Theatre spaces not exactly friendly,on way though

Pune’s theatrical legacy has survived and thrived over many decades. New productions in Marathi and English have dotted the cultural calendar here every year and audiences have warmed up to experimental storylines and treatment. Though the creative mindsets of theatre halls around the city have opened up,the buildings are yet to embrace the idea of inclusiveness. Most theatre spaces in Pune are not disabled-friendly. However,some recent buildings have included ramps at their entrances to make it easier for wheelchair-bound audience members to access the halls. But no other accommodations have been made in these buildings — the toilets usually are Indian commodes that are inaccessible for the physically-challenged and the aisle width,chair sizes and leg-room are not ideal for such persons.

“I have seen how particular and aware they are about these things in Europe and in the US,” said Ravindra Damle of Sudarshan Hall,Narayan Peth,when asked about barrier-free theatre spaces. “But the Sudarshan building was built a long time ago,so it is difficult to build a ramp now. This used to be a mangal karyalay,so the design is different. I agree it should have been designed to be disabled-friendly,but these things will come about only if made compulsory.”

The Yashvantrao Chavan Auditorium was built in 2000. Its compound area is spacious and a ramp and railing makes it easy to negotiate the entrance steps up to the hall. “The ramp is good,so there is no need to lift the wheelchair. Actually,we get very few complaints about the need to make any changes… maybe one or two in six months,” said Bharat Kumawat,manager of the auditorium. He admits the Indian-style toilet is a barrier,but there are no immediate plans to correct the situation.

Nehru Memorial Hall,Camp,was built in 1965 and has just two flights of steps at the entrance,which is a slight concession in accessibility. “Wheel-chair bound people usually prefer to sit right at the back of the hall,near the doors. We haven’t received many complaints,” said Kamlesh Wazirani,accountant at the Hall. The toilet space at the hall is claustrophobic,but no changes are in the pipeline.