This is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For days together, he has returned home empty-handed. One fine day, he sets out far beyond into the sea and drops his lines. At noon, a big fish, which he calls Mari, takes the bait but the old man cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat. For days, the old man struggles with the fish, with sharks and with the sea, to survive and get back home. Will he get home?

From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.

'Beediyolagondu Maneya Maadi', written in Marathi by Cham.Pra. Deshapande, translated by Surendranath S., and Sripathi Manjinabail; directed by Mohit Takalkar, in a satirical and a humorous vein comments on the degenerating nature of religious festivals and disproves traditional dogma in a realistic setting. The occasion is the much celebrated Ganesh Chathurti right in the thick of Pune's middle-class, Maharashtrain-Brahmin dominated locality where the protagonist, Shreepad and his wife Sukanya have come to an agreement that every alternate year the razzmatazz of the Ganesh Chathurti will not disturb the sanctity of their home which in simple terms mean, no celebrating the festival and not even allowing its slightest sound or whiff to penetrate their house. Despite Sukanya's minor complaints all seems to go well until Shreepad's old aunt, her son and daughter-in-law unexpectedly turn up with their infant son with the solitary intent of watching the procession. The aunts voracious desire to witness the procession and Shreepad's staunch refusal to allow her to do so sets the tone of this humorous and remarkably pertinent play. As aunt and nephew take turns to explain each other’s situation with the aunt often scheming with the others to sneakily see the procession, the plot thickens. Shreepad's logical, reflective and philosophical rationalizations are balanced by the more immediate necessity of the situation that is both habit and religion driven. The processions approaching tenacity becomes a barometer for the muted tension that the characters begin to reel under and resonate the fallacious arguments of the brigade. The play also successfully evokes the mores of a middle-class, Kannada household as everybody await the final outcome of the battle of ideologies.

This is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For days together he has returned home empty handed. One fine day he sets out far beyond into the sea and drops his lines. At noon, a big fish, which he calls Mari, takes the bait but the old man cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat. For a couple of days the old man struggles with the fish, with sharks and with the sea, to survive and get back home.

From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.

11 am to 12:30 pm Aadi Kaavya Kumaaravyaasa Bharata Pampa Bharata With us: Ganesh M, Tamil Selvi, Lakshmeesh Tolpadi   3:30 pm Jaanapada Kaavya Manteswami Prasanga Arjuna Jogi With us: Mysore Gururaj, C.N.R., Hanoor Krishnamurthy 7:30 pm Indina Kaavya With us: Subraaya Chokkadi, Siddalinga Pattanashetty, Jayant Kaikini, S. Diwakar, Jogi, T.N. Seetaram, Pratibha Nandakumar, B. Suresha, Yogaraj Bhat, Hema Pattanashetty, Chidambara Narendra, Dhananjay, Vasishta Simha, Vikar Negiloni, Samyukta Puligal, Vidya Rashmi, Hemalatha Murthy, V.M. Manjunath, Chethana Teerthahalli, Rajashekhar Bande, Moulya Swamy

One day, Chippi, a baby lizard, while playing, is shooed away. People think it is scary and ugly. In the shock, Chippi loses her tail. And everyone starts teasing her, calling her names, as she is tailless now. She feels very sorry for herself and gets into a dark corner, crying. She knows that she has to go get a tail. So what does she do to get her tail? Will she ever get her tailback? Will she become beautiful again?

The play opens as Ahalya and her academic husband, Dr Aravind Mulgund, return from honeymoon and immediately it is clear that Ahalya is neither happy nor satisfied in her new role as Aravind’s wife. Soon after their return, Ahalya is reacquainted with an old school friend, Malati and the brilliant wayward writer Jayaprakash. It becomes clear that Hedda has personal history with Jayaprakash and she was deeply in love with Malati. Ahalya comes to know about the happy and changed life Jayaprakash is leading and sharing with Malati. She persuades the conflicted writer to take his own life. However, she finds herself under the control of their imposing friend, Nagabhushana, a highly pompous and corrupt police officer, who makes it clear that he knows she gave the gun with which Jayaprakash has killed himself. He has the power to socially destroy her if he so desired. Trapped under his control, Ahalya retreats in to the her shell and shoots herself.

Tsuuiinnn Tapak, that’s the name of the new AHA! performance for children (4-6yrs). The performance, like a rocket, will transport you into a universe of sound, rhythm, and bursts of magic where language is truly no barrier, as there is none. The performance is non-verbal and yet filled with physical expression and unbound imagination. Through play, the audience will be invited to participate in a series of experiences - ranging from the manic to the calm, from din to silence, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Minimalist in its form, the performance relies on the body of the performer to create an engagement that is both, joyful and thoughtful.

One day, Chippi, a baby lizard, while playing, is shooed away. People think it is scary and ugly. In the shock, Chippi loses her tail. And everyone starts teasing her, calling her names, as she is tailless now. She feels very sorry for herself and gets into a dark corner, crying. She knows that she has go get a tail. So what does she do to get her tail? Will she ever get her tail back? Will she become beautiful again?

This production is inspired by Indian and Korean Folk tales and folk painting traditions such as Madhubani. "An odd group of creatures, an old fish, a spirited girl, an eager boy, an ascetic and a bare tree, make a long journey to the top of mount Kailash so they can have their wishes granted. But here, on the top of this mountain, the universe has other plans for them. What do they find and how do they find it? Fish Tree Moon is as much about magic and destiny as it is about the heart of pursuit. Masks, puppets, shadow puppets, live music in a smattering of Kannada, Hindi and English bring this motley crew to life as they take on a voyage of friendship, fear, fascination and revelations."

From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.

Ranga Shankara'a AHA! Theatre for Children programme is presenting a new play, "Mullah Nusruddin 2.0". The play brings to life several tales by the Central Asian medieval philosopher and wise man, Mullah Nusruddin, who is famous for his witty stories. This brand new production of the play is directed by the young and talented Vivek Madan. The first version of a play with Mullah's stories was directed by Pushan Kriplani, and was a super hit among children and grownups alike. Mullah Nusruddin's stories are told the world over, to children and grownups. Even in his lifetime (13th Century), Mullah was well-known over a large area and cultures -- from Turkey to Arabia, Persia to Afghanistan, and Russia to China. In this new AHA! production, a team of young actors come together to create a tapestry of story, songs and dance, sprinkled with wit all along.

Manjula Nayak is not a very successful Kannada short-story writer. She attains sudden wealth and international fame after writing a best-seller in English. The question that haunts Manjula is whether by opting for a global audience, she has betrayed her own language and identity. She now faces issues of loyalty and betrayal. And, without warning, it is her own image that decides to play confessor, psychologist and inquisitor The play explores the dilemma that is faced by Indian writers who choose to write in English, and is a scathing look at the Indian literary establishment as well as a moving story of conflict and the desire for fame. It is also one of the first plays that straddled the world of theatre and technology in Indian theatre. ‘Bikhre Bimb’ in Hindi, ‘Odakalu Bimba’ in Kannada, ‘A Heap of Broken Images’ in English, is Ranga Shankara’s first production (2005), the play opened in two different languages at the same time. Directed by Girish Karnad and K M Chaitanya and featuring Arundhati Nag, it was hailed as one of the best productions in the country in 2005. The English version ‘A Heap of Broken Images’ is performed in English by actor Arundhati Raja.

'Beediyolagondu Maneya Maadi', written in Marathi by Cham.Pra. Deshapande, translated by Surendranath S., and Sripathi Manjinabail; directed by Mohit Takalkar, in a satirical and a humorous vein comments on the degenerating nature of religious festivals and disproves traditional dogma in a realistic setting. The occasion is the much celebrated Ganesh Chathurti right in the thick of Pune's middle-class, Maharashtrain-Brahmin dominated locality where the protagonist, Shreepad and his wife Sukanya have come to an agreement that every alternate year the razzmatazz of the Ganesh Chathurti will not disturb the sanctity of their home which in simple terms mean, no celebrating the festival and not even allowing its slightest sound or whiff to penetrate their house. Despite Sukanya's minor complaints all seems to go well until Shreepad's old aunt, her son and daughter-in-law unexpectedly turn up with their infant son with the solitary intent of watching the procession. The aunts voracious desire to witness the procession and Shreepad's staunch refusal to allow her to do so sets the tone of this humorous and remarkably pertinent play. As aunt and nephew take turns to explain each other’s situation with the aunt often scheming with the others to sneakily see the procession, the plot thickens. Shreepad's logical, reflective and philosophical rationalizations are balanced by the more immediate necessity of the situation that is both habit and religion driven. The processions approaching tenacity becomes a barometer for the muted tension that the characters begin to reel under and resonate the fallacious arguments of the brigade. The play also successfully evokes the mores of a middle-class, Kannada household as everybody await the final outcome of the battle of ideologies.

Boy with A Suitcase is the story of the 12 year old Naz, who undertakes a long and dangerous journey to be with his sister in London. He carries with him only a small suitcase and a treasure of stories from his childhood. Like his hero, Sinbad the Sailor, who went on many dangerous voyages in search of his fortune, Naz must travel half-way around the world to reach his sister in London. On the road, Naz meets Krysia, a young girl in similar circumstances, who helps him find safe passage over mountains, across seas and through the dangers of a city slum. With the help of Krysia and his stories, Naz finds his way to London and his sister. But is it the ‘heaven on earth’ that he expects?