Building the Wada again

Playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar and theatre-maker Anuradha Kapur join writer Ashutosh Potdar in a conversation about the play Virasat, and what it means to rebuild it’s world for a new generation of performers and audiences.

The discussion moves between text and dramaturgy, memory and archive, and asks why the Wada trilogy continues to speak to us today.

About the Speakers

Mahesh Elkunchwar is one of India’s most celebrated playwrights, whose works include Virasat, Holi, Party, Sonata, and Atmakatha. His plays have been translated into several Indian languages, staged across the country, and adapted for film. A Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow, he is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman, and numerous other honours.

Anuradha Kapur is a theatre-maker, educator, and former Director of the National School of Drama. Her acclaimed productions include Virasat, Nale Wali Ladki, Dark Things, and 409 Ramkinkars. She has taught and held visiting positions at institutions in India and internationally and is the author of Actors, Pilgrims, Kings, and Gods: The Ramlila at Ramnagar (1990,2004).

About the Moderator

Ashutosh Potdar is an award-winning Marathi writer, translator, editor, and scholar. His work spans plays, fiction, poetry, translation, and performance studies. He teaches literature and drama at FLAME University, Pune, and edits the bilingual journal हाकारा | hākārā.