Four superwomen: Pooja Vijay, Shrirupa Sengupta, Sneha Suhas and Punya Arora. All armed with the most formidable power of all - a sense of humour - will kickstart 2018 at Jagriti theatre this weekend.
A non-Hindi speaking Madrasi living in Delhi - Pooja Vijay has no dearth of material. She's also a Chemical Engineer who, by her own admission, "hasn't managed to find chemistry with anyone" just yet.
She found standup comedy during her pursuit for a meaningful hobby and hasn't looked back since (Facebook stalking doesn't qualify, apparently). She brings fresh perspective to life's many hurdles - her struggles with a stutter, the experience of being an Indian studying in Europe and the bane of being politically correct.
Pooja joined the standup circuit in Delhi around four months ago and has been voted the best stand-up at the Piano Man Open Mic. Pooja is considered one of the rising stars of the comedy scene in Delhi.
Local comic Shrirupa Sengupta burst on to the scene in 2014, when she won the Bangalore Finals of the MICF Raw Heats. Quirky observations, her proclivity to over-analyse and dealing with her parents make up her material.
'10 ways to Annoy a Bangalorean' - from garbage to our much-lauded weather, Bengaluru-based comedian Sneha is a Youtube sensation known for her quirky local touch.
She hopes to tickle poeple and make them laugh but that seeing as that might be deemed inappropriate in some circles, she keeps a safe distance and tells jokes instead.
Punya practiced photography for a good seven years before she waded into stand up comedy. A regular visitor at stand up comedy shows, it was only a matter of time before she tried her hand at the art form.
In the one year that she has spent in the comedy circuit, Punya has featured on every major stand up stage in the city. She is also visiting faculty at Light and life Academy, Ooty.
A symphony with strings
Jyotsna Srikanth, one of the most sought after Indian violinists and composers in Europe is back in town with Bangalore Dreams, an Indian contemporary music act. Srikanth is at the forefront with her violin, backed by Varyn Pradeep on keyboards, Karthik Mani on drums and Bruthva on bass.
In the hands of the extremely versatile Jyotsna Srikanth, music loses transcends all boundaries, creating fusion jazz that is unpredictable, diverse and undoubtedly skillful. Her lineups change, her styles change, even her traditions shift from one gig to the next, there's just no knowing what you will hear next. Her somewhat demure demeanour gives nothing away either, so if you go expecting the kind of patchwork fusion classical musicians resort from time to time, you're mistaken. Give her a violin and there's nothing she can't do.
Currently the Artistic Director of the London International Arts Festival and Dhruv Arts, Srikanth was conferred the Fellowship from the Trinigy College of Music, London, for South Indian Carnatic Music. Her style with the violin includes a blend of 'bhava' (musical expression and emotion) and fingering techniques, the result, she acknowledges, of three decades of experimentation.
Lady Anandi: The human archive
The poster emblazoned with the words Lady Anandi grabs one's attention at once. It looks like a vintage cyclostyle advertisement - fitting, for this is director and performer Anuja Ghosalkar's journey into the past. In this documentary theatre performance, the first of its kind in the country, Ghosalkar, a former artist-in-residence at the Srishti Institute, plays a woman playing a man playing a woman. The play debuted in 2016, under Ghosalkar's banner, Drama Queen - an attempt at documentary theatre using real life stories. Ghosalkar launched the show by raising money through a crowdfunding website, after which her performance has been widely praised across the country.
The play tells the story of Lady F an actor and writer haunted by her great-grandfather, who was a female impersonater in Indian theatre in the 1800s.
When she meets him, he is clad in a red saree, playing the role of Lady Anandi.
The performance, which is extensively researched, uses archival photos which are projected onto Ghosalkar's body and makes references to oral history, early photography, theatre, politics, archives and of course, gender.
How does one tell stories from the past without real evidence? Can fiction fill in the bits that are missing. Lady Anandi focuses on the female body as a living archive, as Ghosalkar explores the grand narrative of history and the stories - often fragmented and seemingly random, make up the patchwork of our past.
