Lamakaan

Himmat Mai, is the Hindi adaptation by the poet, journalist and translator Neelabh of the original play ‘Mother Courage and her children’ written by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Witnessing the turbulent time of the fascist rule under Hitler in his home country and hounded by the Nazis for his anti-war stand, all his plays are highly political in nature, but is conveyed with sardonic humor and poeticism. Here in this play, we witness the character of Himmat Mai, a canteen wagon woman, who lives off selling goods to army men of both the warring parties. She is an embodiment of contradictions, frequently switching the roles from exploiter to the exploited and vice versa. The long treacherous war spanning over a period of thirty years and her innate need to survive, have sharpened her business strategy and has made her shrewd and manipulative. In spite of her best efforts to save her three children, one by one, she loses all of them to war. However she moves on, returning to her canteen wagon, the only hope she has. It’s her whole world, it’s her very existence. Deriving strength from this sense of belonging, soon she is back to her routine business of selling goods, as usual, to the passing regiment, caring little about in which part of the war zone she is and whom she is selling her goods

Sachin ka Urdu Safar

Sachin Pilgaonker, the acclaimed actor, director talks about his love and life with Urdu. In conversation with Elahe Hiptoola.

Javed Jaffery – Laughter and Azadi

Javed Jaffery the Actor, the Comedian, the activist in conversation with Amirullah Khan over a wide range of topics from his personal journey to laughter in the dark times.

Savera – A Morning Concert with Aradhana Karhade

Morning Raags with Aradhana Karhade, the well known Hyderabadi Khayal singer. Rahul Deshpande on the harmonium and Vivek Kayal on the tabla.

DALIT PANTHERS AN AUTHORITATIVE HISTORY
by J.V. Pawar

Telugu translation : Dalit Panthers charitra

The Dalit Panthers movement was one that shook India in the seventies. It inspired Dalits, the Left and youth due to its imaginative choice and methods of protest and broad range of activity.

JV Pawar in conversation with Bezwada Wilson.

About Speakers:-

JV Pawar was a co-founder of the Dalit Panthers movement along with Raja Dhale and Namdev Dhasal. As general secretary of the group he maintained all the correspondence and documentation. In addition, he had access to the government of Maharashtra archives, including both police as well as intelligence reports on the Panthers during its short existence. Pawar is both a novelist (author of Balidaan) and a poet and this book, apart from being a history of the movement, discusses its weaknesses. There are many valuable lessons for all Bahujan and Left activists.

Bezwada Wilson is a rights activist and speaker and has worked consistently on the issues of manual scavenging.

Kuch Sach Kuch Mubaalghaah – Irshad Panjatan

Irshad Panjatan the Internationally acclaimed mime, actor takes us on a funny, rollicking ride through a century of life in Hyderabad

Performing Classical Dance (Bharatnatyam)

Himmat Mai, is the Hindi adaptation by the poet, journalist and translator Neelabh of the original play ‘Mother Courage and her children’ written by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Witnessing the turbulent time of the fascist rule under Hitler in his home country and hounded by the Nazis for his anti-war stand, all his plays are highly political in nature, but is conveyed with sardonic humor and poeticism. Here in this play, we witness the character of Himmat Mai, a canteen wagon woman, who lives off selling goods to army men of both the warring parties. She is an embodiment of contradictions, frequently switching the roles from exploiter to the exploited and vice versa. The long treacherous war spanning over a period of thirty years and her innate need to survive, have sharpened her business strategy and has made her shrewd and manipulative. In spite of her best efforts to save her three children, one by one, she loses all of them to war. However she moves on, returning to her canteen wagon, the only hope she has. It’s her whole world, it’s her very existence. Deriving strength from this sense of belonging, soon she is back to her routine business of selling goods, as usual, to the passing regiment, caring little about in which part of the war zone she is and whom she is selling her goods

Sachin ka Urdu Safar

Sachin Pilgaonker, the acclaimed actor, director talks about his love and life with Urdu. In conversation with Elahe Hiptoola.

Javed Jaffery – Laughter and Azadi

Javed Jaffery the Actor, the Comedian, the activist in conversation with Amirullah Khan over a wide range of topics from his personal journey to laughter in the dark times.

Savera – A Morning Concert with Aradhana Karhade

Morning Raags with Aradhana Karhade, the well known Hyderabadi Khayal singer. Rahul Deshpande on the harmonium and Vivek Kayal on the tabla.

DALIT PANTHERS AN AUTHORITATIVE HISTORY
by J.V. Pawar

Telugu translation : Dalit Panthers charitra

The Dalit Panthers movement was one that shook India in the seventies. It inspired Dalits, the Left and youth due to its imaginative choice and methods of protest and broad range of activity.

JV Pawar in conversation with Bezwada Wilson.

About Speakers:-

JV Pawar was a co-founder of the Dalit Panthers movement along with Raja Dhale and Namdev Dhasal. As general secretary of the group he maintained all the correspondence and documentation. In addition, he had access to the government of Maharashtra archives, including both police as well as intelligence reports on the Panthers during its short existence. Pawar is both a novelist (author of Balidaan) and a poet and this book, apart from being a history of the movement, discusses its weaknesses. There are many valuable lessons for all Bahujan and Left activists.

Bezwada Wilson is a rights activist and speaker and has worked consistently on the issues of manual scavenging.

Kuch Sach Kuch Mubaalghaah – Irshad Panjatan

Irshad Panjatan the Internationally acclaimed mime, actor takes us on a funny, rollicking ride through a century of life in Hyderabad