indian

Culture calling

CalAA has been documenting rare Marathi plays along with staging quality cultural programmes in the US
- Laxmi Birajdar

That art knows no boundaries is well-known. And giving further credence to the
statement is the California Arts Association (CalAA) that has made possible the
staging of quality Indian art forms and cultural programs in the US to an
enthusiastic and appreciative audience. Moreover, the funds raised from these
events have made possible the succesful archiving of precious Marathi dramas in
India.

Founded in 2002 by two Pune-based IT professionals—Abhay Patil and Chinmoy Bhagawat, CalAA strikes an
artistic balance between the East and the West, literally. The forum started, thanks to a three-day mega cultural
meet in 1999 in San Francisco’s Bay Area where several Indians met and exchanged ideas. “Most of us had a
performing arts background. We staged plays and musical programmes during the meet and thought of going a
step ahead by forming an alliance that would preserve Indian performing arts, expecially through their effective
documentation,” explains Bhagawat, who along with Patil keeps a tab of CalAA’s yearly cultural activities in
California. These include Marathi plays, musical programmes, workshops and interactive sessions with playwrights
like Satish Alekar and Tendulkar, and screening quality movies.

CalAA has over 400 volunteers who are passionate about the performing arts. Right from designing the sets and
the costumes to the final presentation, they do it all, and willingly. Most importantly, the funds generated from these
shows are diverted towards archiving and documenting rare and interesting plays,” says Patil who took the initiative
to produce a VCD of Surya Pahilela Manoos, written by Makarand Sathe directed by Atul Pethe and featuring Dr
Shriram Lagoo as Socrates. “This play has a unique artistic value. It gives so much food for thought,” he says Patil.
Soonafter, Sant Tukaram’s magnanimous stature through his brother, Kanhoba’s eyes was acknowledged through
the archiving of Pethe’s another Marathi play, Anand-Owari. “We are passionate about preserving the best of
Marathi theatre and Indian classical music. There are so many rare works that go unnoticed and unappreciated by
people. Coming out with a CD of those works is the best way to retain them for posterity,” says Patil. And last year,
CalAA came out with a VCD Tendulkar and Violence-Then and Now, based on the various kinds of violence
depicted in Vijay Tendulkar’s plays. “It was impossible to document Tendulkar’s profile in one CD. So we thought of
focussing on the violence aspect in his works,” he says.
The creative process of choosing probable archiving work is a joint effort at CalAA. “We all participate in deciding
what we want to preserve. The directors and playwrights who helped us achieve our objective have always been
cooperative because they understand the value of our mission,” stresses Bhagawat. But they’ve had their share of
disappointment too. “We wanted to document Satish Alekar’s Begum Barve, but that plan never materialised,” he
says.
Back home in Bay Area, CalAA also presents Mood India, a programme based on Indian dance, theatre and music,
on a local channel. It is even gearing up for the dance show AshtaNaayikaa scheduled for mid-June. But
documentation plans in Pune are yet undecided. “It’s very rare for artistically inclined people to come together, do
something for the arts that they are so passionate about and channelise their resources to achieve their mission of
preserving and presenting rare theatrical and musical productions. We are doing that and at our own pace,” smiles
Bhagawat.