“Be candid, be your normal self.” It’s all that the Adishakti gang need to hear to get over their fear of the camera. In a few minutes, their intense faces break into child-like giggles. And, we get the perfect shot.
The air here is addictive, because the people welcome you with open arms. With its lush green foliage, it can easily be mistaken for a resort. The gentle moos of the cows in the barn greet you as you walk through the creaking iron gate.
Vinay Kumar, the managing trustee and artistic director of Adishakti, says, “Veenapani was drawn to trees while she was in Kerala.” Veenapani’s love affair with Kerala began way back in the 80s, when she discovered the mesmerising classical theatre traditions and martial arts of the region. Later, she incorporated them into her theatre idiom.
“Once we built this campus in the early 90s, we asked for only one gift from our well-wishers: tree saplings. We allowed the plants to grow the way they wanted to, without pruning them. Even though this is cramped, they are trying to survive,” he adds.
Adishakti institute was founded in the early 1980s in Bombay and later shifted to Pondicherry in 1993.
Kumar, who was then an established theatre professional in Kerala, came with Veenapani to Puducherry. Later, Arvind Rane from Mumbai joined them.
“Coming from busy, hectic Mumbai to this peaceful space was ‘magic’,” he says. They had no funds at that time and Kumar was working at a photocopy shop. “Still, we came out with three productions,” he recalls. Once they found out they could not contain their big dreams in the small flat they occupied, they decided to buy property at Edayanchavadi. A Dane, who was in love with Veenapani’s work, offered to buy a small piece of land for her, with the money he saved from quitting cigarettes for a year.
Veena’s sister also chipped in. Kumar says, “Leela Gandhi, who was then working in Australia, made it look like she needed to build a house in India. ‘Will you be able to look after it?’ she asked Veenapani. That’s how the first house on this campus came about in 1999. There is not a crack even now.” Also, a grant from the Tata foundation and the money from her wedding trousseau (gifted to her by her mother) helped them raise some more funds.
Many people found a sense of direction after they came here. For Nimmy Raphel, a student of dance at Kerala Kalamandalam, meeting Veenapani was a big release.
“I was lost and did not know if I had enough passion to follow my art. There was nobody to inspire me. But I wanted to jump out of Kalamandalam. She asked me to come to Adishakti anyway. And I never left.”
The Source of Performance Energy workshops, organised by Adishakti, are sought out by actors from across the country.
Ashiqa Salvan, from Bengaluru, who went through one of the SoP workshops, chose Veenapani as her guru, when she won the Inlaks Theatre Award.
But, two days later, she got a call saying that Veenapani had passed away. “I had heard a lot about Adishakti and many had recommended me to come here. After the SoP workshop, I kept looking for reasons to come back here.”
Tucked away in Edayanchavadi, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, they have chosen a life fully dedicated to theatre.
Do they miss mainstream urban life? “We only miss out on traffic,” Raphel laughs.
Kumar says his theatre troupe works like any other city-bred professional who is on a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift. “Work starts here early morning and ends late at night. These people work more than anyone else. There are no Sundays or no vacations because life and work are one and the same.”
Vinay Kumar
People used to get frightened seeing arguments between Veenapani and me. There were instances when both of us stormed out of the room. To an outsider, this looked like a fight. But, we were actually battling out creative ideas, till one of us was convinced of the right way. It was not just anger that was driving Veenapani when she was stern. She was nurturing you and setting your goals high.
Arvind Rane
I remember seeing her when I was a 14-year-old. She was 28 and was teaching dramatics for my class. I was new to theatre. She had a towering persona. She wore a sari and a big bindi. And, in seconds, all the boys in class were instantly in love with her. As a person, she was only intimidating to us, her theatre team. But, to the outsiders, she was warm.
Nimmy Raphel
She was disciplined in a very meditative way. She stuck to her methodology and principles, without thinking about the immediate results. More than the outcome, she believed in the process. From the day I met her to the day she passed away, I have never seen her fumble.
Ashiqa Salvan
I first met her during a voice class. Usually, when I am with a charismatic person, I tend to go the other way. However, Veenapani listened to what your problems. were. She would pay attention to everyone. During the first two sessions of throat and mouth muscle exercises, she taught us how to breathe. It was like meditation. She had a very soothing voice. Many in my group would fall asleep.
