You are invited to the second of three rehearsed readings of plays that have won the TOTO for Creative Writing in earlier years. With inputs from the playwright, Vivek Vijayakumaran will read Swetanshu Bora’s Pagdi, which won the TOTO in 2013.  The performance will take place at Atta Galatta (178, 5th Main, 9th Cross, 1st Stage, Indiranagar, Bengaluru 560038) on Friday, 24 November 2023 at 7.00 p.m.

These readings form part of a series of events that connect to young artists whose work TFA has encouraged and validated over the last 20 years.

About the Play:

Pagdi explores the place of history in modern life. How much should and can a modern man acknowledge and value history, and what are the repercussions of ignoring it? Written in the first person, the play recounts the life of a young Sikh man who chases the world of opportunities and wealth. It asks: What did he achieve and what did he have to give up on this journey?

The jury for the 2013 Toto Awards for Creative Writing described Pagdi as ‘an emotional piece, without being sentimental or maudlin. The character of the protagonist is fully fleshed, believable, very human … it is a narrative of change which spans generations, cities and even different times of recent Indian history, all of which is told with sensitivity but without ever hitting a false note or lapsing into everyday sentimentality. Balancing contradictory and competing emotions in a style where hyper naturalism is delicately inflected with surrealism, this is an impressive piece of writing.’