Nimmi Rafael found her creative self in Adishki. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
She is called the “The Engine of Adishkat”, but nothing is mechanical about Nimmi Rafael. On any day, you can find him high on a ladder, cleverly can fix a snag while discussing the fine points of the day menu during the post-middle light setup or near the office, or while cavebin with trainee actors on the red-oxide round table.
Talking about his relations with Verdant Campus, his work, and his mentor Venpani Chawla (founder of Adishkati), while interacting after the 11th edition of the Venpani Festival held in the recent Edishkat Theater, Aurovel, Nimmi (Management of Trustee). Talking about balanced managerial functions with creative roles, she says, “It is easy to manage all tasks – creative and others, as I do not have a final goal. If I am making something, it should be worth my time and spectators. The time is the biggest investment to make an artist.”
Nimmi Rafael In Urmila
Nimmi firmly believes in “accumulated energy”, she states, the way of “a lot of traditional artists”. She works by “not everything at once” because stories work mysteriously, “creating curiosity and motivates you in unknown paths that can be very scary and uncertain.” Although she thrives on these hidden paths, she is challenged on the production front, due to lack of structure in Indian theater. “We do not have real producers in theaters such as music, dances or movies, but fortunately, because there is an umbrella called Edishakti, we can work and even take it to places where they cannot pay us but just fund our journey.”
Even the tough places become clear for experienced theater practitioners when Nimmi says, “If we say that if we only have money, a lot of work will not be shown. Our way is to work and show our processes to work. While traveling with a show, either we are thinking about the next project.
Nimmi emphasizes the importance of failure, compared to “darkness that provides possibilities.” Success, she says, “It is like blinding white lights. Once successful, everyone accepts you but when you fail, no one pays attention to you. Then, you can do more.” He agrees that it is “not easy in creative function,” but “when it is behind the head,” it can be very capable for an artist, whose body, in his words, becomes a “living collection” of performance and knowledge systems.
Venpani Chawla, Founder of Adishki. Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
After Venpani Chawla emerges from the crucil of the overall and immersive performance training, Nimmi has written, directed and acted in several presentations, not only in the last two decades, to learn the technical aspects of many actors, but also trained many actors in the last two decades. Although her work brings a woman gaze to ignore mythological characters like Tara and Urmila, Nimmi does not believe that the artist “so they can talk about politics.” However, she confirms that it comes to the artist to “address society with his questions”, which can then integrate the reflective action.
She prefers the actor’s breath for a motor that reflects Bhavna. “If the motor dies, the boat will not move forward,” she says, later talking about characters like Arja and Ambika (from both Adishant Production, landThat Vinay Kumar has written and directed in different stages on the continuity of courage. “Everything is cultivated – creativity and imagination, as is also courage,” she says. Calling herself a “untouchable writer”, she points to the power of “surrender” in creative work. “I learned it from my parents as farmers. You can’t hurry to grow a seed,” Nimmi says.
Published – June 10, 2025 05:37 pm IST
