From tech to theatre

Are relationships in urban India defined by convenience? Daniel Picardo and his theatre group Tatva explore the idea in Where do we go from here?

What do an engineering graduate, an outdoor enthusiast, and three data analysts have in common? Theatre.u00a0
Tomorrow, Tatva, co-founded by Ananth Mahadevan (the trekker), Daniel Picardo (the KREC grad who read Shakespeare instead of cramming for exams), and Ayesha D'Cruz, Bhargavi Shankar and Kamalesh Rao (the data analysts with insatiable appetites for numbers) will stage Where do we go from here? The play explores adultery.

Blame it on Re 1 flights

This is Tatva's fourth production after Terminal Connection, Dead End and Phantom. Ananth wanted to keep fellow trekkers connected during the monsoon months, so he asked his childhood pal Dan for ideas. That's how the play Terminal Connection was born. "Cheap air fares had turned India's airports into overcrowded places, where delays became the norm. Having always been a people-watcher, I was struck by what different people do to pass the time waiting for their flights to be announced. Terminal Connection is about what happens when strangers meet and mingle," explains Dan, who has been writing and directing Tatva's original productions since three years.

After that came Dead End, a murder mystery that had some gallows humour, and Phantom, which was adapted from a Bengali play. Describing Where do we go from here as "a love triangle", Dan is quick to add "it's not your average love story but one where the woman acts as a fulcrum between two levers." Didn't we tell you he's an engineer by training?!

Born in Udupi and schooled in Mangalore, Dan says, "I led a very sheltered life. Books were my real friends. And I dreamed of becoming a writer."u00a0 Why KREC then? "I took the usual CET route and even found work in tech firms, but I am now all set to join Sikshana, an NGO." On Dan's agenda next are street plays, and plays that will explore Eastern religions like Buddhism and Taoism.u00a0u00a0

At: Ranga Shankara, Tuesday 7.30 u00a0u00a0pm
Wallet factor: Rs 100 per ticket