KUMAR TALKIES at Awishkar on Monday 13th AUGUST

Cinema is the theme at Vikalp screening at Awishkar

ON MONDAY 13th AUGUST - 7.30 pm

Vikalp , Awishkar and The Short Circuit, presents an evening
of shorts and documentaries

An Actor Prepares
Dir: Avanish Upmanyu
Dur: 16 Min.
The film peeps into the life of one struggling actor of the film industry.
It depicts his aspiration & struggle to make it big there

Holly Bolly (UK / India)
Dir: Dishad Hussain
Dur: 12 Min.
Two young filmmakers are forced to go cross genre.
Winner, best short, Los Angeles, Indian Film Festival 2004

Looking for Amitabh
Dir: Meenakshi Shedde
Dur: 5 Min.
Blind students talk about their how their perception of Amitabh Bachchan.

KUMAR TALKIES
By Pankaj Rishi Kumar
74 minutes
Location Sound, Sound Design Satheesh PM
Camera Avijit Mukul Kishore

Kumar Talkies is a run-down cinema in small town Kalpi, where few films run
longer than a few days, and each screening is missing a number of songs and
dances, thanks to the projectionist's whims. Once owned by the filmmaker's
father, it remembers better days, as seen unearthed through family
testimonies and 8mm footage. Still, the faces of moviegoers reflected in the
dark speak for themselves - the magic of cinema will never cease to
captivate.

The film explores the relationship between Kalpi--a small town in northern
India--and its only surviving cinema hall. The film chronicles Kalpi's
economic decline and its citizens' hopes and frustrations while taking a
nostalgic look at the lost, lavish world of cinema. The film also considers
the influence of television, which is gradually reducing the audience at the
hall.

. Best Film: L'Alternativa, Barcelona
. Special Jury Citation: Zanzibar Film Festival
. National Award for Best Audiography, 1999
. Screenings at 0ver 40 International film festivals

Venue:
Awishkar
New Municipal High School,
Miya Mohhammad Chotani Marg,
Mahim (w)
Tel.:02224445871

Time : 7:30pm

Entry Rs. 50/-
For student 25/- (ID Compulsory)

13 Aug : Vikalp screening at Awishkar - Mahim

ON MONDAY 13th AUGUST - 7.30 pm
====================
Vikalp , Awishkar and The Short Circuit, presents an evening
of shorts and documentaries

An Actor Prepares
Dir: Avanish Upmanyu
Dur: 16 Min.
The film peeps into the life of one struggling actor of the film
industry. It depicts his aspiration & struggle to make it big there

Holly Bolly (UK / India)
Dir: Dishad Hussain
Dur: 12 Min.
Two young filmmakers are forced to go cross genre.
Winner, best short, Los Angeles, Indian Film Festival 2004

Looking for Amitabh
Dir: Meenakshi Shedde
Dur: 5 Min.
Blind students talk about their how their perception of Amitabh Bachchan.

KUMAR TALKIES
By Pankaj Rishi Kumar
60 minutes
Location Sound, Sound Design Satheesh PM
Camera Avijit Mukul Kishore


Kumar Talkies is a run-down cinema in small town Kalpi, where few films run
longer than a few days, and each screening is missing a number of songs and
dances, thanks to the projectionist's whims. Once owned by the filmmaker's
father, it remembers better days, as seen unearthed through family
testimonies and 8mm footage. Still, the faces of moviegoers reflected in the
dark speak for themselves - the magic of cinema will never cease to
captivate.

The film explores the relationship between Kalpi--a small town in northern
India--and its only surviving cinema hall. The film chronicles Kalpi's
economic decline and its citizens' hopes and frustrations while taking a
nostalgic look at the lost, lavish world of cinema. The film also considers
the influence of television, which is gradually reducing the audience at the
hall.

. Best Film: L'Alternativa, Barcelona
. Special Jury Citation: Zanzibar Film Festival
. National Award for Best Audiography, 1999
. Screenings at 0ver 40 International film festivals

Venue:
Awishkar
New Municipal High School,
Miya Mohhammad Chotani Marg,
Mahim (w)
Tel.:02224445871

Time : 7:30pm

Entry Rs. 50/-
For student 25/- (ID Compulsory)

PEN : 9, 11 & 13 August 2007

THE PEN ALL-INDIA CENTRE

invites you to three events this month:


* 9 August 2007

A reading by AMRITA SHAH from her new book, Vikram Sarabhai: A Life (in collaboration with Penguin Books India). The reading will be followed by an interactive session with the audience.

Date: 9 August 2007 (Thursday)
Time: 6.15 pm
Place: Theosophy Hall (3rd floor), 40 New Marine Lines, Churchgate, Mumbai

+

* 11 August

PEN@Prithvi/ 'Whose Culture Is It Anyway?'

Should an assault on a painter, or the suppression of a documentary film, or the disruption of a play, be of interest only to the arts community? Or should it be seen by citizens at large as an attack on freedom? A panel discussion on the aggressive claims being made by political interests on cultural activity; and the renewal of democracy by citizens' groups mobilizing the in the public sphere against such encroachments.

An eminent panel, including artist SUDHIR PATWARDHAN , theatre director VIJAY KENKRE, playwright MANASWINI, and activist-writer IRFAN ENGINEER , will address these issues.

Date: 11 August 2007 (Saturday)
Time: 6.30 pm
Venue: Prithvi House (first floor), opp. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu

+

* 13 August

Poetry@PEN – New!

This month, we launch a new feature, 'Poetry@PEN'. This will be a monthly platform where we will present emerging voices, host debates on craft and concept, and create spaces of encounter that are part reading, part workshop and part masterclass.

The first event in the Poetry@PEN series is a reading by four poets: Malavika Sangghvi, Mustansir Dalvi, Peter Griffin and Rohinton Daruwala.

Date: 13 August 2007 (Monday)
Time: 6.15 pm
Place: Theosophy Hall (3rd floor), 40 New Marine Lines, Churchgate, Mumbai

Ranjit Hoskote
Hon. Secretary-Treasurer
The PEN All-India Centre

+ + +

Evam Youth Forum Newsletter

Evam Youth Forum

14th Newsletter, August 2007

There is no play and no theatrical performance which does not in some way affect the dispositions and conceptions of the audience. Art is never without consequences.

- Bertolt Brecht

Raking Up the Issue

Driven, dramatic, arresting, over ambitious and over enthusiastic is probably what best gets the attention of the young go-getters the city’s university is currently buckling up for the real world. This thought was reinforced when, bursting with all of the above, Vivin Matthew Easo’s project - ‘Theatre for Change’ hit it off instantly with the student gathering at Wilson’s college, Mumbai on 14^th July. The project aims to create awareness and impact change among the college-going youth of the city by using theatre as a means to bring forward contemporary social, ecological, political and economic concerns. Easo asserts that he envisions this endeavour as a sort of ‘catalyst’ that will hopefully urge and influence bigger, actual changes in the world outside.

Three short theatrical pieces were performed at Wilson’s college - Gary Richardson’s ‘Don’t Come Back to Matheran’, Vivin Matthew Easo’s ‘Midnight Special’ and Atul Kumar’s ‘Yoddha’ (excerpted from ‘Numbers In The Dark), dealing with the issues of deforestation, HIV/AIDS and communalism respectively. The project’s purpose and goal is admirable, as is the effort being put into it by Easo’s company, Theatre Watch - to provoke, to prod and to push; to use theatre as the channel to articulate certain crying needs of the day with the hope that it will trigger off some active participation of the young mind in the environment of today

However, the agenda is one thing and the act quite another. There seem to be some things quite problematic in the way the program is designed and in the manner in which theatre is employed in this venture.

Each 10 minute performance piece was followed by a discussion of about 10 minutes concerning the issue that the piece spoke about. But the time bound discussions only managed to rake up an issue and verbalize what a piece attempted to convey through the language of performance. Moreover, no sooner was a certain viewpoint expressed than Easo, who also played moderator zealously called for a counterpoint. Following the AIDS-centered piece a student questioned the validating tone the piece assumed towards an unfortunate, infuriated AIDS patient who sought retribution by cunningly spreading the virus to gullible members of the opposite sex. Evading the subject of justification, the query was responded to only in terms of a counter-query –Aren’t such acts of vengeance a common occurrence in the real world? And isn’t reality often unjust? A compelling foundation for this reality’s existence in the world of the play however, remained completely in the dark. By the end of it, most of the discussions remained in the realm of opinion versus opinion where the importance of ‘versus’ triumphed over that of ‘opinion’.

Living in the age of incessantly bombarded information, it is now common knowledge that an issue is not solely comprised of points and counter-points – every cause brings with it many different sides, different stories and different voices. But not a single issue was granted its complexities and grey areas. Atul Kumar’s ‘Yoddha’ is a piece which illustrates the fervour of a naïve modern day warrior who doesn’t even know the cause for his cause but still marches straight on to destroy the three domes he sees in the distance along with the mindless, raring warrior mob. He commits and bears violence like a soldier because he has a cause….or at least he has been told so. The piece thrusts upon its audience the question of the near impossibility of righteous judgment and condemnation even of an obvious wrong doer. But in the course of the discussion it was primarily examined in cut and dry terms of innocent v/s guilty and was transformed into something of a dramatized doctrine. Understanding an issue was not as important as meting out the moral – ‘Violence is not the answer’. Without doubt, to students at this level these morals are a given and a project like this needs to work towards taking it forward, building on it or challenging this given.

The stubborn absence of ambivalence that the discussion seemed to support was sadly also reinforced by some of the performance pieces. A particularly unsettling piece was Easo’s ‘Midnight Special’. The piece tells the angry tale of an AIDS patient, a ‘wronged’ woman who just wanted to be loved and now exacts her revenge on the rest of the world because she's been infected. She vents out her frustration and deals with her own helplessness by luring unsuspecting men into bed. Sensationalized, demonized and desensitized – AIDS is not a disease here but an atrocity. It induces violence and whether you’re a transgressor or an abider, it is a merciless blood-thirsty monster that can hunt you down. The piece failed to carry anything beyond its fear inducing banner – ‘AIDS will kill you so Use a condom, Use a condom, Use a condom’. Neither did the overload of conviction obscure the lack of investment in the piece.

And eventually there comes the question of the use of theatre itself as medium. Performance did not seem to be the vehicle of a message or even integral to it but was more of its façade. Its main purpose seemed to be the depiction of the ills and evils that plague our society with characters who were not more than paper cut outs and scripts that were not more than ‘infotaining’ sermons.

After the heavy dose of aggressive activism the final lingering thought is - if theatre needs to impact change then it had best find ways to vitalize and invigorate thought, not instruct it.

Written by Rachel D’souza

If we say that art is no longer relevant to our lives, we may at least risk the question "What has happened to our lives?" The usual question "What has happened to art?" is too easy an escape route.

- Jeanette Winterson

Around the Table

Using the opportunity of MIT Professor of Theatre Alan Brody’s visit to India, the round table discussion on the 23^rd of July at Prithvi, entitled “The Arts as a Necessary Source of Consciousness” saw the rare and promising event of a gathering of luminaries from a diverse range of fields – several out of the purview of the humanities and arts, including scientists, businessmen and politicians, to discuss art. Organised by PEN-Prithvi the discussion was initiated by the keynote address by Brody and moderated by Ranjit Hoskote.

Alan Brody's lively address included a word of caution; gatherings such as these tend to fall into a common trap – of attempting to justify art, something that he wished to avoid. What he wished to endorse, instead, was collaboration between the arts and the sciences, a search for a point of merger between these worlds where they could flow into each other, enrich and illumine each other. Drawing from his experience as a Professor of Theatre at MIT, he asserted his suspicions of a potentially harmful, imbalanced growth and understanding of the world experienced by those educated rigidly in one field and of educating systems that created a relationship of either/or between the arts and sciences. He narrated an anecdote to illustrate this point of view - of MIT mathematics students elated after discovering the perfect solution for a bomb that would kill the maximum number of people. What perturbed him was that there wasn't a tinge of anxiety that accompanied the elation – in the world of science numbers are numbers, even if they are actually people. Brody then went on to elaborate on the myths that surrounded art, especially in a predominantly scientific, rational world – myths that held the arts to be a ‘soft’ enterprise and to reveal what he considered to be the commonalities of the world a scientist and an artist share, a world of mystery, of inscrutability. For Brody, although the methods and processes of discovery might be different the question that plagues both their minds is the same, 'What if'?

Panelists like Shiv Visvanathan and Naresh Dadhich pointed out what they believed to be misunderstandings in Brody's approach to the notion of collaboration. Visvanathan spoke of how he felt Brody's view of the similarities between the two disciplines was a sentimental one that failed to grasp the core and method of science; what sort of collaboration are we talking of when we can be certain that the presence of art will never make an impact in a science text book. When Brody remarked that Eintsein's discovery could be made by anyone but King Lear could only have flown out of Shakespeare's pen, Dadhich spoke of how science is not bereft of uniqueness as Brody suggested it was, and that it possessed an art and beauty of its own. There is, he believed, art and beauty to Einstein's scientific findings and its there because it was Einstein's process, no one else's. Einstein is then as much the artist as Shakespeare, only their subjects differ.

The majority of the discussion that followed the address, however, had little to do with its concerns, and instead reflected the trap that Brody had mentioned earlier, that of seeking to justify art. The discussion wandered into personal anecdotes of how each of the several panelists had found a use for art, a purpose of art and a result from its employment. Gieve Patel shared how his experiences of teaching poetry to younger children showed him that art taught and instructed us how to love, how love would be incomplete without artists like Chopin and Shakespeare, and how art gives shape to emotions we experience – emotions he felt we would not fathom completely were it not for art. Shanta Gokhale narrated her experience with Glaxo-Smithkline, and how plays organized within the corporation helped fuse and bring together employees from completely different social backgrounds and hierarchies within the organisation, and rise above its corporate and economically driven ethos and attitude.

While these anecdotes did underline a collective understanding between all present as to the important role art plays in society, they not only failed to carry the discussion forward – Brody's address was thrown to the way side – they pointed to another far deeper problem, elucidated brilliantly by panelist Ram Bapat - the struggle against utility. Advocating the necessity of autonomy for arts, ethics and science, Bapat spoke of how we live in a world where a field's validity is informed by its utility, the arts are valid and necessary because they are useful. And indeed each of the anecdotes seemed to assess the arts, illustrating how they had been put to good use in different métiers. His words brilliantly summed up the spirit of such discussions – discussions that make for, as he humorously pointed out, round-table conferences where everyone pats his neighbor's back, shares a sidelong smile and passes the issue around…….round and round.

Written by Naren Chandavarkar

Edited by Rachel D’souza

Art has no evolutionary benefit. Yet, in our age, when routine physical threats are no longer a reality we say we have no time for art.

- Jeanette Winterson

Look Out For

1. Arpana Production's "Cotton 56, Polyester 84", 4^th August 7 pm and 5^th August 6.30 pm at N.C.P.A. Experimental, 31^st August and 1^st September, 6pm and 9pm at Prithvi theatre.

2. Q Theatre Production's "To the Death of My Own Family" 9^th August, 6.30 pm, at N.C.P.A Little Theatre, 12^th August, 11am, at Prithvi Theatre

3. Workshop on Protest Theatre by Salim Arif, 7^th August, 3pm and 8^th August 3pm at Prithvi Theatre

4. Panel discussion – "Whose Culture Is It Anyway?", 11^th August 6 30pm at Prithvi House

5. Aranya's "Illhaam", 17^th, 18^th and 19^th August, 6pm and 9pm, at Prithvi Theatre

6. Q Theatre Production's "Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace", 21^st and 22^nd August, 9 pm, at Prithvi Theatre

7. Q Theatre Production's "The President Is Coming", 23^rd August, 6 pm and 9pm , at Prithvi Theatre

8. "Nangiar Koothu" – A dance performance by Usha Nangiar, 24^th August, 7pm, at Prithvi Theatre

9. Nehru Centre Theatre Festival

The Script, Issue 8. August 2007.

Dear Karishma Pais,

August brings in an early start to the Bombay festival scene with the Nehru Festival peaking off. Please contact Nehru Centre for exact details of schedule and plays. This month hindi theatre makes an impact with plays like Karode Main Ek, Ilhaam and Cotton56, Polyester 84 and much awaited Erendira and Nati Binodini.

On the QTP front, we are proud to announce a new chapter in our history. With the support of YES Bank we are bringing down a play from New York entitled To The Death of My Own Family. Also, we are back with more shows of The President is Coming and returning after a long hiatus, Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace. Apart from that, Thespo at Prithvi continues to showcase some new theatre talent. Our regular event, 'Great Texts' will be in full swing on the last Monday of August. We hope to see you there.

The following are the various QTP events:
7^th & 8^th August - Thespo at Prithvi : Prithvi Theatre
As part of our efforts to promote Youth Theatre, we introduce Thespo at Prithvi on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of every month where young theatre-wallahs will get an opportunity to perform on the Prithvi stage.

Workshop: – 'Protest Theatre’ by Salim Arif from 3 pm : Prithvi House.
To register for the workshop, please conatct us on 98204 80583

Main Show: - Juloos at 9pm : Prithvi Theatre.
Presented by ‘Moksh’ Theatre Productions and directed by Khushboo Shroff.
The play is garbed in clown costume where characters from the circus represent particular fields bringing out the consumerism plaguing our society.
Originally Written by Badal Sircar.
Tickets – Rs.50/- only.

9^th August at 6:30pm – NCPA Little Theatre : To The Death of My Own Family.
Our brand new play that we have been able to bring down from New York with the help of YES Bank.
A stunning truth told through the eyes of Nadeema, an Afghan-American woman who returns with her immigrant family to Afghanistan to help her father escape the ravages of war, only to witness the carnage of her entire family. This compelling story is not one of war or an individual.

Performed by Farah Bala.

Written by David Meth. Directed by Peter Ratray.
Entry is free. First Come First Serve.

11^th August at 6:30pm – NGMA : To The Death of My Own Family
Donor Passes are priced Rs. 100/- Only.

12^th August at 11am – Prithvi Theatre : To The Death of My Own Family
Tickets are priced Rs. 100/- Only.

21^st & 22^nd August

at 9pm – Prithvi Theatre : Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace
It is back with a bang. Khatijabai, is a play about an orphan girl who grows to become the matriarch of one of the more powerful families in newly Independent India.

Starring Jayati Bhatia

Brilliantly layered…wonderful portrayal”
– West Side Plus, Mumbai.

“Vivacious…Skillful…Innovative…Stimulating…Successful”
– Time Out Mumbai.

Tickets are priced Rs. 50/- Only.

23^rd August – Prithvi Theatre, 6 & 9pm: The President is Coming.
After the the resounding response to our newest play at NCPA Experimental and St. Andrew's Auditorium, we present more shows of Anuvab Pal's newly written farce about 6 characters short listed to meet the President of the United States.
'In a dog-eat-dog world of young competitors, reality television and short-lived fame, this comedy explores a day in the life of 9 people will stop at nothing because THE PRESIDENT IS COMING'

“Pal’s satire is refreshingly witty and sharp lends itself well to the stage with an intelligent mix of action, pace and dialogues.”

“Kunaal Roy Kapur’s treatment of the play is bright stylish and slick…..high dose of entertainment…succeeds in making the audience have a great time.”
“The effort is laudable for its subversion and its potential to spark very pertinent debates.”

- Mumbai Mirror

“Playwright Anuvab Pal’s entertaining slapstick comedy draws the guffaws… ”
"One particularly hilarious contender is Bangalore based Ramesh S (brilliantly portrayed by Namit Das).”
"The plays facile humour is also laced with irony and wit – after a first half of jibes at the US, the jokes take on satirical overtones.”
- Hindustan Times

“An entertaining piece of work that was one of the better productions to emerge from January’s Writers’ Bloc festival”
“Pal’s inventiveness allows for buckets of dramatic potential that director Kunaal Roy Kapur exploits successfully.”
- Time Out Mumbai

Tickets are priced Rs. 200/- Only.

27^th August - 18 Anukool, 7:30pm: Great Text Reading. : On the last Monday of each 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 the month of August, we will be reading Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac - "The play talks of Cyrano, a Cadet in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being an incredible duelist, he is a remarkable poet and a musician. However, he has an extremely large nose, which is a target for his own self-doubt. This doubt prevents him from expressing his love for his cousin, the beautiful Roxane, as he believes that his ugliness forbids him to "dream of being loved by even an ugly woman."

We will be reading it on the 27^th of August 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 Himanshu on 26392688 or 9820356150.We hope to see you at these and many more events.

In this month's edition of The Script, we have a whole lot of auditions and workshops. Along with that, Dolly Thakore tells us of her experience on being a part of the selection panel of The Academy of Theatre Arts and Akanksha Gupta reviews the Jaimini Pathak's 'Arabian Night'.

To access the full edition of The Script simply log on to www.geocities.com/qtpthescript/aug07

Happy reading.

Warm Regards,
On Behalf of Q Theatre Productions,

Himanshu.
Editor, The Script.

Taj Tea Trail - 5 Aug - 11 Echoes, Juhu

Taj Tea Trail Some meditate for decades to find true happiness; we think an hour is enough. Join us on the Taj Tea Trail, a tea tasting and appreciation workshop and take a journey that reveals the mystery behind this exotic drink. A journey that will transform you from a tea lover to a tea connoisseur. Along the way, we'll master together the art of making a perfect cup of tea, discover anew the health benefits of making tea, find out how similar tea and wine are, test your TQ (tea quotient!) and more... while having some traditional tea time snacks. At the end apart from being filled with tea, snacks and info, you will waltz away with a tea connoisseurship certificate, a guide to tea, a goodie bag filled with delicious teas and a special limited edition tea cup personally autographed by Saif Ali Khan. Events Schedule Venue: 11 Echoes, Juhu Date: 5th August, 2007 Time: 4-5 pm Fee: Rs. 200/- per person. Rs. 150/- per person for groups of 4 or more. RSVP: Neha @ 9819431898 E-mail: info@tajteatrail.com for more info

Taj Tea Trail managed by

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vikalpmumscreenings : Police stop Vikalp screening of Jashn-e-Azadi

The Vikalp Mumbai screenings of Sanjay Kak's Jashn-e-Azadi at Bhupesh Gupta
Bhavan on Friday July 27, and at Prithvi on July 30th were stopped by the
Mumbai police based on a report/complaint that the film had inflammatory
material and could cause a law and order problem. This despite the fact that
the film has been screened in New Delhi, bangalore, Pune, and elsewhere
without any protest, complaint, or law and order situation.

At Bhupesh Gupta Bhavan some 50 odd people watched the drama unfold as a
large contingent of senior police officers and intelligence men arrived with
a search and seize warrant and seized the dvd copy of the film.

The Bhupesh Gupta management stood firmly on our side and stopped the police
from entering the hall without a proper warrant, since this was a private
space and a private screening. It was only after this, and our insistence
that they give us an order in writing that the police made the effort to get
a proper warrant.

Vikalp has drafted the following statement of protest:

STATEMENT
We strongly condemn the unwarranted action of the Mumbai police in stopping
a private screening of the film 'Jashn-e-Azadi' in Mumbai on Friday, July
27.

This clearly violates the established principles of freedom of expression in
a democratic state. The film has already been screened in various other
cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and even Srinagar. Nowhere else has any
authority objected to it, and neither has it caused any "law and order"
problems as the Mumbai police claim to fear.

We demand an inquiry in to this matter and an explanation for the
high-handedness of the police. We further urge the authorities to return the
confiscated DVDs of the film, and to refrain from any further
unconstitutional action against the screening of the film elsewhere in the
city.

Needless to say, our screenings will continue evey month as usual.
Thanks for your support !

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26 Feb : VIKALP@PRITHVI, INAUGURAL SCREENING !

VIKALP@PRITHVI, INAUGURAL SCREENING !

Monday, 26 Feb, 7 pm - An epic documentary on Bob Dylan

Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai 400049. Tel:
2614 9546

VIKALP: Films for Freedom announces a monthly documentary series in
collaboration with Prithvi. Our inaugural show, as an exception, will
begin at 7 pm on Monday the 26th of February with Martin Scorsese's
epic tribute to Bob Dylan, 'No Direction Home'. From March, screenings
will revert to the Prithvi Annexe next door at 7 pm on the last Sunday
of each month. Information on these will be posted on
http://www.prithvitheatre.org

NO DIRECTION HOME/Directed by Martin Scorsese (USA) / 207 mins

An epic documentary that spawns the politically charged folk ballads
that came to embody the very spirit of the turbulent 1960s ("The Times
They are a-Changin") and the stream-of-consciousness litanies that
irrevocably changed the face of rock music ("Like a Rolling Stone").
Director Martin Scorsese crafts an unprecedented exploration of the
musician's creative process. The film is the first ever film biography
of the enigmatic, near-reclusive Dylan, who grants Scorsese his first
full-length interview in 20 years for a startlingly intimate and
endlessly revealing portrait. The interview is supplemented with a
wealth of archival footage that includes personal home movies from his
childhood in Minnesota; unreleased interviews with colleagues Allen
Ginsberg, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Maria Muldaur; and rare live
performances of classics like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Mr.
Tambourine Man." The result is a richly visual cinematic testament to
the life and work of one of the greatest and most influential artists
of the 20th century.

Also showing, three Indian short films/music videos.

Vande Mataram/ Directed by Amudhan R.P. / 5 mins

An alternate music video offering a unique perspective on pop patriotism.

America , America / Directed by K.P. Sasi / 5 mins

A satirical but severe indictment of America's role in escalating
world conflict.

Images You Didn't See/Directed by Anand Patwardhan / 5 mins

A music video that interprets images gleaned from the internet that
either never appear in the mainstream media, or whose import is masked
behind a velvet curtain of global infotainment.

ALL ARE INVITED! ENTRY IS FREE, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS


VIKALP: Films for Freedom

The History: In recent years we have seen riotous mobs burn books,
destroy paintings, attack artists, tear down cinemas, rip apart
ancient manuscripts and make a mockery of all our constitutional
safeguards. The state itself has institutionalized censorship through
its Central Board of Film Certification and its counterpart in the
world of theatre. Documentary filmmakers have specially borne the
brunt of censorship. As the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF)
2004 approached, the then government knew that many films on the
Gujarat carnage exposing the ruling party's complicity could embarrass
it on an international stage. Overnight a new clause was introduced
stating that while foreign films remained exempt, all Indian films
would require a censor certificate. Even as over 275 filmmakers united
and threatened to boycott MIFF, official censorship was withdrawn, but
a dubious backdoor selection procedure excluded some of the best new
Indian films dealing with subjects like communalism, caste, gender,
sexuality and the environment.

The best way to fight back was to screen the 'rejected' films. So
VIKALP: Films for Freedom was born. Many filmmakers whose films were
selected for MIFF withdrew their work to screen them at VIKALP.
Girish Karnad stepped down from the MIFF jury. Filmmakers pooled in
their resources and found a perfect venue right across from MIFF at
Bhupesh Gupta Bhawan, whose solidarity was unconditional and whose
hall came free. Acoustic problems were overcome by curtains and
mattresses. Volunteers poured in and the buzz was electric. Despite
word of mouth publicity we had packed houses every day. VIKALP opened
with an excerpt from Sadaat Hasan Manto's ' Safed Jhoot', an
indictment of censorship and hypocrisy, performed by Jamil Khan,
directed by Naseeruddin Shah. From this high, we never came down. For
6 days rapt audiences saw and debated over 50 films and participated
in panel discussions on censorship. Across the street every official
MIFF bulletin and meeting denounced VIKALP and swore innocence to the
charge of censorship. But we were getting across. From juries to
filmmakers and audience members, the ranks of the disbelievers kept
growing - as they must. For an assault on freedom of expression does
not affect filmmakers alone. It is an assault on democracy itself.

The Present: Following this breakthrough we continue to do monthly
screenings at Bhupesh Gupta Bhawan. This success has led to
collaborations with other venues like Aavishkar in Mahim and Readers
Shop in Santa Cruz for monthly screenings. Film-makers in Delhi and
Bangalore organize regular screenings in their respective cities.
Selections of 'Vikalp' films have traveled to other parts of the
country and occasionally to other parts of the world. Now we begin a
new collaboration from March 2007 to do screenings at Prithvi, Juhu,
on the last Sunday of each month at 7 PM.

22 feb : SIGHT MAY STRIKE YOU BLIND (in English)

CELEBRATING POETRY @ PRITHVI

FEBRUARY 16 to 26

THU 22^ND, 9pm

Prithvi Theatre

Poetry performance and launch of SIGHT MAY STRIKE YOU BLIND (in English)

by Sampurna Chattarji in concert with Sanjay Divecha

Reality, surreality, sensuality come together as poet Sampurna Chattarji reads from her new book Sight May Strike You Blind (Sahitya Akademi) in concert with guitarist and composer Sanjay Divecha.

As Keki Daruwalla writes in his foreword to the book, "Hers is a poetry of subtle impressions, far-off correspondences (but never far-fetched!), dissimilar images moulded into a poetic whole. She experiments fearlessly."

So come see poetry in a new light – a play of music and word, speech and silence, silence and clamour, clamour and song. A song to the city of 'Dogs, Mobs and Rock Concerts'; a song of 'Darkness', of 'Fear and the Smell of Old Sheets', of 'Pleasure, Forbidden'; a song of learning to look…and learning to look away.

SAMPURNA CHATTARJI is an award-winning poet, fiction writer and translator.

Her poetry has featured on Hong Kong Radio; in the international documentary Voices in Wartime directed by Rick King as well as in journals and anthologies including First Proof: The Penguin Book of New Writing from India 2; Fulcrum Four: Fifty-six Indian Poets (1951-2005) (US); Imagining Ourselves (US); Wasafiri (UK), Wespennest (Germany); Slingshot (Canada); The Little Magazine and Chandrabhaga (India). Sampurna is an Executive Committee Member of the PEN All-India Centre, Mumbai; on the Editorial Board of its Journal Penumbra, and is a key organiser of the monthly literary event PEN@Prithvi in Mumbai, featuring poets, journalists, filmmakers, novelists, activists, academics and others. Her first book of poems Sight May Strike You Blind has just been published by the Sahitya Akademi.

SANJAY DIVECHA is a guitarist and composer. His influences range from Western Folk and Rock to Blues and Jazz. Having started his career in Mumbai, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1987. In 1988 he enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood , and studied guitar with Joe Diorio and Scott Henderson among others. While in Los Angeles , Sanjay's "eclectic approach and forcefully-mature playing" made him part of the LA live-music scene, where he played myriad styles, including African, Brazilian, R&B and Gospel. As an active member of the Los Angeles studio scene, he played both acoustic and electric guitar on movie scores, jingles and albums, and recorded with world-renowned West African vocalist Angelique Kidjo and the legendary Carlos Santana. Back in Mumbai since 2003, Sanjay is an active member of the Mumbai music industry. He has spent the last two years composing and recording a collection of songs for his new album, where he is exploring the colors, sounds and languages of India .

Gorakhgad - The challenger! 25 Feb

Gorakhgad
The challenger!
By www.natureknights.com

In the movie 7 years in Tibet, when Dalai
Lama asks the hero what he likes about
climbing; he replies
"It is during climbing one gets focused, forgets all confusion, lights become sharper, sounds become clearer. It is this time one feel the deep and powerful presence of life.”

Gorakhgad named after the saint Gorakhnath, is a small fort which gives you the taste of exactly same feeling. So to feel the might of the fort Nature Knights is planning to accept the challenge and reach those heights on 25th Feb this year.

The Adventure
To reach Gorakhgad, one can travel to Murbad via Kalyan. Reach village Dhasai from Mhase junction. From here, private jeeps as well as S.T. buses are available to reach the village of Dehri. Village Dehri can also be reached from Murbad via Milhe. Right from Dehri village two prominent pinnacles can be seen. The smaller one is Machchindragad and bigger one is Gorakhgad.

Fort Gorakhgad had strategic importance during the reign of Shahaji Raje. However, no major battle is recorded to have taken place here.It was used in Shivaji’s era to patrol the nearby region and was used as a stopover station during the journey to Junnar via Naneghat which was a very important commercial route. Though small in size, there is enough availability water and a lot of space for accommodation.

Two cisterns can be seen just after emerging through the entrance and the path climbs up further ahead. Further, a small step-way descends down to the large caves that are carved out in the main rock of the pinnacle. The trek to the caves is an easy climb, but the pinnacle is what makes the fort look so tempting to climb.The top of the fort is very small. There is a small Mahadeo temple with Nandi. A wide region ranging from Siddhagad and Machchindragad up to Ahupe Ghat and Jeevdhan in the Naneghat area towards north can be seen from the fort-top.

The Schedule
25th Feb, 2007
6 am Andheri (W) Station (near Ahura bakery S.V. Road)
6.30 am Bandra Kalanagar Juntion
6.45 am Sion Station (Opposite Sion Lunch Home)
7.45 am Thane
9.00 am Dehri Village
9.00-9.30 am Introduction & Induction for the trek
12.00 pm Reach main cave
1.00-3.00pm Climbing the pinnacle & fort exploration
3.30 pm Start for Base
5.30 pm Freshen up and start for Mumbai
9.30 pm Reach Andheri

Food
* The charges do not include any meals or Snacks.
Breakfast at Kalyan junction
Pre-packed lunch on the fort. (Please carry your lunch)
Evening tea on route

Suggestions for packed lunch: (Sandwiches); Thepla & Potato Vegetable; Roti; Boiled Eggs; Ready to eat canned food; home cooked roti / dry vegetable; Puran Poli; Bread / Cheese slice / spread; Potato Vada; Bread; etc you can get creative; We will have multi-cultural buffet. You can carry tetra packed buttermilk.

Clothing
track pants , full sleeves t-shirt spare shorts, socks.

Packing your stuff
Pack all to carry items in Backpack; lightweight on bottom and topside of bag; heavy items towards shoulder and closer to body. Use compression straps if you have them in your backpacks. Capacity of bag should be 40 to 60 liters.

Feet wear
Sports shoes with rubber sole or trekking shoes; carry spare slippers or floaters. No high heals allowed.

Other essentials in your survival kit
1) 3 meter x 3 meter plastic sheet (will be available in any hardware store) or local market
2) Hand Sanitizer
3) Torch
4) Pocket Knife (Preferably Swiss Knife or equivalent)
5) Towel (light) and carry one cloth, useful for wiping dirt.
6) Walking Cane (should be 65% to 70% of your height – strong and light)
7) Emergency money (Rs. 500/- per head)
8) One bundle of 5 mm Nylon or 3 mm Carnamental ropes (around 10 meter).
9) Carry a note pad and two ball pens for your diary writing.

Goodies & nice to have
You may also carry goodies like camera; small - binoculars, magnifying glasses and pocket field guide to make most of the trip.

Start and End – Date & Time
Start of Event:
Date: February 25, 2007
Time: 6 am
Place: Andheri Station
Anticipated End of event:
Date: February 25, 2007 evening 9 to 10 pm at Andheri.

Contribution per head
Contribution Rs. 400/= for members and Rs. 500/- for nonmembers. Only 20 seats available kindly reserve your seats well in advance. The above charges include transport, trek management charges and climbing equipment usage charges. Food is not included in the charges.

Transport: Private Bus/Jeep
Registration:
For registration drawn a cheque on : “Nature Knights – ICICI Bank Account Number 041205000027” Drop the cheque in any ICICI ATM Cheque drop box Or Simply do an electronic fund transfer. Our Banking branch is Versova. SMS us your name and payment details Cancellation Charges: Any cancellations after February 21, 2007 will only get 60% refund. Members / Non-members registering/paying on the day of journey (Feb 25, 2007) will have to contribute Rs.450 and Rs.550 respectively. Kindly carry only cash for last minute registration/payments.

To know more about us visit: www.natureknights.com

Eco-Tourism Etiquettes
Camps organized by “Nature Knights” are in the eco / culturally - sensitive area like Sanctuaries, Jungles, and places of Historical importance. While visiting these places we should blend into the community of Original Inhabitants and respect their culture and sentiments. We strongly believe in traveling in small groups, and follow the principle leave only footprints and take only memories. Eco-Adventure Code Forest and mountains by its very nature implies certain code of conduct to be adhered and we need to blend with these rules to make the trip safe and enjoyable for individuals and the groups

Don’ts
No littering we take back all that we carry.
Do not shout at, harass or feed animals. Your silence will help you appreciate and enjoy the jungle environment better. Do not carry radios and walkmans, the sound may not only distract animals but also you would not be able to hear / senses the beauty or the beast in the Jungle.

Unless necessary; do not pick up dead wood, chop wood or pick flowers and plants. This may seriously damage the forest ecosystem balance.

Alcohol / Drugs not allowed
Avoid smoking during nature trials, this could cause forest fire or also distract the animals, as their sense of smell is far greater than ours. Do not carry very expensive items which are not necessary like jewelry, very flashy clothes etc. At the end always report on time for scheduled events and do not forget to enjoy selves and have a great adventure with new and old friends in Nature Knights Family.

Dos
Take initiative in participating for all group activities, your teaminitiatives will make the trip more memorable for you and others. Be a team player, do not be a city snob. Be responsible for yourself and others. Stay with the group; never cross the designated lead person and never lag behind the last person designated. Remain with the group, venturing out on your own could prove to be dangerous.

How to prepare your self for any treks?
Go through the “What to carry?” matrix while packing your backpack. Carry personal medical kit, even though general first aid kit is available with the group. Rehearse packing and un-packing of your bags with proposed items to be packed (Remember - every item has a place, every item in its place); check the weight of your bag. You have to carry this weight for 4 to 5 hours of trek; do not carry items not required.

Fitness – Most important
1) Start walks 3 to 4 times per week; go for 45 minutes to 60 minutes brisk walk. If you can go for walks with your backpack or smaller bags, it would be the best way to prepare.
2) Do stretching exercise (stiff body can break down easily).
3) Built strength training (weights or GYM or at least do Surya Namaskar; Pushups; Squats and Stomach Crunches). 20 minutes 3 to 4 times per week is OK.
4) Eat good food (have 3 to 4 servings of vegetable or fruit salads per day).
5) Pranayam – Breathing exercise for developing stronger lungs. Research – Browse net; talk to friends who may have gone to proposed location; investigate publications etc.
If you have purchased a new shoe for trek, start wearing it at least 10 to 15 days in advance to get used to the new shoe. Most important; reach at the designated meeting place on correct place; time and date. Good Bye and take care.
Dnyanesh- dkgolatkar[at]yahoo.com
Know more about us at: www.natureknights.com

http://www.natureknights.com