When I was young, I used to be great at taekwondo. I used to be a national and international player. But gradually, the ailments that accompany this sport started to set in. So there was no other way than to step away from the sport. But the thrill of being on stage, once experienced can never be forgotten. Hence, this craving of mine to perform on stage ended me up in theatre. The thrill, the giddiness and the butterflies that the stage gives me, is indescribable!

Theatre brings within you a  sense of great confidence. And the audience gives you an equal assurance. The response you get from the audience after a good performance can be quite soul satisfying.

We had just finished performing a play named 'tanhai' (the sadness of being lonely) which I had been performing under the mentorship of Arun Mathur. The play was about five oldies who are from different walks of life, but the one thing they find common between them is their feeling of loneliness. When the play ended, everyone in the audience gave us a standing ovation. They stood their clapping for almost a whopping ten minutes. I will never forget those ten minutes of my life. In that moment, my heart felt like it was at home.

It could be the use of old-time hindi Or the urdu used in plays that confuses people, or it could be the easy accessibility of movies that has maybe  led to the decrease in popularity of theatre. I don't know. But there are still a lot of people who from all around Delhi, who comes to watch plays regularly. Theatre is like classical music, it will never die. It is forever eternal. Theatre provides for everybody, whoever passionately follows it, finds a space in it.

(To be continued)