Lavni introduced through the stories and the lives of its performers

Updated on: 13 August,2017 10:40 AM IST | Mumbai
Nasrin Modak-Siddiqi |

During the launch of his book Sangeet Bari in August 2014, writer Bhushan Korgaonkar and director Savitri Medhatul did 15 shows of the folk form in Marathi under Kali Billi productions

During the launch of his book Sangeet Bari in August 2014, writer Bhushan Korgaonkar and director Savitri Medhatul did 15 shows of the folk form in Marathi under Kali Billi productions. In the audience were those who didn't understand the language but enjoyed the performances. “The narration, too is an equally important part which was getting lost. Some suggested to translate into Hindi or English, and our friends Gauri Konge, Vikas Zutshi and writer Manisha Korde helped translate the script,” says Korgaonkar. The first Hindi production opened at the NCPA Ananda Festival in May 2017.

Sangeet Bari is a form of theatre where various troupes of 12-15 members perform turn by turn. “Traditional entertaining communities like bhatu kolhati, doambari and kalwat have performed these for centuries,” says Korgaonkar. The stories narrated are those of the artists — their customs, traditions, love stories. During the performance, the artists communicate with the audience. The troupe consists of Pushpa Satarkar, a singer and dancer known for her seductive voice, dancer Sunita Dhondraikar with her fantastic command over rhythm, dancer and singer Akanksha Kadam, Latabai Waikar's shy and husky tone and Shakuntalabai Nagarkar, the queen bee who at the age of 60 has an amazing command on stage.