In the last ten years, the Vayam Performing Arts Society has been steadily growing and expanding its scope, gaining for itself both recognition and experience. What began as an idea in the canteen of Delhi University’s Shivaji College in 2006 has now over 500 productions and 180 awards and special performances to its name. And Vayam’s name, a Sanskrit word that translates to “we”, carries within itself the ideas that society hopes to embody – togetherness, social empowerment and integrity.
Taking the initiative of promotion of artists and art forms forward, the society recently staged their fresh and impactful theatrical production ‘1500 ka dost’ at Akshara Theater in Delhi for the first time.
With a new beginning to the New Year, the two shows of the play were packed with enthusiastic spectators to an extent that there was no space to stand in the auditorium as people were sitting on stairs to watch the performances. The hall resonated with a round of applause after both shows. The shades of humour, emotions and nostalgia made the play enthralling, captivating and entertaining for the viewers.
The actors of the play do a brilliant job of infusing authenticity and credibility into the story. Each scene of the play is intertwined beautifully to enliven the old sweet flavours of friendship in everyone’s mind. The three directors of the play viz. Ashtam Neelkanth, Rahul Saini and Amit Tiwari left no stone unturned to make the play a landmark production. Their vision and technical skills have given wings to an idea by turning it into a spectacular theatrical masterpiece. The entire cast and crew including Ravi Bhadoria, Samridhi Dutta, Praveen Pillai, Rakesh Kumar, Shalu Balyan, Achla Arya, Rahul Yadav, Ramjeet Rambhar, Amit Pahel, Gunjan Tiwari, Neha Mishra, Harsh Gautam, Nayan Nayyar, Prashant Shishodia, Deepak Maggo, Rahul Garg, Savya Jindal, Anmol Jain and Shravan Kumarhas worked for almost three months to polish their characters. The precision and execution of the screenplay is superlative. The smart use of concordant music and lights complements the scenes and makes the entire experience of watching the play all the more interesting and worthy.
The audience moved out of the auditorium overwhelmed with the quality of theatre that they witnessed. There were words of praise and appreciation all around on the conclusion of the event as the audience and organisers were delighted with the proceedings of the event. From décor to arrangements, performance to feedback, the event was a success. The audience could be seen experiencing a mixed bag of emotions throughout the performance. Warm smiles and affectionate tears could be seen in one sight. The feedback cards were evident of the extent to which the play moved the audience. Post cards were distributed to the audience to motivate them for writing a wholehearted message to their old friends. The highlight of the production was its immaculate direction, stimulating concept and a high-spirited, resplendent cast. The production seemed all the more special and powerful because of the presence of persons with disability in the cast. The event was organised in partnership with “Yes! We Can”, an NGO that supports the cause of disability. The support and encouragement of 12 partner organisations including BSE India Ltd., Ekaa industries and ItsPossible Group added more glitter and excellence to the event. The hard work and perseverance of cast and crew is remarkable and has brought glory to journey of Vayam.
With its well established campus wing in Shivaji College, University of Delhi and professional wing based in Delhi and Mumbai, Vayam is making eminent progress to fulfill its aim to become a driver of social change by means of art. The society is also currently recruiting interested budding artists, script writers, directors, technicians and volunteers to expand its scale of activities.
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