Lisa White sounds delighted when we call her. “Imagine, a phone call from India,” she says. It is a country she has never visited but to which she is inextricably bound — by her grandmother’s stories. When the Edinburgh Fringe, considered the largest arts festival in the world, is held in the Scottish capital next month, White will be on stage with a suitcase to share these stories. She may well begin with the words — “A long, long time ago in India, a headstrong young nurse meets a Scotsman with eyes so blue, they steal her heart”. The nurse was White’s grandmother Sheila Leonora Marie Shrieves, and White’s piece, Lavender Junction, revisits the lives of her grandparents against the backdrop of World War II and the waning days of the Raj in India. White calls Lavender Junction “a love story” but adds that woven into it are dark comments on parenting and the class structure. Edited excerpts:
All grandmothers tell stories, but yours told you of a real fairy tale land. How did this play come about?
I grew up with my grandmother, whom I called Nanny, talking about her time in India. She was born in Agra in June 1922 and her father, like his father and his father before him, worked in the Railways. She lived in India until January 1945, when she and my grandfather arrived in Mumbai to see if they could get a ship to Liverpool. In a way, this play began when I was living with my grandmother while in drama school in 1996. We had to do a project on a life story and I asked Nanny if I could interview her. She agreed and I switched on the tape recorder. For two hours, she talked about her life. I used only one minute for my project, put away the tape and did not touch it for many years. Nanny died in 2008 and, later that year, I formed a theatre company, Peppermint Muse. Last year, I listened to the tapes right through and realised there was a beautiful story waiting to be told. Witty recollections and a rich tapestry of characters are revealed against the fascinating backdrop of a mysterious land.
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How do you present a vast story as a solo show on stage?
On the stage is a small table, a chair, a wicker screen and a suitcase. I introduce my grandmother as Millie and the story starts with me as an 86-year-old talking about India. The narrative replicates a train travel (hence, the suitcase) and draws upon all the train journeys my grandmother made. The play shifts constantly through time and place, becoming a journey through Nanny’s life. At one time, she is born, at another, she is on a train from Agra to the hills to attend a convent boarding school, and next, she is travelling for five days to medical school to study to be a nurse. The narrative takes off on flashbacks helped by various journeys. The lovely part is her first day at the British Military Hospital in Bangalore, where she is assigned the dysentery ward. She nurses somebody through the night and, in the morning, when he opens his blue eyes and looks at her, she falls in love with him for the rest of his life.
Why did you change your grandmother’s name in the play?
Because some of the play is my imagination though a lot of the narrative is from what Nanny told me. Lavender Junction, to me, represents the essence of storytelling. I have to get on stage and tell a story that will grip the audience for an hour. It is established in the middle of the story — my grandfather dies and my grandmother survives him, but the story goes on. Lavender Junction is essentially a love story but it is also about a woman who declared very early that she did not want to marry or have children, and, instead, get a job and serve people. This was significant because at that time, women did not have a voice.
The other plays of Peppermint Muse, including those you have written or directed such as Altamont (based on a real event in which a music festival turns into a carnage, bringing the peace-and-love ethos of the ’60s to a violent end), have been dark and edgy.
How do you bring your signature to Lavender Junction?
When I began to write, I did not realise that Lavender Junction would become a dark commentary on parenting. My grandmother would say her ayah was her mother because children in colonial India were brought up by their servants rather than their parents. I have not made a social or political comment of the time, but there is a reference to the time my grandmother was around eight, and travelled to Calcutta during the Bengal famine. She saw a woman with a tiny baby “crawling like an animal” and Nanny’s mother gave her some food. The woman snatched the food, stuffed it into her mouth and gulped it down and “did not give anything to the baby”.
Will Lavender Junction travel to India?
Would love to…
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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