Sanchaya celebrates thirty years of theatre

The theatre group which has been around for three decades has presented 47 plays to Bengalureans.  

Keerthi Bhanu, a senior member from the group who has been with Sanchaya since its inception, says that the celebrations mark a big step for the group.

He recalls, “G S Ramarao, an English teacher at MES School, encouraged students to take up theatre. He always told us that theatre was as important as academics. In 1988, there was a programme held in honour of theatrician S K Madhavarao, and that is how 50 people got together for the production ‘Vallabha Puriya Dantha Kathe’.” 

After the show, which was a huge success, Ramarao suggested that the group should continue. “This is how Sanchaya came into being. Sanchaya means collection, and the group has brought together a variety of people, varying from fields like IT, teaching, defense etc. Our members are aged between 18 to 65,” says Keerthi. 

“We have tried to come out with one or more plays every year. The plays vary from classics to political satires and socially relevant plays,” he adds. 

The group has also invited directors from other theatre groups like Aboor Jayathirtha, R Nagesh, C G K, Suresh Anagalli, Iqbal Ahmed, Kavathar, Joseph John, Surendranath and Shashidhara Bharighat, to collaborate for productions.

Keerthi opines that over the years, theatre has lost the importance it used to get. “But there are groups in the city who come out with new productions still, which is a positive sign. The lack of spaces to perform is something everyone faces,” he adds.     

Krishna Hebbale, who has directed ‘Kododilla Bidodilla’, is a part of the group since 26 years. 

“‘Sanchaya’ is like an extended family, and it has helped me with my confidence to face the world. We feel like we are a community of like-minded people in this world driven by technology. It is a great joy to meet, interact and come together for a show,” says Krishna.   

Bharath Raavudi, a senior software engineer has been with the theatre group for 11 years.

“I am happy that I am a member of the group. I was a part of the 25-year celebration, and it is yet another joyous occasion again,” he says. 

Bharath adds, “After being involved with the group I have been able to help many others come on stage and be more confident. I have also learned to be a good team player and express things in the right way.”

Programme schedule 

- November 30: Five theatre personalities from the Kannada theatre, Aboor Jayathirtha, Anand Rao, K Nagendra, Sunder Raja Rao and Uncle Shyam, will be honoured at H N Kalaskethra, National College, Jayanagar. 

- December 1: ‘Kododilla Bidodilla’, a Kannada adaption of ‘Can’t Pay – Won’t Pay’ by Dario Fo, will be staged at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara.

- December 2: ‘The Tempest’, adapted to Kannada by B R Srikanth and directed by Joseph John, will be staged at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at Rangashankara.

Tickets are available at www.bookmyshow.com. For details, call 98453 82525