Let’s Read Plays w/ Deepika Arwind

The year was 1944. India was a few years away from independence and the world still grappling with World War II. There are bomb blasts at the Bombay Docks as well as SS Fort Stikine; 800 people dead and the news is suppressed. Two lovers find themselves separated as this tragedy unfolds, only years later to find themselves reconnected. 3 Sakina Manzil is a story of loss and longing set against a chapter in history that was nearly forgotten.

|| Playwright ||

Ramu Ramanathan is an important playwright of our time. His work and commitment to the theater have led to a significant body of work that is deeply political and asks difficult questions of us as a country and society. 3 Sakina Manzil is a beautiful and poignant text that lends itself well to a reading, and hopefully a subsequently interesting discussion.

Ramu Ramanathan’s list of plays includes Cotton 56, Polyester 84; Jazz; Comrade Kumbhakarna; and more recently, Postcards From Bardoli. His book 3, Sakina Manzil And Other Plays, is a collection of eight plays, published by Orient Blackswan Private Limited in collaboration with the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). Ramu was editor of PT Notes, a monthly theater newsletter produced by Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai for 10 years. He also co-edited e-STQ (Seagull Theatre Quarterly) and has written columns on theater for national dailies. In addition to being counted as one of the best playwrights of today’s India, Ramu is also the editor of PrintWeek India and Campaign India magazines. He has been associated with the printing industry for 30 years. Ramu helped launch PrintWeek India in May 2008. He has been a driving force in reshaping coverage of the Indian print market through industry specials, awards, and survey reports. Under his leadership, PrintWeek has grown into one of the largest teams covering print in India. Ramu lives and works in Mumbai — the city where many of his plays are situated.

|| Facilitator ||

Deepika Arwind is a Bangalore-based actor, writer, and director. Her works include Nobody Sleeps Alone (nominated for The Hindu Metroplus Playwrights’ Award 2013), A Brief History of Your Hair (supported by India Foundation for the Arts, The New Voices Arts Project and Lshva Studio) and No Rest in the Kingdom (produced by Sandbox collective and supported by Shoonya Centre for Art and Somatic Practices.) Her children’s play One Dream Too Many were invited to the International Playwright’s Intensive at The Kennedy Centre, Washington DC and the University of Maryland in association with ASSITEJ India. She is the recipient of the Toto Award for Creative Writing and was part of the Sangam House International Writer’s Residency.