Gone Are The Days

Today I read an article on Mobile Television, which South Korea and Japan have been quick to embrace; and is slowing capturing certain other parts of the world including India. Times have changed which when said is now a cliché and everyone is aware of it. But I would still like to tell that I have thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful journey, and would love to pen down couple of thoughts/experiences.

I remember the days when there was a 'colour' television in our house and that was considered great. Above all that was the one television for a small community around our house. A lot of people would come to our house at 9 AM on Sundays, if I remember correctly, to watch Ramayana and Mahabharata on DD National. The other famous channel was DD Metro. The present world has very well camouflaged to the magnificent inventions and now it's all about LCD's and Plasma; Dish TV and Tata Sky - 'isko dala tho life jingalala'!

The mobile phone was one cutting edge invention and having it was an expensive affair. This was one of the funny incidents - some of our school friends (when we were in class 10) had gone to watch a movie at Symphony or Galaxy (which now does not even exist). We did not get tickets and it rained; but all these did not stop us from having fun. One friend had a toy mobile phone and we walked the entire stretch of M.G.Road talking on that phone giving an impression to all passers-by. It was too hilarious to watch people getting astonished. Now we can call the plumber or milkman on his/her mobile phone for their service and this is now common.

Those days a person attending a computer course was considered valuable and having a computer at home meant ‘lot of money’. Speed Post or Telegrams were the best ways to reach faster to the people in neighbouring town. Now one can use wireless networks and super sleek laptops or even mobile phones/PDAs with GPRS/WAP, to send emails to the other side of the world, sitting in a cafe or bus. Also the days of having computers with 5GB hard drives are forgotten and people's pockets have 150GB mobile hard drives.

Thanks to those intellectuals and their marvellous inventions; without which I would have been writing letters to all my buddies in the US on sheets of paper (but sometimes, I do miss the classical written letters). The journey has just started and I wonder what more can be simplified in life!

Intimate With The Other Voices

It was an intimately set living room, in the attic kind of a place of Ranga Shankara. The act meant to have no start and no end; but to leave an everlasting impression for the "suppose to be small 25 people strong" audience. Not a word to be spoken, the only option was to watch in utter silence. The presenter had no experience of what she was doing and "it was flawless" would be an under-statement. It was called "Other Voices".

The invented concept of "Other Voices" kicked off at Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '07, which concluded last week. It was part of the ancillary performances. Getting tickets was a struggle, as it was only to a limited audience and could only manage to get the tickets for the last-but-one performance on Friday. The audience were ushered to the top floor, a small space outside the RS office. The space was well decorated to give a sense of the living room in "No. 1 Madhav Baug" of Mumbai.

Arundati Nag presents the idea to the audience and welcomes Revathi Menon onto the spotlight. Being her first theatrical performance; but backed up by an amazing experience of films, she delivers it flawlessly. Her performance, being real close-up to the audience, creates an intimate environment. It's well equiped with lovely script, direction, lights and sound. The intensions of "Other Voices" were easily achieved as the performance was intense and strong, and left an everlasting impression. Hats off to the "Other Voices" concept; sure a winner; and to be performed anywhere, anytime soon!