Bubbles Sabharwal

Art & Paradox (English/65mins) A fusion of live theatre, music & art! Written,Actor & conceptualisation: Bubbles Sabharwal Directed by Arvind Gaur Singers: Kumud Diwan, Laura Santana Painters: Damayanti,Preeti Verma Produced by: Aadhvi It is a beautiful story essaying the mother–daughter relationship and thereby bringing out the resilience of women both modern and traditional.. It is also a novel concept which infuses the three forms of creativity-art, music and live music. The meaningful creative paintings by Damayanti & Preeti Varma, Bubbles Sabharwal's powerful display of encapsulating aplethora of emotions, Arvind Gaur's inovative direction, Laura Santana's English songs and Kumud Dewan's Gazals make this play a definite must -see Women in Black is the story of a mother-daughter relationship that appears to move on divergent tracks. Yet, fate brings them together and the two travel parallel to each other. The play has been included in an anthology of women writers (Seagull Publishers). "Every writer must first learn to crawl, and then to walk. Only then can the writer march ahead," says Bubbles. Women in Black, then, was a beginner's effort in writing plays for the youth. She wrote it in 1999, and has since written three more plays, one of them on cancer survivors. "In our work with students in colleges, we found that there were hardly any plays for them. They are always looking for plays to enact for inter-college events and youth festivals. This prompted me to start writing plays," explains Bubbles, who has been involved with theatre for over 25 years. Enacting this play too has been a novel experience, since the last time she acted was 25 years ago, with Barry John. "A play evolves with each showing, and grows with constructive criticism," says the 45-year-old. "Writing involves rethinking and re-seeing issues and relationships to gauge the strength of characters and the story," observes Bubbles, sipping pomegranate juice at the Monsoon, the 24-hour restaurant at The Park Hotel. "I wrote this play with no other motive but to see these two characters come alive on stage." Arvind Gaur, head of Delhi-based theatre group ASMITA, directed Women in Black, simply because it was different from all the issue-based, socially relevant themes that he usually deals with. In the play, we are first introduced to Shivani, 30, who lives in a small bedsitter in Hauz Khas. She has moved from a small town in pursuit of a great dream, great job, great relationship — and all the colours of life. She hates the colour black because that is what the other woman in her father's life wore. She smokes, subsists on junk food, and hates her mother for being a weakling. Maina, 48, played by the same actress, is the hardworking mother of Shivani and lives in a small town. No big dreams or great ambitions here. Her peace lies in the pieces of her life... and its faded colours. She loves black, she loves the silences that fill up her life, and is comfortable baking, sewing, cooking, and cleaning for her husband — who hardly ever comes home for dinner. Divided into two parts, the play is enacted through conversations on the phone — with someone or the other — and particularly between the mother and daughter. The two women speak monologues on the phone to each other, and slowly, unravel the underlying similarities of their lives. Sabharwal's Maini comes across as stronger than her ambitious Shivani, performance-wise. "Just because I am quiet, don't think I'm weak," Maini shouts on the phone. This production was staged in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Guwahati, Chandigarh, and Chennai. It will soon go to Dubai, where Bubbles plans to change the script by incorporating some local flavour.