Suffering from sleeplessness? Time to invoke the Goddess of sleep

According to many studies, sleep disturbances are a global phenomena.

3 min readPuneApr 9, 2026 07:07 PM IST

Last year Venkateshwaran decided that her independent project would be a show about being tired. (Special arrangement photo)

While everybody else around her was sleeping at night, Pune-based contemporary performer Aditi Venkateshwaran stayed wide awake. In the morning, she would be tired.

It was as a final-year student at the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore last year that Venkateshwaran decided that her independent project would be a show about being tired. “I realized a lot of people around me were just tired,” she says. The more she spoke to people and looked around, it seemed that urban fatigue had taken over almost all the cities in the world.

According to many studies, sleep disturbances are a global phenomena. The US-based John Hopkins Medicine says that insomnia is the most common sleep-related problem, “with about one-third of adults experiencing insomnia symptoms at any given time. Up to 10 percent have insomnia severe enough that it’s considered a full-fledged disorder”.

This would cause her to lose more sleep metaphorically, because how do you translate sleeplessness into a gripping story? “One fine day, while I was working on the floor as an actor, improvising the story, I stumbled across the goddess Nidra who is the goddess of sleep. A lot of people asked me if I made her up, but Nidra Devi is very much a part of Indian mythological space,” says Venkateshwaran.

One of the journal entries of Franz Kafka in 1912 mentions “Dearest, I beg of you, sleep properly and go for walks”. This inspired Venkateshwaran to look at the idea of sleep and make an attempt to speak of an urgent need to slow down and look at the world around us. The play, Dearest, I Beg of You, Please Sleep Properly, by IAPAR, features Venkateshwaran as the goddess who is completely forgotten and losing her powers. It will be staged at Shreeram Lagoo Rang Avakash on April 18, 8 pm.

The performance is a Kafkaesque nightmare of the discarded goddess Nidra. She dreams that the mortal world has completely abandoned her and, due to this, she has lost all her powers. She offers a reminder to humans that that their bodies are playgrounds that they cannot abuse them after a certain point without severe repercussions.

As she looked inward, Venkateshwaran realised that she, too, was a victim to the urban modern hustle culture. It was always “let’s push, let’s do more, be more, achieve more, earn more money, have so much more of everything”. In her sleeplessness, she would read into the night, which fired her neurons, and technology made it worse since she ended up doom scrolling on her phone. “How much is too much or how much is enough– that is a question that I asked myself very often,” she says.

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Though the play enters a dark subject, it is told with a lot of humour and fun. “I really want to appeal to people to take care of themselves and to slow down, like drastically slow down. We see this anxiety on the streets of India, but it is a universal problem,” says Venkateshwaran.

Dipanita Nath

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. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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