We don’t experience reality as it is; we experience it through the filter of our thoughts. German philosopher Immanuel Kant explored this notion in his work. He argues that we can know happenings only through experience. He summarises this philosophy in three questions: What can I know? What should I do? What may I hope?
The first question explores the limits of human knowledge; the second suggests we act in accordance with rational moral principles; and the third considers what we may reasonably hope for. “This ideology is the greatest philosophy for me, and this applies to old age as well,” shares Prasanna Ramaswamy.
The 74-year-old theatre director, who wrote and directed her upcoming bilingual play, ‘Oliyudal’/‘Light Years’, bases the script on Kantian theory. She says, “To know is life’s pursuit. Knowing should manifest in wisdom. If old age is about life experience, it should be a pursuit of applying that knowledge to deal with and overcome; my script rests on this essence of the Kantian theory.”
Prasanna believes that age shouldn’t deter you from doing something that interests you. Hence, the play is an extension of her attempt to make sense of her own thoughts. “My mind is full of ideas, but the physical energy is far from being supportive. To deal with this divide, I turned to art [theatre]. I always felt it clarifies life to me,” she notes.
The play weaves a narrative around familiar issues of old age. It turns the spotlight on the vibrant inner worlds of artists housed in ageing bodies, all living in a senior care facility. Prasanna clarifies, “The play is not about the mundane life or everyday problems of old age.” It connects the characters’ mindscapes at the facility to everyday reality.
The 85-minute production moves through romance, murder, and other dramatic elements that add layers to the narrative, bringing together the complexities of human relationships, memory, and life in old age.
The play, punctuated with literary references, is brought to life through a theatre artiste whose reactions to life rest on Shakespeare or Brecht and a choir singer living with dementia returning to lucidity upon hearing Bharathiyar poems, among other characters, including a middle-aged woman manager, a dancer, an actor, a young filmmaker, and a police officer, among other thoughtfully curated characters. They go on to make several powerful statements through the play, but at its core, the most important statement is made by a woman, who doesn't want to keep burdening herself but wants to be as free as a bird.
Talking about keeping the play bilingual, she says it was intentional. “Tamil and English are the languages we speak every day. The play is more English, because when we are quoting Simone de Beauvoir, I don’t want to Tamilise that.”
The play gives us a portal to acquire a new meaning to Kant’s philosophy. While Kant’s questions invite us to reflect on what we know, how we act, and what we hope for, Prasanna’s work suggests these questions do not lose their relevance with age.
‘Oliyudal’/’Light Years’ will be staged on October 30, 7 pm, at Alliance Francaise, and on October 31, 7 pm, at Medai.