A room of one’s own

Despite an audience of just two people, the second edition of Kaapi Chronicles soldiered on, featuring a standup comic, a poet and a storyteller

Two people gathered to hear some poetry and snatch a few laughs over the weekend, at the second edition of Kaapi Chronicles. Though the evening saw a shortage of both participants and audience, the performers — Ravi Kiran, Karthi Durai and a winner of the poetry contest — gave strong performances, filling the room with laughter and poignancy in turns.

The evening began with standup comic Karthi Durai taking fresh digs at the young, the old, the newborns and — most vehemently — dog lovers, in a performance that drew chuckles out of even ardent canine afficionados.

This was followed by a poetic rendition of the reflections of a teacher, written and performed by Sayujya Sankar, a teacher herself. Dwelling on the challenges of teaching children something valuable in a “world of isms”, Sankar’s poem highlighted the clash of teachers’ everyday duties with their loftier responsibilities, leaving it to the audience to figure out how to bridge them.

Sankar’s was the winning poem, chosen from a handful of entries. A number that had dwindled down from last month, despite Kaapi Chronicles’ strong debut in September. The near-empty venue reflected difficulties of keeping new, participative cultural platforms going in the city.

"We had a longer line-up the first time we tried this last month, more poets submitting their work, and around 30-35 people in the audience," says Ravi Kiran, organiser and member of Tartl, a writers’ collective based in the city. Tartl was born out of an attempt to bring creative minds together, and comprises writers, teachers, journalists and others.

That had been enough of a turnout to spark hope of a strong second season, but this weekend event saw three performers — including Kiran himself — and an audience of just two people.

The organisers say they also had a tough time finding a venue to host the event this time. The location was changed almost at the eleventh hour, and they were finally given a platform in the office space of Krea Eknowledge Pvt Ltd, Abiramapuram.

Sankar’s poetry was followed by a storytelling session by Kiran. His short story dwelled on a little boy’s curiosity about God and religion. The evening ended with the screening of an existential short film, titled Sunshine , by Septad Pictures.