What: Stories in a Song in association with t2
When: February 3, 6.30pm
Where: GD Birla Sabhagar
Directed by: Sunil Shanbag
Conceived by: Shubha Mudgal
Research by: Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan
Music: Selected and composed by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan
The play: Stories in a Song takes the help of theatre to tell stories of musical forms such as kajri, thumri-dadra, khayal, remixes and more. Accounts of music-making in India and stories of the struggles and hardships faced by musicians, both real and imaginary, lay the foundation for this collage of dramatised episodes that blend theatre, music and literature. 
Presented by: Arpana & Underscore Records in collaboration with Master Minds Theatre, Weavers Studio Centre for the Arts and Centre Stage Creations.

Tickets: Priced at Rs 750, Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500, Rs 2,000, Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000, available on bookmyshow.com and at the venue (11am to 6pm). 

t2 brings you snippets from the stories that make the song.

Mahatma Gandhi and the Tawaif Sabha from Amritlal Nagar’s Ye Kothewaliyan, adapted for stage by Aslam Pervez: An encounter between Gandhiji and the tawaifs of Benares who are under siege by social reformers determined to put an end to the “evils” of the tawaif tradition.

Performed by: Ketaki Thatte, Trisha Kale, Sukant Goel, Shailesh Hejmadi and Ajitesh Gupta.

Chandni Begum from Qurat-Ul-Ain Haider’s Chandni Begum, adapted for stage by Ashok Mishra: Qurat-Ul-Ain Haider was a celebrated writer in Urdu, known for her trend-setting novels. Her novel Chandni Begum is set in Lucknow and among the cast of colourful characters are Mogrey Master and his family of traditional folk performers who struggle to adapt to changing times and the new demands on them as musicians.

Performed by: Shubhrajyoti Barat, Gopal Dutt, Santosh Tiwari, Namit Das, Avantika Ganguly and Nishi Doshi.

Bahadur Ladki based on Gulab Bai’s Bahadur Ladki, adapted by Purva Naresh and Raj Kapoor: Nautanki is a traditional theatre form popular in north India. Driven by music, dance, satire and sharp wit, the night-long performances in open-air venues attract large audiences even today. Bahadur Ladki (The Courageous Damsel) is a popular nautanki credited to nautanki legend Gulab Bai. Set in colonial India, it tells the story of a feisty young girl who dares to confront a cruel and exploitative English officer. 

Performed by: Namit Das, Ketaki Thatte, Shubhrajyoti Barat, Sukant Goel, Santosh Tiwari and Ajitesh Gupta.

Hindustani Airs, written by Vikram Phukan: From the late 18th century onwards, there was a growing interest in Indian music among the British colonial rulers, who used to collect and transcribe Hindustani songs or melodies, popularly known in English circles as “Hindustani airs”. The story brings to the audience some fascinating encounters between English memsahibs and Indian nautch girls, charged with all the problems and nuances inevitable in such a cultural exchange. 
Performed by: Avantika Ganguly and Meher Mistry.

Whose Music is it?, written by Vikram Phukan: A tongue-in-cheek look at the journey of a song through many transformations, exploring ideas of tradition, ownership, copyright and faith.
Performed by: Shubhrajyoti Barat, Santosh Tiwari, Sukant Goel, Ketaki Thatte and Makarand Deshpande.

Kajri Akhada based on information sourced from Dr Arjundas Kesri’s Kajri Mirjapur Sarnaam: Kajri, a popular musical form of Uttar Pradesh, is known for its association with the monsoon. It is also one of the many forms that had become a part of the thumri-dadra repertoire, acquiring a classical status. In the Gangetic belt, different styles of kajri emerged under the leadership and guidance of ustads who established and maintained kajri akhadas on the lines of the gharana system. Ever so often, the akhadas would vie with each other at kajri dangals or competitions, to establish their supremacy. 

Performed by: Namit Das, Shubhrajyoti Barat, Santosh Tiwari, Gopal Datt, Makarand Deshpande and Sukant Goel.