A poet from Kashmir, a theatre actor from Mumbai, a storyteller, and a musician from Scotland came together for an artiste residency. The result? A bouquet of stories rooted in their cultures that they will perform for you
(From left) Eilidh Firth, Daniel Allison, Sheena Khalid and Mohammad Muneem Nazir during a practice session. Pics/Neeraj Jain
"If people die for [their] land, I wish to live for [my] land. And bring people together..." reads Eilidh Firth from poet-singer-songwriter Mohammad Muneem Nazir's story of his growing up years in Kashmir. Moments later, it is Muneem's turn to pick up a sheaf of papers that tell the Glasgow-based fiddler's account of Mary Brooksbank, a Scottish mill worker and union leader. The story resonates with Mumbai-based theatre director, writer and actor Sheena Khalid, who herself has something on the mills of Bombay in the 19th century brewing inside her; as does Muneem's music with Scottish storyteller and musician Daniel Allison, who has seen strife during his work in African villages.
The four artistes, through several such brainstorming sessions over a period of 15 days, have been exploring the concept of land and the stories that emanate from it - personal and mythical, historical and current. Their individual stories, and the common threads they found in one another's narratives have been woven together for a storytelling session, Where I Stand, which they will perform tonight and tomorrow.
While they are now well aware of each other's ethos, and almost seem like a collective, it was only on March 9 that they met for the first time. The four artistes have come together for A New Conversation, an artistic collaboration series started by the G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Mumbai. Its first edition is a co-curation project between the foundation and the Scottish Storytelling Centre (SSC) in Edinburgh. "Last year, British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland asked me to propose an India-UK project through a competitive bid. I'd always wanted to work with the SSC, a remarkable arts space that presents incredible work for all ages. So I contacted them about partnering with us for a fresh piece, which could be performed in both our spaces and which could also begin a new dialogue between the two centres," says G5A's creative producer, Divya Bhatia, adding that the performance will travel to Edinburgh in May.
"In Scotland, storytelling is rooted in the tradition of the ceilidh - an informal gathering and sharing of stories and music, in which there is no 'performer' and everyone contributes. Storytelling in India appears to be more rooted in theatre," shares Allison when asked if he sees a difference in the way storytelling is approached in India and Scotland. In fact, this difference of approach also found a mention in the storyteller's first notes that he made ahead of a video conference with the artistes before meeting in person. "Scotland is a society that has forgotten many of its stories. Therefore, it is often my job to introduce people to their own heritage," he says. India, on the other hand, read his notes, has still preserved its past, especially through its epics that are known to most people.
The various stages of this artiste residency, including the first notes and the video conference, have been documented online by Neeraj Jain, who has worked as the fifth artiste on the project. So, what has emerged from the creative exchange? "The performances will explore the similarities between our two countries as well as celebrate the differences through music, storytelling and theatre. We'll be exploring ancient Scottish myths, stories from Scotland and India's industrial past and those of contemporary India and Kashmir," says Firth. Allison elaborates, "One piece is the Scottish story of a warrior-poet who reaches a world in which there is no suffering or death, but leaves because he misses the ups and downs of this world. We have put this together with a story of Mohammad's life in Kashmir and the pairing is very powerful."
While the artistes may contextualise Indian stories to some extent when they take the performance to Scotland, it will remain largely unchanged. "Most of my work is in Urdu and Kashmiri. Audiences sometimes may not understand the language, but in the end, they absorb it their own way. When the language is natural and presented organically, it always reaches people," says Muneem. Khalid concurs, "The content may vary from place to place but the drive to create imaged worlds with just your words, that stays the same no matter where you are."
As the residency comes to an end, how do they look back on it? "It's been an incredible experience to work with such talented artistes. We've all explored new ground, whether by digging deeper into the arts we already practise or exploring new forms," says Allison. Muneem adds, "When things are organic, the most exciting part is how they fall in place. It was a new conversation in the true sense."
On: Tonight and March 25, 8 pm
At: G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, Mahalaxmi.
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 250
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