Sunday, 8 April 2012

Avartan adieus University of Hyderabad

               
     Hello friends, this is Avartan. Hope you all are doing well. If you have little time please read it. We promise we will not take much time of yours. Well, as you know Avartan is a group of students from different departments of University of Hyderabad who used to do some cultural activities. But due to some problems aroused in front of us now onwards we have decided to close all our student oriented activities in the campus. By the way we would also like to say that Avartan is a registered professional theatre group in the city of Hyderabad. But soon after its establishment and our personal involvements with UoH slowly we found ourselves in the midst of students. With the time we found that our main goal of a professional theatre group is almost vanished and rather we turned into a student community group conducting various kinds of activities. Yes, we were very happy on that.

                    We continued our activities in the campus and most of you have probably witnessed some of it. But very recently we found ourselves in little trouble. The main reason is we were refused to continue our activities in the place where we used to do earlier and it is very difficult to do work without any shelter. The next thing is though we don’t have any allegation with anyone but we found that directly or indirectly we are being watched unnecessarily by some people. The reason may be those people thought that Avartan is getting much limelight and probably they took Avartan as a threat to them. Thus these people never supported Avartan and its activities in the campus. But believe us we never wanted to trouble anyone. On the other side we found very supportive people also from inside and outside the campus. We thank all of them for their support, well wishes and for being with us. Same time we thank the Vice Chancellor sir of University of Hyderabad for his extended support always. But we understand his and our limitations too.

                     It is not any poster or counter poster or posterbaji, it is just a modest poster addressing campus community and revealing what forced us to take this decision. The poster is just to say thanks and good bye to all. We just cannot escape silently. Simply because we consider that the whole campus community was the stakeholder of Avartan and it is our duty to inform them about our decision that we are not continuing our activities at UoH. It is to say that we love you people and certainly we are going to miss you. We know you too liked us and we thought we should give minimum respect to you by informing about our decision and future plans. Well future plans, yes from now onwards Avartan will continue its theatre activity as a professional group in Hyderabad and elsewhere. For that we need your support and blessings too. We are sad and sorry if Avartan heartened you in any way in the course of time. We believe what we have decided is good for all of us. You say, after doing all this voluntary work who can expect a call to his or her head or guide. Anyway leave it that is a different story. So, good bye, Alvida University of Hyderabad.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Invitation for the Avartan Workshop Play 2012...

          
















Respected Mam/Sir,

We, Avartan, a community theater group based in the University of Hyderabad, cordially invite you to the following events:

1. A Painting exhibition; The paintings of all those who participated in our recent event "Saare
Zameen Par" will be exhibited.
2. A Book Release (Hyderabad); “On the Croosroads of Theatre” written by Dr. Satyabrata Rout, Associate Professor, Department of Theatre Arts, S N School, University of Hyderabad.
3. Two of Plays; presentations by the Avartan Workshop participant 2012, “Kafan” (Written by Munshi Premchand) and “Inspecter Matadin Chand Par” (Written by Harishankar Parsai).

The events will start from 6.00 PM at Rangabhumi, Near School of Medical Science, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500046

Your presence will greatly encourage us to continue our activities with greater zeal. We, therefore, request you join us and grace the occasion thereby making it a successful one.

Thank You
Avartan Hyderabad
9494242645

Saturday, 11 February 2012

For the Sake of Theatre, Avartan at Postnoon...


For a long time the old campus of Sarojini Naidu School in the University of Hyderabad lay abandoned. But of late the place is abuzz with activity, loud dialogues and music on almost any given evening. Ever since the place was taken over by Avartan, a theatre group comprising of students from across academic disciplines, the school has been the hub of all workshops and rehearsals for upcoming theatre performances.
Avartan, an independent theatre club of UoH, aims to spread awareness abo­ut theatre and its possibilities am­o­ng students. With objectives like personality development, performing skills and understanding the applied theatre, the club was found in 2007 under the supervision of few faculties from the University Theatre Arts department.
“Though our university provi­des theatre as an academic subject, it has limitations to accommodate more people. The idea of an independent theatre group came to my mind after I decided to train more people in the performing arts,” says Satyabrata Rout, the founder of Avartan and associate professor of University Theatre Arts department. “The club primarily seeks to empower students from different communities. It comprises of students from various cultures, communities and academic backgrounds and allows them to share their performing abilities,” he adds.
The participatory nature of the club is widely recognised on the campus. According to the members, Avartan has an inclusive platform for them to express and improve their skills. “Since my school days, I was attracted to theatre, and I used to take part in different plays back home. After joining UoH, Avartan became my platform to spruce up my acting abilities,” says Krishnasoni, a Hin­di PhD student from Bihar. “Now, being with this group, I am getting the opportunity to write and direct plays,” adds Krishna, secretary of the club.
For some students, the group has been an important part in their campus life, which helped them to network with people. “Avartan workshops helped me get along with students from different academic backgrounds, and it also taught me team spirit,” says Shikha Sharma, an MA Linguistic student. “In future, even after my university life, I would love to take part in theatre plays, if given a chance,” she grins.
Tarun Dhariwal, a student of M.Tech Artificial Intelligence, finds Avartan analyses important social issues through its plays. “I like to entertain people for different social causes. Undoubtedly this club has been encouraging my interests,” he says. Though Tarun is going to take up a job as an engineer he doesn’t want to discontinue his experiments with theatre. “Avartan has inspired me tremendously and in the future, I would like to be an engineer-cum-theatre artiste,” he says.
What makes Avartan a winner with most students is that it produces multilingual plays. “On stage, we are given the opportunity to deliver dialogues in whichever language we are proficient,” says Princy, a student of linguistics from Kerala.
She also thinks that the club helps beginners, like her, in theatre production. “Though I didn’t have any previous experience, they encouraged me to do an important role in the previous play. Now I am confident enough to stretch my abilities,” she says.
Avartan conducts workshops in every semester and train students in various techniques of theatre. So far, more than 10 plays have been staged in the campus. Some of the plays also have been staged at other universities in Goa and Chhattisgarh.
KK Abdul Rahoof...


Avartan Theatre Workshop 2012...


Please come and invite your friends....

Saare Zameen Par (Everybody on the Ground) at GOPS, UoH...


Saare Zameen Par (Everybody on the Ground), (no, not Taare Zameen Par, the Hindi movie, but yes intertextuality is there), is a painting competition (rather fun) by Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. It will be on 13th February 2012. Time 5 PM to 6 PM, Venue: GOPS, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. You are free to participate. If you can please bring your general painting tools or Avartan will provide basic things. Entry fee only Rs10. If we can we will award best three paintings and if possible worst three paintings too. So, please try your hand and invite your friends too.

Sunday, 5 February 2012

Saare Zameen Par (Everybody on the Ground)...



Saare Zameen Par (Everybody on the Ground), (no, not Taare Zameen Par, the Hindi movie, but yes intertextuality is there), is a painting competition (rather fun) by Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. It will be on 13th February 2012. Time 5 PM to 6 PM, Venue: GOPS, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. You are free to participate. If you can please bring your general painting tools or Avartan will provide basic things. Entry fee only Rs10. If we can we will award best three paintings and if possible worst three paintings too. So, please try your hand and invite your friends too.


Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Prem Gali Ati Sankaree...








We, the Avartan Theater Group, University of Hyderabad performing a play on 29thJanuary 2012, Sunday for the students and whole campus community. As part of the groups’ activity we are doing it which will be acted by the students only. The play is being performed under the patronage of Student Union, University of Hyderabad primarily aiming to develop and improvise student personalities through theater. Thus it will be really fascinating and useful for the students. The programme will be at DST auditorium on the evening of 29th January; Sunday 6 PM to 7.30 PM...Please come...

Saturday, 12 November 2011

Avartan X-Press Saturday, 12 November 2011




Today’s “Avartan X-Press” talk will be given by Professor Harjinder Singh (Laltu Ji). He will speak on his short stories and read his poems too. Sir has said it will be like a solo performance. Though, Laltu Ji needs not any introduction to us but still a brief one for all. Interestingly he is a man of science. Currently he is Prof.  & Head, Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, IIIT, Hyderabad. B.Sc. from Presidency College, Calcutta University, M. Sc. from IIT, Kanpur and holds his Ph. D. from Princetown University, USA. He has huge complex research interests which we may not understand. He is a visiting fellow of lots of national and international institutions. He also got several awards and honours and held administration position too. And yes sir has a long list of publications which is impossible to read here. But finally he is a lover of theatre and arts and often encourages too. He writes poetry and short stories also. He has several collections of poetry and short stories which got published and he translates also. Avartan is happy getting him for the first day talk.
Here are some links for you regarding Laltu Ji…


Please come and witness the inaugural of “Avartan X-Press”. Invite your friends and make it a huge successful event.

Thursday, 10 November 2011

Avartan Presents "Avartan X-Press"....




Avartan Hyderabad presents "Avartan X-Press", series of multidisciplinary talks on various topics. It will be held on every Saturday. Apart from inviting experts from various fields, young researchers will be encouraged to showcase their talents. They may share their research papers and articles too. Preference will be given to the topics related to the field of Arts. The idea behind this is to explore new areas. The duration of each talk is limited to one hour which will be followed by open discussion. So, join us on every Saturday at 5.30 PM at  University of Hyderabad. For details you may call the Avartan team or mail us your queries and suggestions too.

Sunday, 30 October 2011

Godot Aaya Kya review at Times of India...


THEATER TALK

The never-ending wait Pics: Md Ilias

Ria Girri 



    The stage was set minimally... just the essential props, the lighting was focused and the audience was silent. The one-and-a-half hour long “Godot Aaya Kya” was a Hindi adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s classic drama, “Waiting for Godot”, directed by Satyabrata Rout. 
    Comprising of three acts, the play spoke of nothing — it was a dramatic conceptualization of two men, Vladimir (Satyabrata Rout) and Estragon (Vasudev Venketraman), waiting for ‘Godot’ by a tree on a countryside road. However, once the play progresses in true style of black comedy, one realizes the bitter truths of life. Like Vladimir and Estragon, we are all waiting in our lives; for 
reasons unknown to us. 
    The play initially may seem comical, with typical slapstick characters in funny situations. In fact, the first two acts evoked much laughter, thanks to all the humorous dialogues and situations. But, it is in the third act that the entire play comes together and the meaning of it all is deciphered. 
    Although, it was a Hindi adaptation, the screenplay was crafted so beautifully that the audience forgets that it’s originally a Western script. It never seemed odd that the two characters, who had names like Vladimir and Estragon and who were dressed in Western tramp clothing — hats, boots, jackets, and suspenders and all — were speak
ing Hindi. Or considering that the play spoke about the universal truth of life, it didn’t really matter. 
    Apart from the two main protagonists, Lucky (Advesh Jha) played a small but crucial role, depicting that sect of overpowered and under-appreciated humans that hold no voice of their own, but in 
the end make their presence felt. 
Akshya Kr 
Rastogi as Pozzo, the dominator, who ultimately becomes blind in his wait for Godot, did a good job. The play on the whole was completely worth the time and money. Not only did it entertain, but it also makes one wonder about how our lives are spent waiting someaninglessly.

A scene from Avartan’s rendition of ‘Godo Aya Kya?’



Saturday, 29 October 2011

New Posts at Avartan Hyderabad....


Congrats

Avartan Hyderabad's

New Vice President is Seema Simoliya...
&
New General Secretary is Krishna Soni...
&
New Joint Secretary is Shikha Mishra....

Sunday, 23 October 2011

Godo Aaya Kya, at NIFT, Hyderabad...


 

Avartan Theatre

Presents…

Godot Aaya Kya (Waiting for Godot)




Date & Time: 23 October 2011, Sunday, 7 PM

Venue: NIFT Auditorium, NIFT, Hitec City, Madhapur, Hyderabad, India

Adaptation, Concept, Design and Direction: Dr. Satyabrata Rout
Ticket:  200INR
Please do come, encourage us and enjoy the play

Thanks and regards…
Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
Contacts: 09494242645/09959807901

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Godo Aaya Kya.../Waiting for Godot...at DST, University of Hyderabad...


 

Avartan Theatre

Presents…

Godot Aaya Kya (Waiting for Godot)




Date & Time: 22 October 2011, Saturday, 7 PM

Venue: DST Auditorium, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

Adaptation, Concept, Design and Direction: Dr. Satyabrata Rout

Please do come, encourage us and enjoy the play

Thanks and regards…
Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
Contacts: 09494242645/09959807901

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

Avartan Theatre for All...


Students of the university will now be able to learn theatre and also get to perform, thanks to Avartan.
Avartan is the first of its kind theatre club set up in the University of Hyderabad by Satyabrata Rout. It was setup in 2010 with the aim of spreading awareness about theatre among students. It actually began in 2007, in the name of Theatre Club of S N School with a small group of students interested in theatre. The group wanted to do drama outside the theatre department, so as to take drama to all kinds of students.
            The group staged a lot of performances across North India in 2007 and hence gained immense popularity. With a wish to promote theatre awareness, personality development and ‘applied theatre’, which is not just confined to theatre; it seeks to empower students. “We get students from different streams. For a lot of students, especially from science backgrounds, it’s about creative relaxation. They spend so much time studying that drama is like a creative distraction to them,” explains Mr. Rout.
            The workshop is conducted every semester for a period of 10 days for two hours in order to benefit students from all streams. “We have a screening procedure for students who apply, where we interview and then shortlist them. There has been an overwhelming response from the students, which is good news, but we take a limited number of students only.”
He further added, “We can definitely do with more support from the administration, as we are still growing and have great potential.” The workshop first enlists students, trains them in theatre, and by the end of the course, a play is staged by the students for all to see. The students, on completion of the course get a certificate from Avartan. “Being an autonomous club, we don’t act in accordance to any department, not even the Theatre Arts department where we actually work,” he added.
Srinivas, an MA Communication student, who attended the workshop last semester says, “It was a dream come true for me. It brought out the latent talent and gave me a lot of confidence. The idea of a student from a non-theatre background performing on stage to an audience is an exhilarating experience.”
Avartan also plans to work with slum kids in nearby villages and with the spastic society to push the boundaries of applied theatre. They recently staged a play called – Waiting for Godot at Lamakan, a cultural centre in the city. “We are having a performance in the university on the 22nd of October at the DST auditorium and on the 23rd at the NIFT,” Mr. Rout said.


Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Godo Aaya Kya at NIFT, Hyderabad...



Avartan Theatre, Hyderabad Presents Godo Aaya Kya (Waiting for Godot)


“Godo Aaya Kya” is the Hindi adaptation of the world famous play “Waiting for Godot”.  It will be performed at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Auditorium, Hitech City, Madhapur, in front of Cyber Tower, Hyderabad by the Avartan Theatre Group, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.

Date & Time: 23 October 2011, 7 PM

Cast and Crew:

Vladimir: Satyabrata Rout
Estragon: Venkatraman Vasudev
Pozzo: Akshay Kr. Rastogi
Lucky: Avdhesh Jha
The Director in the play: Mathew Sinu Simon,
Assistant Directors in the play: Robson Jani, Jagriti Kumari
Music: Krishna Soni
Lights: Ramanj
Set, Properties & Costumes: Smurti, Raj & others
Public Relations and Production in Charge: Abu Saleh
Original English Script: Samuel Beckett

Adaptation, Concept, Design and Direction: Dr. Satyabrata Rout
Ticket – 200 INR
Contacts: 09959807901/09494242645
Please do come, encourage us and enjoy the play
Thanks and regards…
Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

Avartan Theatre, Hyderabad...



Theatre, being a collaborative medium of Art, needs a certain amount of dedication and commitment. Avartan is an amalgamation of diverse minds from various Departments of our University (University of Hyderabad); with define objectives to reach to the various culture, people and communities. While working in an academic environment, we realised the need to break the elitist, often labelled on the performing arts, particularly theatre. The group has tried to break-through the conventions of theatre academics, in order to reach to the common man, to make him/her aware of his/her responsibilities in today’s society. Understanding the fact that our time and society is being reflected directly through this art, we formed the group with a definite sense of commitment. Ours is a new born group, which aims to achieve professionalism, perfection and to break the dogmas of conventions, that drags our society towards conservatism, and obstacle to progresses in all senses.

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Godo Aaya Kya/Waiting for Godot at NIFT by Avaratan Theatre, Hyderabad...


Avartan Presents Godo Aaya Kya at NIFT...

Avartan Theatre, Hyderabad presents “Godo Aaya Kya”, the Hindi adaptation of “Waiting for Godot” at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Auditorium, Hitech City, Madhapur, in front of Cyber Tower, Hyderabad.

Date & Time: 23 October 2011, 7 PM

Ticket - 200,

Cast and Crew:

Vladimir: Satyabrata Rout
Estragon: Venkatraman Vasudev
Pozzo: Akshay Kr Rastogi
Lucky: Avdhesh Jha
The Director in the play: Mathew Sinu Simon,
Assistant Directors in the play: Robson Jani, Jagriti Kumari
Music, Set, Properties & Lights: Krishna Soni & Raj and others
Public Relations and Production in Charge: Abu Saleh
Contacts: 09959807901/09494242645
E Mail avartanhyderabad@gmail.com
www.avartanhyd.blogspot.com
Original English Script: Samuel Beckett

Adaptation, Concept, Design and Direction: Dr. Satyabrata Rout

Saturday, 15 October 2011

Review of Godo Aaya Kya in The Hindu...




Samuel Beckett's ‘Waiting for Godot' gets a semantic shift in the title to suit Indian audience through ‘Godot Aayaa Kyaa'
They, Vladimir and Estragon, have been waiting for Godot knows what, for 57 years now. Nor has anyone been able to decipher conclusively what the two bedraggled tramps really have been, knowingly or unknowingly, playing out there or what their too human a creator, Samuel Beckett, meant when he deployed this acrid cartoonish, unnerving and strangely uplifting performance onto the world. Nevertheless, what is obvious is that the two cannot move out of the stage abandoning their wait for the Mr. Him, try hard as they might.
Waiting for Godot is loquacious theatre at its bare dregs featuring beaten out characters who are coarsely elemental. But it is also exceedingly rooted in its references to the philosophic, religious and artistic traditions which hung heavy on mid 20th century, post second World War Europe. It's a clear case of too much in too little. It's a difficult text to translate into an Indian language or adapt to an Indian sensibility, whatever that means today!
The two mid-week shows at Lamakaan of a Hindi version of Waiting for Godotwere a spirited attempt by Dr. Satyabrata Raut to bring Beckett closer to Indian audiences. Raut, a product of National School of Drama, and a close associate of late B.V. Karanth, and presently an Associate Professor in Theatre at the University of Hyderabad, is known for his many experiments at combining modern theatrical techniques with something Indian – he calls them ‘values'. In this case, it begins with a subtle semantic shift in the title of the play itself. It'sGodot Aayaa Kyaa instead of Godot key Liye Intezaar.
So although the characters retain their names (Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky) and wear costumes which betray their raffish western origins quite faithfully, they do use, Vladimir and Estragon in particular, in large parts, a very idiomatic, rustic-small town Hindi lingo. Raut also, quite successfully, in this highly abridged adaptation, manages to seamlessly incorporate references to the Panchatantra, the Jataka stories and the frustrations of contemporary Indian social and political situation.
Waiting for Godot is famous also for its two-act mirror structure. In both acts, Vladimir and Estragon come across a master- slave duo, the gluttonous and heavy Pozzo and his lean, heavily burdened slave Lucky whom Pozzo holds with a rope around the neck. The second act is essentially a repeat of the first but with some significant differences: Pozzo is blind and it's Lucky leading him, and the sole dry tree in the scene has some green leaves on it.
Stage design and lighting are Satyabrat Raut's known strengths in the theatre world. In this play, he led the charge with an outstanding performance as the shabby but very articulate Vladimir who goes rather introspective in the second act, and amidst confusing and hopeless memories struggles to summarise himself: “It's time to grow old!”. Vasudev Venkatraman as Estragon, Avadesh Jha as Lucky and Shatarupa Bhattacharya (must be the first female doing this role!) as Pozzo deliver equally nuanced and sharply characterised performances.
In all, Godot Aayaa Kyaa turned out to be a worthy interpretation of the classic play with all its excoriating delineation of the agonisingly comic and desperate human search for meaning and repose. It was touching and lyrical. What rankled was the addition of a clichéd meta-theatrical frame: a pompous director and his assistants coming on to the stage and shouting at the actors and introducing and concluding the two acts, and some references to theatre craft. They didn't add anything substantial, but thankfully didn't weaken the core of the play from coming through!
A Godot in Hindi just three months after Samhaara brought to stage in February a very stimulating and challenging production of four short plays of Beckett under the direction of Stuart Denison, a young British impressario, is probably an indication that good theatre could soon become a norm rather than an exception on the cultural scene of Hyderabad!!!

Friday, 7 October 2011

Welcome Note on the Eve of Presentations of Avartan Workshop 2011


Good evening ladies and gentleman and a warm welcome to all on behalf of Avartan Theatre, University of Hyderabad. Before start let me say few words about Avartan. As you all know Avartan is quite a well-known at the University of Hyderabad and in the world of theatre. This organisation was founded 2 years back to promote theatre among those who don’t have theatre background at all. It tries to break the conventional and elite mentality in this area. We welcome people from different departments, background, communities and cultures. Thus today we have students from almost all disciplines. We are quite successful to achieve our goal and we have miles to go. We need your support and blessings. Its all for you, as aptly said Avartan-Theatre for all.
            To add a little about the workshop, in the similar line of action like other years, we conducted a theatre workshop from 23rd September to 2nd October 2011. The responses were huge, nearly 100 students applied for the workshop. Not only from University of Hyderabad, we also got candidates from EFLU and MANUU. We selected nearly 40 candidates for the workshop of this year after a formal audition. With little initial training on basics of theatre, improvisional abilities, mental creative exercises and personality development we divided the whole team into four groups and those four groups will perform tonight in front of you.
            A few common things for your attention, the students who are performing are not any mature or professional actors and they are just students like you from different streams. So, if the performances do not meet your expectations, please take it as part of exercise as there is always a chance to develop in future. The idea, concept and design of these improvisional acts are done by the students fully without any direct support from any theatre expert in order to develop their self-confidence. Our organisation, Avartan does not hold any responsibility with the content of these plays. Personally we don’t want to criticise anyone but unfortunately if it happens, just take it as co-incidents and please never mind at all.
            Few instructions with deep request please switch off your mobile phones or keep them in silent or vibrate mode during the play. Flash photography is strictly prohibited; please do not come near to the stage. Please don’t howl, claps or shout unnecessarily, it disturbs the performers. So enjoy the plays without disturbing others. Now we will present four small plays of the students. One play will be 15 to 20 minutes. The plays are; LH to MH Travels, Prakriti Ka Panchnama, Maara Iss Mahengayi Ne and Aaj Ke Sham Bandh Ke Naam. Over to you, enjoy yourself. Thanks a lot.