come because it keeps them in touch with the art form. It is open all and everyone takes turns in playing characters from the play. Discussions ensue after over tea and biscuits.

In 2011, the theatre world lost some of its iconic playwrights. So over the next 3 months, beginning January, we will be reading some of the works of these legendary playwrights.

In the month of January, we read, Partap Sharma's controversial 'A Touch of Brightness' - Rukmini, a girl sold to a brothel in Mumbai and her relationship with Pidku, a street urchin, who tries desperately to rescue her from her life as a prostitute. 

The reading was a mixed bag. Whereas many felt it was kind of cliched, but it was pointed out that the play was orignially written in 1965. 

In the month of February, we will be reading Badal Sircar's 'Beyond the land of Hattamala' - "A play of two thieves in a land of no money. Kenappa and Becha jump into a river to escape being caught. They wash up on the shores of a land 'beyond', where buying and selling are alien concepts."

Badal Sarkar (15 July 1925–13 May 2011), also known as Badal Sircar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the proscenium and into public arena, when he founded his own theatre company, Shatabdi in 1976. He wrote more than fifty plays of which Ebong Indrajit, Basi Khabar, and Saari Raat are well known literary pieces, a pioneering figure in street theatre as well as in experimental and contemporary Bengali theatre with his egalitarian "Third Theatre", he prolifically wrote scripts for his Aanganmanch (courtyard stage) performances, and remains one of the most translated Indian playwrights.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship- Ratna Sadsya, the highest honour in the performing arts by Govt. of India, in 1997.

Originally titled Hottomalar Oparey, Two Likeable thieves, Kena and Becha, jump into a river to escape being caught. They wash up on the shores of a Never-Never land where buying and selling are alien concepts. In this new land, everyone works together to produce what the entire community needs and wants and money does not exist. Being thieves, Kena and Becha do not understand the concept of "no-money" and hence several humorous misadventures follow as they make their journey through this land.

We will be reading it on the 27th of February at 7:30pm at 18 Anukool, Sq. Ldr. Harminder Singh Marg, 7 Bungalows. Next to Daljit Gym. All are welcome. If you need directions call Quasar on 26392688 or 9821087261.