Of dramas and sabhas

Chai with Chitra on Touring talkies YouTube channel, has been my fast favorite this year. Have been watching most of the interviews on that channel mainly because of the interviewer’s style, for allowing people to talk. I have become a big fan of Chitra Lakshmanan for his humility and decentness with which he guides the conversation. For someone who has been very well acquainted with the industry almost having spent more than half a dozen decades, his style of querying the guest on borderline cases, with feather like prod on topics that may involve some personal points from their life and gently guiding them away if at the slightest hint of discomfort for them. His recent spate of guests have been all drama troupe pioneers from the 70’s. May be from previous birth or for whatever reason, dramas have always been a fascination for me. Especially the ones by Cho and viveka troupe. Being an alumni of that esteemed college is an added reason. I take immense pride in having studied at the same institute as these giants. The other reason could be Rasika Ranjani Sabha (famously known as RR Sabha). 

I’ve a lingering relation with that sabha. My primary school used the sabha to host the annual day events and being top ranker till 5th standard, every year, I would’ve at least one merit certificate to collect on the dais. Also, our MCG, Eden Gardens, Lord’s has been the junction of three streets in front of the sabha. My friend’s house just behind the sabha being the other famous venue for our cricket escapades. Innumerable number of times I’ve hit the ball for first ball six inside the sabha, only to lose my wicket for not playing along the ground and also having lost so many tennis balls and cork balls, because of that musudu of the sabha manager, whom we had tagged as “Jibba”. He was always seen in a white jibba with an irritable face. He will take the ball and cut it into pieces in front of us to scare us away from playing cricket. It only made my friends more resolute on their attitude and found a shortcut to climb over the wall as rescue missions for lost ball. My grandfather was one of the managers of that sabha for a long while and retired out during my college years. Then the sabha underwent renovation and was under shutters for almost a decade and a half I guess. It became all glitz and glamour and has reopened in recent past. In my new office, one of my colleague is part of a drama troupe and I happened to witness one comedy drama of his last year on the same renovated sabha. Life does comes a full circle.

Whenever I listen to interviews from Mouli, Crazy Mohan, K Balachander’s crew and disciples, Cho and his troupe, Kathadi Ramamurthy being the most recent one, the way they talk about the sabha, their lifestyle, how they managed to fit in time for their hobby and passion amidst their routine work it all make a fascinating thing to listen and wonder how they were so relaxed. Was it because they were all born with silver spoon and never had to worry about money? Where it because they had jobs with decent pay and had settled life so that they were able to pursue their other interests? Whatever the case may be I really wish at least the scripts of some of the dramas are available to read them. Especially those by Cho, Gopalakrishnan, Mouli, Visu etc. Definitely one new thing to check next year.