The clash between old and new world values is inevitable. The distance between them never relinquishes. But with a bit of humour, the disparity seems less daunting. In Namaste Jaishree Krishna, a play adapted from playwright Tom Dudzick’s Greetings!, actress and folk singer Ila Arun highlights the eternal conflict in a light-hearted drama presented by Old World Culture.
Arun has just stepped out of rehearsals and is sitting in her car when she finds time to talk to us. “This is the only free time I get these days,” she says, her eyes looking wearily out of the window on her side. They close for a few seconds and then open soon enough. “It’s been a tiresome four months since we started practising. All of us have invested so deeply into it that once it’s over, there will be a dark, lonely void to fill. Actually, my life has become about three things now—excitement when a new play in planned, fatigue when it’s being executed, and depressed when it’s over,” she says.
The play talks about a few other things too. It questions the notion of God, which is shown by highlighting the philosophy of Krishna in the Gita. Arun also shares how religion is often misinterpreted. “There is a need to understand religions better than we do presently. Instead of interpreting them according to what others have to say, it would be more useful to study the source and then derive meaning,” she says thoughtfully.
All said and done, the task of bridging the gap between different ideologies is not really a daunting one. Whether we talk about social values, religion or generational divides, everything can be addressed when all sides work in tandem. “When older people don’t change and younger ones don’t listen, issues arise,” she says.
The audiences fuels her passion when she performs. There is nothing more than a room full of discerning onlookers that she loves. But when there are only a few who turn up for a particular play, Arun feels terribly let-down. “Theatre has never been about money for me, it’s all about appreciation,” she says. Arun’s voice reverberates her trepidation, but she concludes the chat with optimism. “Irrespective of what finally happens, the show must go on, ” she says.
August 28, at Sathya Sai Auditorium, Lodhi Road, Bhishm Pitamah Marg, at 7 pm. Tickets are available at the venue.