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…

http://www.iiit.net/people/faculty/harjinder

http://faculty.iiit.ac.in/~laltu/index.html

http://faculty.iiit.ac.in/~laltu/hindi.html

http://laltu.blogspot.com/

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

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.

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 speaking 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?’

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....

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

Mail Us @   avartanhyderabad@gmail.com

www.avartanhyd.blogspot.com

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

Mail Us @   avartanhyderabad@gmail.com

www.avartanhyd.blogspot.com

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 22^nd of October at the DST auditorium and on the 23^rd at the NIFT,” Mr. Rout said.