Something to say

Metro musings. Traffic, economics, love, hate, media, reality shows, jobs, art, sexuality. Urban life and we is the essence of Sixty Seconds Deep.

Truthfully communicating, emoting 038; commenting on what8217;s around us, in our hearts, heads, is the pulse of plays being staged in the city. Get a glimpse of your story on stage

Metro musings. Traffic, economics, love, hate, media, reality shows, jobs, art, sexuality. Urban life and we is the essence of Sixty Seconds Deep. In the city, in the rush, in the madness, in love and out of it8230;The play tells your story, mine and theirs too. Welcome to the city, pronounce Nayantara Roy, the writer of Sixty Seconds Deep and Jaimini Pathak, the director, who8217;re also acting in it. A meacute;lange of ideas, expressions, sensibilities, experiences, backgrounds of the actors of the play is how the play was 8220;devised8221; and is an exploration of urban life with people, the script of which actor and writer Nayantara Roy wrote after various themes, concepts were discussed and improvised upon by the team on the floor. A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. 8220;What an urban scenario does to people personally, professionally, spiritually is what we felt strongly about and so we decided to say it. The story is of four standard-sized lives and four larger-than-life dreams, your life and mine and stories and characters where you are bound to find shades of your own,8217;8217; Nayantara talks about the play being interactive and accessible. An analysis, comment of what8217;s happening in our country, what we have evolved into, our reactions, our beliefs, Jaimini feels there8217;s a lot to be said, and more and more plays, without preaching are reaching out to people with real issues, with warmth, wit, laughter, emotions and language. 8220;What8217;s best, everyone can step into our shoes,8217;8217; smiles Atul who says art is all about transcending from personal to the universal. So, Mahadevbhai and Sixty Seconds Deep, which Jamini will stage in Chandigarh on the invitation of The Durga Das Foundation, on Friday, At Strawberry World, honestly and truthfully communicate. 8220;Mahadevbhai was written by Ramu Ramanathan at a time when many anti-Gandhi plays were happening and set the records right. It8217;s based on the daily diary that Mahadev Desai, secretary and onlooker to Gandhiji maintained, and is a reminder of a healthy tradition that is slowly being obliterated by devices of deep hatred and prejudice,8217;8217; the play is interspersed with humour. The form of lively story-telling has been a hit, with the play being staged at schools, colleges, universities. 8220;Without preaching, the attempt is to remind us of the times that were and understand the thoughts and principles that Gandhi stood for, non-violence, religious tolerance, status of women, which are even more relevant in today8217;s world,8217;8217; Jaimini8217;s written Once Upon8230; A! Tiger, a children8217;s play which drives home the issue of the dwindling population of the tiger. 8220;Screaming, shouting, laughing, celebrating, the children had amazing responses to give us, and you can be brutally honest with them,8217;8217; smiles Pathak.

At the ongoing TFT National Theatre Fest, issues like changing relationships in modern times, soul-searching, corruption, illegal immigration, terrorism, have been treated sensitively and absorbingly. 8220;Each person in the audience has experienced the situations that were staged and related to each of these and theatre8217;s power is that it involves and invokes,8217;8217; Sudesh Sharma talks about his play Aadhi Raat Ke Baad, which portrays the laxities of our ongoing legal system. Gurdeep Bhullar is here all the way from from Canada for the festival with Rihte, which is about Punjabis going in for fake weddings to go abroad. 8220;It was a hit in Canada and we realized that the problem originates in India, and is lived in Canada. Why do we sacrifice so much and get lost? We8217;re here on our own expenses and staging the play all over Punjab. When you lecture the message is lost, but we have to address the root issue,8217;8217; believes Bhullar. Play on8230;

Parul

Parul is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express in Chandigarh. She is a seasoned journalist with over 25 years of experience specializing in public health, higher education, and the architectural heritage of Northern India. Professional Profile Education: Graduate in Humanities with a specialized focus on Journalism and Mass Communication from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Career Path: She began her career covering local city beats and human interest stories before joining The Indian Express in 2009. Over the last decade and a half, she has risen to the rank of Principal Correspondent, becoming the publication’s primary voice on Chandigarh’s premier medical and academic institutions. Expertise: Her reporting is deeply rooted in the institutional dynamics of PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) and Panjab University. She is highly regarded for her ability to navigate complex administrative bureaucracies to deliver student-centric and patient-centric news. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 - 2025) Her recent work highlights critical reporting on healthcare infrastructure, academic governance, and urban culture: 1. Public Health & PGIMER "PGIMER expands digital registry: Centralized patient records to reduce wait times by 40%" (Nov 20, 2025): A detailed look at the digital transformation of one of India's busiest medical institutes to tackle patient influx. "Robotic Surgery at PGI: Why the new urology wing is a game-changer for North India" (Oct 12, 2025): Reporting on the acquisition of state-of-the-art medical technology and its impact on affordable healthcare. "Shortage of life-saving drugs: Inside the supply chain crisis at government pharmacies" (Dec 5, 2025): An investigative piece on the logistical hurdles affecting chronic patients in the tri-city area. 2. Education & Institutional Governance "Panjab University Senate Election: The battle for institutional autonomy" (Dec 18, 2025): In-depth coverage of the high-stakes internal elections and the friction between traditional governance and central reforms. "Research funding dip: How PU’s science departments are navigating the 2025 budget cuts" (Nov 5, 2025): An analysis of the fiscal challenges facing researchers and the impact on India's global academic ranking. 3. Art, Culture & Heritage "Le Corbusier’s legacy in peril: The struggle to preserve Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex" (Dec 22, 2025): A feature on the conservation efforts and the tension between urban modernization and UNESCO heritage status. "Chandigarh Art District: How street murals are reclaiming the city’s grey walls" (Oct 30, 2025): A cultural profile of the local artists transforming the aesthetic of the "City Beautiful." Signature Style Parul is known for her empathetic lens, often centering her stories on the individuals affected by policy—whether it is a student navigating university red tape or a patient seeking care. She possesses a unique ability to translate dense administrative notifications into actionable information for the public. Her long-standing beat experience makes her a trusted source for "inside-track" developments within Chandigarh’s most guarded institutions. X (Twitter): @parul_express ... Read More