Life and theatre during hard times

The continuum of life and human cultural achievements cannot be halted or deranged by any circumstance.

This article is half memoir and half analysis of the subject of theatre. The reasons are two. First, it is to share some experiences on the occasion of the anniversary of the International Theatre Institute, famously known as ITI, whose sessions I attended virtually last week; it has evoked my memories. Second, through the visceral narrative, I want to show the intimate nature of the power of theatre and our own connection with it. The struggle that the theatre groups in Nepal are facing to survive in this time of crisis has moved me deeply. This becomes all the more important because the government does not have any plan, or rescue budget however minimum, that may be to keep the theatres going. A state that functions with a paradox—visible everywhere but invisible in time of need—has made the life of cultural organisations like the theatre difficult and challenging.