Arundhati Nag, actor, theatreperson and founder of Ranga Shankara. , Photo courtesy: K. fate light
As Ranga Shankar, one of Bengaluru’s iconic theater venues, prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this month, its founder, theater and film personality Arundhati Nag, finds herself in two places simultaneously. Reflecting on the past and realizing a dream, and imagining a bigger, brighter future with the support of government and corporate benefactors. As he prepares for the Ranga Shankara Theater Festival starting this month, Nag has taken out some time to share his ambitions for the field while remaining committed to keeping Ranga Shankara accessible to all. Edited excerpts:
What does 20 years of Ranga Shankara mean to you?
Not many people have the privilege of having dreams and seeing them come true. I would say I’m in the middle of it right now. The dream is not over, a place like Ranga Shankara can do much more. Hopefully, as theater changes and grows, more layers will be added.
The biggest challenges in maintaining such an institution, both financially and in terms of scaling the space?
Financial concerns never really came up, which is good in a way. Because one has seen many institutions with tremendous financial facility lagging behind. But at the same time, it has not been easy. It’s a lean and mean organization that we run with just nine people, with each person doing the work of two or three people. The salaries are not very good. But compared to other theater institutions we are at a very good level.
In your experience, what role can the government and corporates play in developing such a space and theater community?
It is not fair to expect the government to do everything. Yes, the government has money, it should fund the arts, which it is. Ranga Shankara has been constructed on a civic amenity site; No other state in the country has such a site facility for an art venue. There are schemes from the government for artists, one must know how to avail them. When it comes to corporates, Bengaluru is blessed. We have people like Sudha Murthy, Rohini Nilekani and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who are the first wave of IT-rich people who are educated and understand the culture. They all came forward and funded Ranga Shankara in many ways. In the old days, we had kings. Who is today’s king? These are corporates. Therefore, they should have the mandate to ensure that the arts survive, just as they have to eliminate poverty and make education accessible.
Is there any secret to running a place like Ranga Shankara and keeping it pocket-friendly?
A scene from the Assamese play ‘Raghunath’, which will be staged as part of the Ranga Shankara Theater Festival this month.
We have not increased the fare of Ranga Shankara for 20 years. Twenty years ago, our auditor friend had fought with Suri (S. Surendranath, theater producer and trustee of Ranga Shankara) and me when we had said the fare would be ₹2,500 per show. He felt it was too little. We said our community cannot afford more than this. But today when we are planning to increase the fare slightly, our auditor says no. He says you will defeat the purpose. Our obligation is to make more theater, so the only way to continue is to find more money. This is the secret.
Doesn’t Bengaluru need more places like Ranga Shankara?
This idea was there 20 years ago, when I presented the plan to the then Chief Minister SM Krishna. I told him that Bengaluru needs four such theatres. But we didn’t have money to do four. Ideally, like theatre, there should be one for dance, music, fusion… where you can rotate the programs and focus on the art form. I can share how we built Ranga Shankara, and how we keep it running, but it’s time someone else stepped up and created more spaces like this.
A scene from the play ‘Chakravyuh’, which will be part of the Ranga Shankara Theater Festival this month.
Have you had to compromise with your acting career to create and maintain Ranga Shankara?
By the time I decided to make Ranga Shankara, I had already done a lot of theatre. So, I was a very satisfied actor. When I got offers from two big Hindi films- rent And heart desires – I said no, because I did not want to be absent when someone was offering funds to Ranga Shankara. I told Aamir Khan that I will get a chance to play the role of a mother in many films, but I will not get a chance to do so again.
What is the future of Ranga Shankara?
I think theater has been around for thousands of years. If people and relationships remain, theater will also remain. As long as people keep lying, theater will continue! Ranga Shankara will only be as good as the people who live in it. As long as the people using this space have the same integrity as those running it, this will continue.
yemen.s@thehindu.co.in
published – October 04, 2024 11:30 am IST
