A theatrical tribute by Lushin Dubey

Delhi-based director and actor Lushin Dubey was in town a few months ago with her play Salaam India which was to premier at a city venue. But with the scare that was generated around Swine Flu and the shutting of all entertainment venues across Mumbai for the week, the play was stalled. However, just a few days before the first anniversary of 26/11, she is back with a whole new meaning from her play.

“Of course it is coincidental that the dates matched and it is a wonderful feeling to bring the play to the city on the eve of the anniversary of 26/11. Salaam India is dedicated to the city’s unwavering spirit and resilience against every adversary,” admits Lushin.

Lushin is happy with the kind of response her productions have been generating amongst theatre enthusiasts in Delhi. Especially when her group was exclusively invited to the Chinmaya Mission to stage The Life of Gautam Buddha to an audience that comprised Pratibha Patil and the current cabinet ministers. Lushin recounts, “The president had earlier said she could only spare 45 minutes to attend the play. But she ended up staying for the entire show.”

With her new play that has been adapted from Pavan Verma’s book Being Indian, Lushin is quite upbeat about its content. She says, “Salaam India salutes what we are today — our little idiosyncrasies and jagged ideas. The Indian core is very strong.”

The play’s opening piece is a blend of dance and music, for which the director informs us that Louiz Banks has composed music on excerpts from Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India and Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali.