Ishara presents `The Little Blue Planet`

Anurupa`s `The Little Blue Planet` communicates the menace of global warming.

Bhavna Khullar

Theatre truly seems to have conquered Delhi’s culture scene, as the action-packed Ishara International Theatre Festival enjoyed full houses across shows. The 7-day festival, which was hosted at the India Habitat Centre in the Capital, lured theatre lovers as well as general audiences. Directed by Anurupa Roy of Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, the show called ‘The Little Blue Planet’ began with a glimpse at the creation of universe and the creation of a light blue planet, which happens to be a unique planet because it has borne life. The planet, of course, is Earth, which in the play becomes a character called ‘Earthu’. The 35-minute show looked at the phenomenon of rapid climate change in the world, being caused by the irresponsible human exploitation of natural resources which is causing extreme weather changes, floods and droughts displacing millions around the world. The little blue planet in the performance was commissioned by the JSW foundation as a part of their collaboration with the Climate Change Project. With ‘The Little Blue Planet,’ Anurupa wanted to communicate the menace of global warming to a young audience, and it was surely done very successfully. The theme of global warning was dealt with in a manner that was like education and awareness session for the young ones and was easily comprehensible. The 35-minute show perfectly showcased the human greed and the exploitation of natural resources that is leading to disaster across the globe. The festival, produced by Teamwork Productions, focuses on new contemporary work from India and abroad and is seen as an established platform to further multi media arts. The fest, on the whole, has been including performances involving both traditional and modern subjects and themes, so as to allow a broader spectrum. Some of the main attractions have been the works that combine performance with developmental themes and social causes.