Mumbai: New performing arts scene blooms quietly in Versova

Pics/Satej Shinde, Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

For a city like Mumbai where every little gully can be navigated through GPS, Aram Nagar brings with it a sense of discovery. A swathe of un-plotted area on satellite maps that lies just off the bustling Yari Road stretch of Versova, it is somewhat tricky to locate on a maiden visit. But the neighbourhood, which remains one of the last bastions of individual residential structures in Mumbai, is beginning to pock-mark the calendars of the city's culturally inclined as its quaint bungalows acquire a new identity of intimate performance spaces.

Harkat Studios

Until recently, Aram Nagar Part 2 was known mainly for struggling actors queuing up outside offices of casting companies. It began to reveal itself to artistes in the face of the challenges that the sky-high real estate prices of the city pose. "Where else would you get a place like this in Mumbai? It's quiet; aeroplanes don't fly over here. There is no noise of the traffic, it's just birds. We only have memories of structures like these," says noted theatre director Sunil Shanbag, who rented out one of the bungalows in Aram Nagar Part 2 to start Studio Tamaasha in March 2017. "Space is so critical for any theatre company. If there is enough space, it immediately creates activity," he points out.

Little Raina

Sharing its wall with Studio Tamaasha is Harkat Studios, the first such space to open in the area in 2016. "I have always lived in Versova since I moved to Mumbai, and Aram Nagar, with its unique setting, fascinated me. Plus, if you were to hire a bungalow in Bandra, it would cost a fortune. Mumbai has only had proscenium venues, and smaller spaces like these are bridging the gap," shares co-founder Karan Talwar.

Studio Tamasha

The ample space, the height of the bungalows and the clear space, where a small audience can be comfortably seated, is what called out to actor-director Rohit Tiwari, who founded OverAct, an alternative theatre space in mid-2017. Play Shed by Castiko is the latest entrant to Aram Nagar, which opened with an evening of performances featuring monologues, poetry recitals and a musical act.

Castiko

The programming for the venues is a consciously curated one, with the space playing a crucial role. While Shanbag encourages performers to create a piece keeping the studio in mind, stand-up gigs are not part of the programming at Harkat. "It's interesting that artistes are taking the initiative of turning curators and organisers rather than corporates and trustees," says journalist Suhani Singh, who's been a Versova resident for 25 years. "I watched a screening of Garam Hawa at Harkat, followed by a Q & A session with MS Sathyu and Shama Zaidi. I don't think that kind of atmosphere could be replicated in a multiplex," she adds.

But for all the charm that comes with the place, Aram Nagar has its share of challenges. Known for its army barracks in the pre-Independence era, it became a refugee colony of sorts with houses being allocated to families that moved here after Partition. Manohar Barolia, 81, one of the oldest residents of the area, recalls how the colony was a well-serviced one until it fell into disrepair a few decades ago. With the "owners" living on lease in the MHADA-owned colony, and other legal wrangles concerning ownership and redevelopment, the area with its sparse street lights and unmetalled roads bears the look of years of neglect. This led residents to move out in search of better facilities, while putting their bungalows up for rent.

"The needs of the residents are facilitating the needs of the artistes. It's a very interesting dynamic," Singh points out. For the theatre community, breaking even with the rent and running costs is a struggle in itself. But profit is not what they had in mind when they started shaping this cultural oasis. "The minute we do that the whole equation changes. We'll have to turn the space into a workshop factory," says Shanbag. "We are all in it for the passion," shares Tiwari. "Who knows, one day all these spaces will collaborate for a common festival and Aram Nagar would become the city's next art district."

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