Prutha Goa

Theatre is a conduit to releasing the inner self and the psychological and sociological benefits of being part of a theatre group are plentiful. In the world of theatre, what does the box theatre bring to this equation? Let us discuss its presence in Goa through the Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal and the Hauns Theatre Training Centre. It is not surprising that one of the most noted theatre companies of Goa saw its naissance in Ponda, also known as Antruj Mahal for being a culturally vibrant locale with its numerous temples. The establishment of the Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal in 1950 was the culmination of the efforts of artistically and culturally kindred spirits. Of these artists, two are the now deceased Vishwanath Naik and Surya Wagh. They sought to play their part in contributing to the plentiful festivals and fairs that Ponda is famous for by staging and performing in dramas. It did not matter that most of them were illiterate or had minimal formal education; it was the hard work and

Goa has a new reason to be proud, as the Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal, Ponda, has pioneered the staging of an adaptation of Raymond Smullyan’s dialogue between man and his Maker on the dilemma of possessing free will. The play is called Is God a Taoist? and is based on Smullyan’s book The Tao is Silent . Raymond Smullyan has had a singular career course that has ranged from stage magic to authoring books on Taoism. The nonagenarian polymath is acclaimed for his manifold talents as concert pianist, logician, Taoist philosopher, mathematician, puzzle maker, and magician. In his book, published in 1977, Smullyan gave an understanding of Eastern philosophy to the Western world for the first time. It is Smullyan’s surmise that the Taoist is one who enjoys what he has rather than looking for that which is not in his grasp. The dialogue begins with man urging God to take away his free will, which he sees as the bane of his existence and the reason for his sinfulness. Through a pattern of reaso

‘One of my father’s and my mother’s greatest gifts to me was our home in Goa,’ said Sanjna Kapoor at the theatre seminar organised by the Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal, Ponda and the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa. Recalling childhood experiences of coming here since the age of three, she said, ‘My first earning…25 paisa…was from selling fish in Mapusa market.’ The progeny of the illustrious Kapoor family was happy to be in Goa to talk about why theatre matters to her. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjana_Kapoor#/media/File:SanjnaKapoor.jpg As time goes by and society is transformed, the reasons for the existence and significance of theatre change too. As she addressed an audience mainly composed of teachers, Sanjna expressed her dream of finding theatres in every neighbourhood and seeing teachers upheld as heroes alongside film stars and cricketers. This would truly be a result of our culture that we can take pride in. Geoffery Kendal, Sanjna’s grandfather, came to India during Wor