Part 1: October 2009

It was way back in 2010 that I had booked tickets for the play Bikhre Bimb. One of our friends had suggested that we go for a play. I don’t really remember that if that was the first time I was going for a play but it was Vikalp who asked me to book tickets.

I have been very always very bad with the roads and that day I had my brother’s bike with me and I thought it will better to reach Ranga Shankara on bike. Unfortunately those days phones didn’t run Google Maps by default and I had Nokia phone (not that cheap, paid about 14K that time). I reached there after going around but was 10 min late. Ranga Shankara has two bells before the show starts and after the second bell nobody is allowed inside. Vikalp and Deepak were inside and enjoyed the show and I stood there for a 5 mins and then headed back to the my place in Bilekahalli pretty sad.

Part 2: October 2019

Recently while reading a newspaper there was a 10 year anniversary celebration of Ranga Shankara and as a part of that there was again a show of Bikhre Bimb. I quickly checked that if tickets are available on BookMyShow on my Android phone (Again 14K phone with everything that Nokia phone did not have). I used BookMyShow website to book two tickets this time with wife (it’s been 5 years since we got married and she wasn’t that interested). Not much has improved with my direction sense but this time I sent the destination to my connected scooter Ather 450 through the phone app and left a little early as I wanted to make sure I reached before time.

Part 3: The Life in 10 years

Life has changed hugely. People who I used to meet every other weekend have now become more like a yearly or half yearly thing. Heart yearns for those days but you know it’s long gone. I am not sure its just with me I like the days that have gone by. Girish Karnad is no more who was the author of the play. He had a highly controversial years in the end due to his public views against the establishment. He was also considered to be part of a new group called urban naxals.

Ranga Shankara as you might know is tribute to great Kannada actor Shankar Nag. He is known to be a visionary but unfortunately he died very young at an age of 35. Ranga Shankara was created to keep Theatre Alive and reachable to all sections of society. Arundhati Nag who is the only protagonist of this play. Bikhre Bimb is story of a Kannada writer who has written a novel in English which has become a bestseller across the world. This play is mostly a conversation between writer and her alter-ego. The storyline is definitely interesting and Arundhati Nag’s acting is impeccable.

As I look back at these 10 years, I must confess it doesn’t feel like that. Its like all of this happened not a long ago. I am not sure what will happen in another 10 years but if everything is alright I will try to go to one more show of Bikhre Bimb in 2029 and hopefully update this blog with another block of life 🙂