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Chandigarh is poised to fly, only no one is pressing the button: Neelam Mansingh
Convinced that the city is bursting with latent potential, the theatre director Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry says the city has incredible spaces – the Rock Garden amphitheatre, the Panjab University auditorium, the underpass connecting Rose Garden in Sector 16 with Sector 17 – which can help transform it into a cultural hub
Eminent Chandigarh-based thespian Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry feels as a cultural hub, Chandigarh is poised to fly – only the powers that be are not pressing the button.
Convinced that the city is bursting with latent potential, the theatre director says, “Conceptually, and architecturally, we have incredible spaces – the Rock Garden amphitheatre, the Panjab University auditorium, the underpass connecting Rose Garden in Sector 16 with Sector 17 – but an explosion of life can only happen if there is support from the administration.”
On whether the city’s cultural landscape is any less vibrant than it used to be, Chowdhry says, “There is no structure to the cultural events taking place in the city. There is a narrative that one creates when one puts up a festival or an art exhibition, and the events put up in Chandigarh need to be curated better.”
“For instance, Kerala puts up one of India’s best film and theatre festivals (Thrissur), and who has not heard of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (an international exhibition of contemporary art). People from all over the world plan their trips to India based on what is happening in Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kochi,” she adds.
Putting Chandigarh on the global map
On why large-scale events that could put Chandigarh on the global map are not taking place in the city, Chowdhry says, “Everybody is looking at Chandigarh. A renowned filmmaker from Pune wanted to start an annual event on the lines of the Mami film festival a few years ago but it did not materialise.”
“Even Ludhiana-based businessman Sunil Kant Munjal organised the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa with the support of their chief minister and not Chandigarh. Whatever needs to be done has to be done in collaboration with the administration as permissions have to be taken and security for the artworks has to be arranged,” she adds.
“Every creative work is a partnership between the artist and the sponsor, and in most situations, the sponsor is the government,” she says.
Last-minute cancellations
Two years after Chowdhry’s last production Black Box, the city was robbed of a chance to watch her latest project Trunk Tales featuring Vansh Bhardwaj and supported by the Goethe – Institut and Ranga Shankara. The performance was scheduled to take place on World Theatre Day but was cancelled just three days before the event.
“I was so upbeat as it was the first time Chandigarh had invited me to put up my play. But later, the event was inexplicably cancelled,” says Chowdhry, who has been the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Padma Shri, and whose productions have been invited to theatre festivals across the globe.
Is it disheartening not getting a stage in Chandigarh, her hometown? Chowdhry says, “It certainly is. However, my funding doesn’t come from some hole-in-the-wall producer. I am working on a big project next, Girish Karnad’s Hayvadan, so it’s not like I am lacking work.”
It is learnt that taking umbrage at some of Chowdhry’s remarks to the media, the organisers were instructed “any other show, except hers”.
However, Tagore Theatre director Chakresh Kumar says, “We had taken pan-India proposals, including Chowdhry’s, but no confirmation was given to her. We wanted to highlight young directors, artistes and stand-up comedians from the city this time.”
“We gave street plays to those who really needed it, including those living in Colony 25, and introduced stand-up comic Hemant Kumar, engineer-turned-artiste Vivek Neupane, and puppet master Sunil Bhatt. The event was curated according to our funding,” adds Kumar.
