CHENNAI: An entire week of live art performances is not something we Chennaiites get to enjoy often. It isn’t all that easy to bring a whole host of comics, poets, musicians and storytellers under one roof, day after day. So, when a rare event does happen, it is almost always a cause of celebration. So it is with Neram Art Festival at Darsh this first week of May.
It is a celebration that marks the first anniversary of Mahad Productions - the brainchild of stand-up comedian Gurumurthy Ratnam and poet Vaishhali. Having survived through the pandemic with a good number of online events to its name, there was simply no holding back.
"We started this in May last year and had many plans to have regular shows and open mic events. However, there was another hit of COVID; so, we couldn’t do much. It was only around September-October that we started doing events regularly, with one or two shows every month. Looking back at this journey, it has been quite satisfactory," narrates Gurumurthy, adding that this has been the reason for the celebration.
And so we get the production house's first live event. A dream made possible by the generous collaboration of Darsh, who offered the venue at a very nominal cost. What's more, contrary to popular belief, the live shows invited far more registrations from artistes than the online events, notes Gurumurthy. But why the name Neram for their flagship event, you ask?
Gurumurthy refers to a statement once made by mixed martial artist Conor McGregor: "There is no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equal as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. There is the need to create a favourable environment for it. If that’s there, and it's combined with obsession and the time you put into it, anyone can go to the top. We want to provide that favourable environment for the artistes."
This, after all, had been the very reason for Mahad Productions' existence. Named after the well where Ambedkar held the Mahad Satyagraha, this was an effort to make the stage an inclusive space. Even through its few months of active work, Mahad has allowed Gurumurthy and Vaishhali to discover so many artistes in the city and help take their work to an audience.
It will be no different at this week's festival. Another principle that has been the cornerstone of Mahad Productions’ work is fair pay for the artistes it employs. "The philosophy is to treat artistes as workers and so ensure that they are not exploited in any way. Whatever profits we get from shows or festivals, we divide it equally among the artistes. So, our profit will be the same as the artistes," he notes.
With all this in place, there is much to expect at this week's events. Besides the many kinds of artistes and performers you will find, there is a special showcase on Friday by Sound Mani. There is a group from Arumbakkam government school who will take the stage on Saturday. And of course, an entire week of celebration.
(The festival has events till Saturday, May 7, at 4:30 pm every day. Tickets are available at: linktr.ee/mahadproductions)