Taal Mel: Coming Together for Arts Education

Featured Performance:

• Manav Kaul's acclaimed play Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane performed by Kumud Mishra
• Curtain Raiser with Swanand Kirkire
• Event hosted by Mansi Multani
• Keynote address by Sananda Mukhopadhyay

About Shakkar ke Paanch Daane

Rajkumar has been requested to write a poem for a compilation to be published. If you knew Rajkumar you would realise the absurdity of the request.

In an hour-long monologue, Rajkumar tells us about his unremarkable life in his nondescript village and the five grains of sugar—the five people—who have stood out in this drab life for reasons stranger than fiction. The filmy mother; her poet brother, Pundaleek; Raghu, the school hero; old man Radhey; and the anonymous ‘Truckwala dost’. As Rajkumar talks, the five grains become part of a game that he has been unknowingly playing for years … and Rajkumar realises that everyone has a story inside them.

• Written & Directed by Manav Kaul
• Performed by Kumud Mishra
• Presented by aRANYA Foundation

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Taal Mel: Coming Together for Arts Education has been conceptualised and organised by the cohort of Think Big Think Small, a Bhasha Centre programme dedicated to upskilling arts professionals across India in enabling and producing live performance.

Your participation isn't just for an evening of entertainment - it's an opportunity to make a difference.

All proceeds from this event will go to supporting Nazaria and QUEST, organizations committed to fostering arts in education across India.

ABOUT NAZARIA COLLECTIVE

Nazaria Arts Collective is a grassroots organisation that works at the intersection of digital arts education, media democracy, and social justice in Mumbai. We provide 21st-century digital arts training and social justice education to marginalized youth and women in low-income neighborhoods in Mumbai.

Nazaria aims to launch (Re)Imagine - a Narrative Filmmaking Programme for creatively-inclined youth in the vibrant low-income community of Shankarwadi. Over 6 months, 15 aspiring storytellers will be taken through a series of intensive workshops in screenwriting, cinematography, production, and editing, while exploring the larger theme of (Re)Imagining. 

ABOUT QUEST

Quality Education Support Trust (QUEST), established in 2007 as a not-for-profit organization, plays a significant role in the field of pre-school and elementary education, as well as teacher training.

One of QUEST’s programs, the Goshtarang Fellowship is a 10-month immersive experience for six young theater practitioners aged 22 to 32. They undergo a series of workshops, including Applied Theatre, Children's Literature, and Reading Pedagogy, and teach adults and children. Fellows learn to select and perform stories in Hindi and Marathi, adapting them to the children's literacy levels.

Save the date and join us in this celebration of creativity and philanthropy!