A film festival featuring six internationally acclaimed inspirational films will usher in RASA’s silver jubilee year. RASA is an organisation that helps take the benefits of the arts to special children. Ambika Kameshwar, who is at the helm of this organisation, has been pioneering the teaching and use of dance, music and Indian theatre as a medium of self-expression, therapy and holistic development for special children.
“As RASA — Ramana Sunritya Aalaya — steps into its silver jubilee year, I only have a reinforced belief in the hand of God,” Ambika, a Ph.D. in Natyabhinaya says. “I started RASA two-and-a-half decades ago to spread the wonder of theatre arts to all; breaking barriers and unifying through the magical touch of the tools of Indian theatre — dance, drama, music, story-telling, arts and crafts — with the belief, that alone I could do ‘something’ but as a team of like-minded people that ‘something’ would multiply, touching lives, transforming, and transcending every limitation in one’s path to completeness.”
The silver jubilee celebrations of RASA will begin with a short film and an inaugural function on September 27 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s auditorium at 10.30 a.m. N. Murali, L. Sabaretnam and Gloriana Rubini Selvanathan, who is a jury member of the Berlin Film Festival will be the special guests. Mala Manian from First Copy Productions has produced a documentary on RASA which will be also be screened. The fest will then move to the city theatres and will feature films such as Unteachable , the story of a woman who struggled to educate herself at the age of 40, Forget Me Not , a feature-docu from Germany/Austria made with humour and candour, about Sieverrking’s Alzheimer-stricken mother, Gold -You Can Do More Than You Think , My Sisters , Rain Man and My Way To Olympia on September 27, 28 and 29. The fest will conclude with a valedictory ceremony and a cultural programme on September 30 at The Leela Palace with director Vasanth, Rohini and Gauthami as special guests. The cultural programme at this event will be performed by the students of Ramana Maharshi Academy for the Blind, Bangalore and the Foureeees Special Theatre Group of RASA
“Many have entered RASA’s magical fold where every kind of difference dissolves as one revels in the true RASA of the theatre experience,” Ambika adds.
“There is no thought spent on apparent differences in ability, gender, physical appearance etc., there is just the surrender to roles allotted. My team with or without special needs are all one in the RASA experience.”
