Through the eyes of the other by SHIVANGI PANT

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE OTHER

DOCUMENTATION BOOK

PG CAPSTONE PROJECT 2020 | EXEGESIS STUDENT Shivangi Pant

PROJECT Through the eyes of the other

PROGRAM Postgraduate Professional Program

AWARD Earth Education and Communication

ÂŠ Copyrights 2020 Student Capstone 2020 Exegesis Publication (for private circulation only) All Rights Reserved PG Capstone 2020 Exegesis (Postgraduate Program) Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bangalore 560064 Karnataka

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Written, edited and designed by Shivangi Pant Printed at Kolor kode, Shantinagar, Bangalore

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & PLAGIARISM STATEMENT I, SHIVANGI PANT, hereby declare that the content of this student PG Capstone Project 2020 Exegesis submission is my own original work and has not been plagiarised in full or part from previously published/ designed/manufactured material or does not even contain substantial propositions of content which have been accepted for an award of any other degree or diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this thesis project. I also declare that the intellectual content of this PG Capstone Project 2020 Exegesis is my own original work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design and conception or in style and presentation is acknowledged and that this exegesis (or part of it) will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I, SHIVANGI PANT, hereby grant Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology the right to archive and to make available my PG Capstone Project Exegesis in whole or in part in the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s databank and website, and for non-commercial use in all forms of media, now and hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act.

Shivangi Pant Student Signature 30/7/2020

PG CAPSTONE PROJECT 2020 | EXEGESIS STUDENT Shivangi Pant

PROJECT Through the eyes of the other

PROGRAM Postgraduate Professional Program

AWARD Earth Education and Communication

EXAMINER 1 Name Signature

Date

EXAMINER 2 Name Signature

Date

EXAMINER 3 Name Signature

Date

FINAL COMMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ‘Through the eyes of the other’- the project is dedicated to all the Nilgiri langurs, living in the canopies of South India. This project marks a very important turning point in my life as it highlighs the relationship that I share with the natural world. This project will always hold a special place, as it has provided me with innumerable learnings, and has inspired my ambitions in life. Endless gratitude to Srisrividhiya Kalyanasundaram, who efficiently and brilliantly mentored me through this project. Thank you for motivating me, believing in my work, and for seeing what it might become. Srivi has been an instrumental part in generating my curiosity towards the wonders of the natural world, without her this project would have not been what it is. I am deeply thankful to Ramneek Singh as I have gratefully benefitted from his Play reading and writing session. Ramneek’s constant feedback and inputs have encouraged me to write and read extensively for this project. My Deepest gratitude to the seminar panelists, Srisrividhiya Kalyanasundaram, and Vidhu Gandhi for their invaluable feedback.Their comments, critiques, and sugges-tions were highly enriching and helped in shaping the project. My heartfelt gratitude to Mathivanan Sir, Sravanan Sir and Maria Anthony, from ACCC Atree for taking me around in the forests of KMTR and briefing me about all the different species found in the region. I would like to show my appreciation to Prasanth Soluna for helping me take amazing photographs at the field.I am indebted to Prof Chetan Nag who at the first place suggested that I can visit KMTR for my field visit. I am greatly thankful to Nagarathana B and Dr. Sunita Rao for providing me with in-depth insights on the lives and conservation issues of Nilgiri Langur. My special thanks to Prof Anindiya Sinha for providing me with a totally different perspective on animal consciousness and the innumerable articles and papers he suggested me to read, to build this project. I have greatly benefited from Dr. Suri Venkatachalan and Dr. Rohan Arthur for their insightful and mind opening conversations around conservation and Capitalism during the Conservation course at NCF. My delightful friends and batchmates Julieanne Prabhakar, Rhyma Hussain, Stuti Jiandani, Sakshi Yadav, Srishti Srivastava,provided constant emotional support during the time of the pandemic and kept me going with non-stop encourage-ment and their constructive feedback on my project. This project wouldn’t have been possible without them. I would also like to thank Aditya Pant for helping me proofread my work. Special thanks to All the members of the Mandali group who attended all the play reading and writing sessions with me and provided me with feedback and good criticism. I would also like to thank my family members for their constant emotional support and believing in me that I can make my way through this course and produce something meaningful. Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology has provided me with a very stimulating environment in what concerns the extraordinary quality of its faculty, and that experience will leave marks beyond this project. 9

CONTENTS 1.

Introduction

Proposal

Research

Artistic Process

Field Visit-2

Project brief

Worth, Significance, Value Nilgiri Langur- How and Why? Choosing the site Field trip -1 Importance of research area Philosophical Statement Methodology Research purpose/Questions Proposed outcome Positioning Alignment with Capabilities

Embodied research Secondary research State of the art review The larger picture Initial Art based research

Into playwriting Embodies Engagement Feedback and suggestions

Engagement with ACCC ATREE Conservation course at NCF

Exploration/Iteration Into the art of theatre Feedback and suggestion Understanding playwriting Taking a different path Back to the original path Feedback and suggestion Rewriting the script

Final Output

120

Way forward

146

Reflection

148

10.

References

151

Play script Book design

1. Introduction Earth education and communication, the course encouraged me to get inspired by the relationship that we share with the natural world as a complex system of co-existence and interdependence. In these two years of my masters course, I observed and built relationships with nature that were hard to see before. What stirred me, was the investigation of boundaries that connect the human and the non human world (nature) and the curiosity of seeing through the eyes of the other. It encouraged me to understand how important socio-political concerns are when considering environmental conservation. Today, the world at large faces big challenges like Climate change, forest fires, rising sea levels, etc. answers and solutions to which are hard to find immediately. What the course offered me was an overall understanding of environment and conservation standpoints which could help build my own views in the near future. Started mainly as a nature enthusiast, I can now see my journey into a more nuanced understanding of the natural world. What I as a student inquired in the first year has followed through, although with a better understanding. Nature no more just means Flora and fauna, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meaning has expanded for me in the realm of history, society, culture, politics and ecology itself. With a better understanding of these concepts I have now worked on a project that stitches these elements together. Creating points of action which in the near future can provide a different perspective on solving some of the environmental issues . Apart from a more nuanced understanding of environment and nature, in these two years I have also worked on expanding my artistic practices from purely an illustration based inquiry to a performance art based inquiry. Understanding the self and body and its knowledge has been a key element of my work. This particular project starts from an embodied research perspective to touching aspects of theatre arts. This document book is a witness to my journey and my ups and downs. It feels important to also note for future reference, that this work was created during the time of a pandemic that shook the whole world.

Project Brief This particular project looks at evoking a sense of ecological consciousness amongst people towards the non human world (Nature) through the medium of performance art. The project takes an art based approach with a hope that art can become an integral factor in contributing towards ecological and scientific knowledge. For the purpose of the same, I have chosen Nilgiri Langurs, an endemic species to western ghats threatened by Habitat loss and Habitat destruction, due to various development activities like logging, dam construction and conversion of land into plantation lands, hunting and poaching. The idea of the project is to understand what it would mean to be an animal. Can we look at the world as a non human and thereby reflect on things that directly and indirectly threaten the survival of these beings. Embodied research, plays an important role in the process of this project. Eventually creating a body of work which culminates into a script for a play as an output. The project also looks at the socio-political issues of the area chosen i.e Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, with a prime focus on the issue related to tea plantations in the region. The diagram along side is a visual abstract of my project. It demonstrates the links that I have created, connecting the ecology of Nilgiri Langurs, to tribes living in the forest of KMTR thereby embodying the animal and the tribe, eventually creating points of action which leads to evoking ecological consciousness amongst a chosen audience.

2. Proposal

Worth , Significance, Value

In the era of ‘Anthropocene’ (Schlottmann, 2017)[1], A term coined by Prof Jan Zalasiewicz, a geologist at the University of Leicester, defines the current geological epoch, to emphasize the central role of human in geology and ecology, where human interaction with nature is mostly based on the benefits it gains from it, the natural world is seen mostly as a commodity rather than as an important part of the ‘being’. The future of our world looks bleak with declining forests, perishing species, plastic oceans etc. “This cannot be changed just by replacing the people in power, reducing the monopoly of banks and industries, ending wars or even finding better and cleaner alternatives of energy (even though these are important and should take their own course.” [2] It is important to look at how we approach our needs and desires and change the way we think about our relationship with nature. This, I believe is the role of the arts: to tap into our kingdom of senses and enable us to think about our needs, ideas of growth, social relations and especially our relation with nature differently, for longer and healthier sustenance. The Western Ghats: one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots harbours over 5000 species of flowering [3] plants, 139 mammals, 508 birds and 179 amphibian species. Intensive human disturbances coupled with natural calamities have led to erosion of species richness, disruption of the closed canopy in the region. Declining rainfall, change in the monsoon pattern and change in landscape due to global warming have been [4] major causes for the habitat loss of many species in the region. Considering that the global scale systems are complex, even a small scale state shift can cause a state shift in the entire ecosystem. It is important to realize the impact that humans are currently having on the earth’s ecosystem, as it also directly affects the humans in turn. “It is vital if the role of society and arts is to steer the biosphere towards conditions we desire, [5] rather than that are thrust upon us unwittingly”! Therefore, I believe that a site specific work about Nilgiri Langur, an endemic primate species of western ghats would work towards bringing consciousness and awareness amongst people about their close habitat dwellers and hence would be valuable not only to the non-human species but also the people living there.

Nilgiri Langurs- How and Why? Langurs had been a distinct part of my inquiry previously during the course of two years at Srishti. I had observed them in different geographical locations from Himalayas to the southern parts of India, although just as a part of journalling. They catch my imagination with their social structures, within their groups and the fact that we share common ancestors from some 15 million years ago. They are an integral part of ancient Indian epic Ramayana and are worshipped widely as God Hanumana. Away from the much popular langurs, the Nilgiri Langurs live in the jungles of Western Ghats and are known for their shyness and distinct characteristics. Nilgiri Langurs became a part of my study after being the protagonist for one of the comic strips, I developed for an ecologist, Vasanth Godwin Bosco. It started as a mere interest in understanding the primate species but eventually developed into a detailed inquiry of their lives and their various conservation concerns. Nilgiri Langurs are found in Western Ghats in a wide range of habitatsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; tropical evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, riverine and montane wet temperate forests. They prefer to live between 300-2000m above sea level and are arboreal species. Thick black coat and exceptionally long tail is the characteristics of these langurs. They are folivores and their diet mostly comprises of leaves and sometimes, nuts, fruits, seeds and flowers. Occasionally they also eat tree bark. [6] They mostly form groups of 8-27 which are usually female centric One of the most distinct characteristics of this species is their communication matrix. They are one of the most vocal species with gesture and facial expression being some of the ways they communicate. The reason for choosing Nilgiri Langur for my study was because they currently face habitat loss and fragmentation due to activities like wood cutting for firewood, occasional poaching and tourism activities [7] during festivals . Although much scientific research has been done, there is less community engagement for the conservation of these species particularly in the KMTR region. This project hopes to fulfil that gap through embodied engagement and story telling to evoke ecological consciousness towards the species.

Samples from a comic series that I developed for Vasanth Godwin Bosco’s book ‘Voice of a sentient Island’. This work crucial in developing my interest in Nilgiri langurs 18

Choosing the site KMTR The Mundunthurai plateau was one of the richest regions in all forms of wildlife. In 1962 it was given the status of a sanctuary, until 1976 when it merged with Kalakkad Reserve forest under ‘Project Tiger’ and was declared as Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in 1988. Almost all types of vegetation known are found in the region such as- Southern tropical thorn forest, Southern tropical moist deciduous forest, Tropical semi-evergreen forest, Southern tropical wet evergreen rain forest, subtropical montane forest [8] and grassy swards at high altitudes. Vegetation types in KMTR region

More than 150 strict endemic plant species are found here making the region very unique. The reserve is the southernmost habitat of the tiger. Predators like panther, jungle cat, civet, dhole,jackal and striped hyenas are found here. Five non-human primates are seen, namely Lion-tailed Macaque, slender louris, Nilgiri Langur, common langur and bonnet macaque. Some threatened species found here are Nilgiri Thar, Sloth bear, Indian bison, Indian elephant, Malabar giant squirrel, mouse deer, pangolin etc. Over 150 species of birds .[9] and 30 species of fishes are recorded from the reserve River Thamiraparani, also called the copper coloured river, is the chief river of Tirunelveli district. Several tributaries like Manimuthaar, Pachaiyar, Nambiyar, Kodayar emerge to form the river. The climate of the region is hot and dry in the foothills up to 600m altitude. Above 600m the hilly ranges the climate is cool and pleasant throughout the year. The summer season from March to May, is followed by the southwest monsoon from June to September. October and November constitute the post monsoon or retreating monsoon from June to September. October and November constitute the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season with frequent thunderstorms. The period from December-February is the period of the northeast monsoon although the rains are confined to the first half of the season and the rest of the period is [10] one of clear bright weather. The hill tribe settlers of Kani used to live partly on leaves, tubers and fruits of forest plants and by hunting wild animals. Although after the wildlife protection act they have stopped hunting and practice bee keeping as a way of livelihood. Some of the tribal members are now even a part of the anti poaching committee. The Kani’s are known for their close relationship with nature and for having traditional knowledge of medicinal plants which are now being used as drugs. They mainly collect honey, cinnamomum bark, and resins especially black dammer..The hills provide for valuable ecosystem services .Besides timber trees, revenue is collected from the sale of minor forest products, such as bamboo and ome wild eaves, young buds and barks [11] which are collected for crude drugs.

Endemic species in the Sholas- ‘Save the Sholas’- a film by Shekhar Dattatari

Rainfall pattern in the Agasthyamalai range

Insights from the field trip to KMTR I chose Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu as my research area with the help of Dr. Chetan Nag who is a professor at Jain University, Bangalore. He suggested that KMTR is one of the regions where observations of Nilgiri langurs is a fairly easier job. Further he helped me getting in touch with one of a researchers -Nagarathana, from Pondicherry University, who did her master’s dissertation on Nilgiri langurs at KMTR and helped me provide accommodation at ACCC (Agathyamalai Community Conservation centre) ATREE (Ashoka trust for research in Ecology and The Environment). During my two day stay at Atree ACCC field station, I visited Nalmukh in Upper Kodayar stretch of KMTR for observing Nilgiri Langurs and the Mundanthurai Scantuary to meet the Kani’s . As my visit was just for two days, my observations of Langurs were limited, but I got a good analysis of the Nilgiri Langur habitat which was documented through photographs and journalling. I was able to observe the vegetation, climate and the landscape of the region, along with the socio-economic conditions of the people living there. My observations in the first day revealed that nearly two-thirds of the forest has been cleared for tea plantations by the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation 60 years ago, leading to a saturation of the species [12]. habitat, also responsible for changes in the social behavioral patterns of Langurs. (Mewa Singh, Et.al.) The landscape of Kalakkad Mundunthurai also faces several issues from the tourists visiting the temple festival celebrated during the month of August every year, which has been responsible for road kill accidents, killing wildlife as reported to me by one of the researcher at ATREE. Because of the influx of large numbers of tourists, the river flowing along the temple gets polluted which in turn has caused issues like dysentery, skin rashes and food poisoning for the Kani tribals living inside the forest. I was able to interview one of the Kani tribe Pradhan who now works in an anti-poaching community.. I got a glimpse of their life, which for some seemed reasonable and for some filled with hardship. The Kani’s, as mentioned above used to hunt Nilgiri langurs as it was thought to having a medicinal value (in curing asthma) Although with the Wildlife protection Act of (1972), any hunting in the region has been banned.

Change in my viewpoints I feel, at this stage it is important to point out my views before and after the field visit. The little research I had done before visiting the field, I was under the impression that Nilgiri Langurs face threat from the local communities due to hunting and poaching. I was aware that human activities like wood logging have been responsible for the loss of habitat and its fragmentation but to what extent, it was unknown to me. On the first day of my visit, I was alarmed to see that a tea plantations exist within a Tiger reserve, and that plantations have taken over most of the forest cover. I was further more astonished to see that there is a tea factory and a huge golf course inside the reserve. From here my perspective around the issues faced by the langurs completely changed. I began to speculate how tea plantations would have impacted the langur habitat. My stakeholders now seemed more clear plantations owners and workers. Slowly I began to understand the plight of plantation workers who fear that their livelihoods will be taken away as the factory will shut down by the year 2027, when it’s lease ends. I started to understand the problems local communities face, who would had displaced from their homes either due to the conversion of the forest into plantation lands or when the forest was declared a Tiger reserve

Top two: posters of Lion tailed Macaque and Nilgiri langur; Middle left and bottom: landscape sketch of Sholas; Middle right: Cullinea plant sketch 25

Importance of research area Why use art to evoke ecological consciousness? My field research in KMTR provided me with a larger understanding of the situation on ground.,revealing that threats faced by Nilgiri Langurs do not stand alone but tagged along are several social issues which can not be sidelined. Therefore, it becomes important to consider and find ways in which one can bring a sense of ecological consciousness amongst people who directly and indirectly impact the survival of these species, where one understands the relationship we share with the natural world and embracing and caring for all life forms. This shift can be achieved through Art which is a powerful and a meaningful tool for influencing beliefs and values.[13] With the beginning of the 20th Century, artists started making works which drew attention to various ecological concern and tried address and understand human relationship with the natural environment through artistic practice. Andy Goldsworthy, for example, is best known for his ephemeral works with the landscape, using only the materials he found around him. Jim Nollman, an interspecies artist, composes and creates music with turkeys, wolves and orca whales. These works show how artistic practice builds upon the agency of animals more than of humans, acknowledging beings with consciousness, probably of a different kind from ourselves. It opens up a new paradigm to see our environment through the lens of Art. Certain community conservation efforts have been taken up by organizations like ATREE and keystone in the KMTR region of western ghats, using art as a medium, for the purpose of building awareness and capacities of various stakeholders. Current community based conservation efforts are mostly limited to research papers available only to either the scientific or student community at an institutional level. Therefore, public awareness through performance art and theatre can possibly overcome these limitations as it can disseminate scientific knowledge into understandable communication mediums. It also seeks to involve people both emotionally and physically thereby allowing for a deeper sense of connection with the natural world. More research has to be done, in the field where performance art and ecology can come together. Exploring this possibility is the aim of my research.

Philosophical statement Affect in animals The project follows an art based approach which emerges from the intersection of artistic and socioscientific practices. As a way of understanding the life of an animal, I am using the concept of ‘Affective consciousness’ which refers to the core emotional feeling contained within the mammalian brains and reflects on emotional behaviours in animals through actions like -SEEKING, FEAR, RAGE, LUST, CARE, PANIC AND PLAY. This helps the project develop in the following ways: (a) knowledge of affective consciousness in animals may contribute to a better understanding of the self and selfconsciousness, (b) An understanding of affect in the lives of other animals may be critical for making informed choices on how we ethically treat other creatures.[14] Through this understanding of affective consciousness, the project seeks to understand 1) How embodied practice is able to convey affective consciousness in Nilgiri Langurs and bring awareness in the self as well as the other about the same 2) How can multiple ways of knowing such as sensory, kinaesthetic and imaginary be used to contribute towards the larger understanding of the animals

Affect and performance As proposed Schechner ‘s argument considers that performance studies should be constructed as a “broad spectrum” of human actions ranging from ritual, play, sports,popular entertainment, the performing arts and various day to day activities that a human performs[15] .He also considers no break in human and animal behaviour, although what distinguishes humans from animals is the varying degree of consciousness in all animals(including humans).In Darwin’s volume ‘The expression of Emotions in Man and Animals’ one of the principles of emotional expression draws parallels between emotional expression in humans and non humans with a caution.(Due to species specific differences). This parallel has been used to study the possible state of emotional expression in humans.[16] [Davidson et al 2002, Handbook of Affective sciences] Several primate and bird species have associated meaning to a particular communication. For example Pygmy marmoset world’s smallest monkey utilizes high frequency calls that are above the optimal hearing range of most predatory birds, as alarm calls for the rest of the group, suggesting the associated context to the call. Similarly as described by Dittus (1984)[17] Toque macaques in Sri Lanka give a call when they find a ripe fruit. The rest of the group joins the caller to feed. Although the same call is given during the onset of monsoon and also at the end of the monsoon with the first sunny day. Copulation calls in male Rhesus macaques, as suggested by Hauser(1996)[18] might make them more attractive to females and therefore, can achieve more mating success. To me this suggests that associating contexts and reasons to the call is similar to how humans also communicate, developing a sense of awareness and belonging to one’s environment. Therefore, my hypothesis stands at ‘Can understanding the emotional states of non humans through expressions be used to draw parallels between humans and non humans; thereby generating a sense of belonging and empathy amongst people towards animals?

Methodology a) Field based research ● Understanding the lives of Nilgiri Langurs through direct observation in their natural settings. In a duration of 4 months in am planning to visit the field at least 4 times to observe and understand the species. I will be doing this through nature journalling and field notes with specialists who have worked in the field before. ● Understanding the socio-economic and political conditions of the tea estate workers in Nalmukh and Manjolai, will be an important part of my research. b) Embodied research ● Understanding the lives of nilgiri langurs by embodying the animal. Aspects of which will include comprehending the anatomy, habitat, foraging ecology, communication matrix of the langurs. Field visits and secondary research will inform my embodied practice. c) Art based research Art Based Research allows one to use the art practice as a way of knowing. I will be using to methods, fiction based research and performance based research to arrive at the output. ● Fiction Based Research would involve developing a narrative around the subject. The narrative will further be developed into a story which will have sequence of events, for a beginning, middle and an ending. This could of be of satisfying, subvert, shock or grief in nature. The story line can be put in a genre which can be Suspense, action, romance, thriller etc. The scenes within can be humorous, joyful, melancholic, tragic, ironic or sarcastic. ● Defining the Character which is sensitive, multidimensional and at the same time easily understood by the audience is an important starting point of the project. While defining the character I will keep in mind that there is a robust physical description, personality, feelings, name, gender, age and even nationality if needed ● Dialogue and Monologues will define the character and give an overall understanding of their philosophical argument of the storyline Deliverable A: A play script that draws from field based, embodied and secondary research. Performance art is able to present rich contextual experiences and multi-dimensional perspectives on the characters. After analysing the data gained from above mentioned research methods, I would apply the fiction based research into developing a narrative and a storyline. Depending on the storyline scenes and acts will be arranged. Directing, staging, acting, dialogue and monologue further becomes elements of consideration while creating the performance; Visual elements like scenography, costume and makeup, performance venue, media technology, sound and music also will take its course of action while developing the performance. Deliverable B: A piece of performance art or theatre that can be performed in front of the audience.

Research purpose The purpose of the research is to understand the life and conservation concerns of Nilgiri Langurs through a medium of embodied research. The primary purpose is to explore the idea of ‘looking through the eyes of the other’ in this particular case of the Nilgiri Langurs, to evoke ecological consciousness amongst an audience of people who directly or indirectly affect the species and in the long run would be affected themselves. The project also aims at developing an interdisciplinary methodology which can combine conservation concerns of species with performance art and theatre.

Research question ● How can one seek to understand animals through embodied practice? ● How can performance art work towards public awareness? ● Can performance art created then change the narrative around ecological conservation at large?

Proposed outcome Possible audience- I have identified four audience types. Although I might eventually end up working with either one or two. a) Urban middle class living in cities like Bangalore. Possible venues - One shanti road, Ahum, Rangoli Metro Art centre, Bangalore little theatre. As India has a large population of tea consumers, the play will seek to bring in forefront the issues related to tea plantations. b) Students from age 12-14 in Tirnulveli distirct. Making them more ecologically sensitive towards the animals that live in their near vicinity. c) Tourists visiting the town of Ambasamutaram, (a small town in the Tirnulveli district of Tamil Nadu). The performance can be held during festivals like the Waterbird festival organized by Atree in KMTR, which hosts a large audience of local as well as foreign people. d) The Environment society, scientists, researchers and organizations who work with ecology, the environment and conservation. Output- a) A script for a play which looks at the ecological and social concerns of the chosen subject. I plan onwriting a drama which can eventually be performed in front of the identified audience. b) An interactive performance drawn from the script. I further plan to work with people living near the forests of Kalakkad and Mundanthurai in creating the theatre piece. I have also identified a theatre group from Tirnulveli named ‘Nature talkies’. The performance hopes to give voice to animals and the tea estate workers whose voices are muffled in today’s capitalistic world. Outcome- The project hopes to evoke a sense of ecological consciousness amongst people with a idea that they become more aware of the natural world around them making nuanced decisions on subjects that directly or indirectly impact the lives of other beings, which is mostly forgotten when dealing with one’s economic problems forced upon by the capitalistic world. With this project, I hope to unravel what a piece of performance art can do to make people start thinking and seeing the world through the eyes of the other. It also hopes to provide a framework and methodology for further works of similar kinds for different species. As for me I would like to take this research and see if it can be applied to other primates around the world, who currently are threatened due to intensive human activities. 30

sketches of how I imagine my final output to look like. From top; setting a background to the stage; Myself embodying the animal on stage; Playing out of an event like a cyclone or a predator chasing; Interaction with a human on stage. 31

Positioning The project can be positioned in the context of art and ecology, wherein it seeks to understand personal relationships with nature and reflect on the complex interdependencies of the environment we live in. It becomes interdisciplinary when it uses different mediums of visual and performative art to communicate a subject as complex as ecology and trans-disciplinary when it investigates the porous boundaries that connect human and non-human worlds through the intervention of art. The project evokes critical questions as to how can we consciously engage with the nature around us, especially the animate living beings and how we can create symbiotic relationships with the flora and fauna around us. Embodied practice allows the mind and the body to work together and experience the world in different perceptual realities. It brings compassion for the world around us, especially as we try to fit into the shoes of the other in performative acts. The sensory experience of climbing a tree or biting the air like an ape, I believe can make one reflect on their own doings and its effect on other species. The project also seeks to articulate the experiential knowledge gained from the embodied practice, in the academic sphere.

Alignment with Capabilities Capability for deep reflection as a way to review biases, contemplate and engage with life in all its forms - Through the project I will be reviewing the existing conflict between the wildlife and human needs, Understanding the biases I have towards the non human animals and contemplating if my actions coincide with my belief. Capability to be discerning with a critical understanding of diverse positions and movements that inform environmental conservation and education- While creating the script for the play, I will be examining various conservation and ecological standpoints in order to understand the depth of the conflict existing within the KMTR region of Tamil Nadu.. Capability to transact meaning with audiences and build context-sensitive practices- Keeping in mind that my audience is Indian, i will be looking at various existing reference points on Langurs. Making informed choices on what the performance piece will be exhibiting to a particular audience and context is an integral part of the project. Capability to perceive gestalts, navigate complexity and negotiate intelligences through transdisciplinary engagement.- My artwork lies within the field of script writing, performance art, ecology, environmentalism and animal studies. Capability for leadership as action in art, design and/or technology praxis- As an outcome of the project, a framework on how performance art can evoke ecological consciousness will emerge, which can further be applied to similar projects. This framework will allow one to take leadership roles, within different contexts. Capability for responsible creativity that emerges from social, ecological, ethical and learning design - the project lies within transdisciplinary fields of ecology, social science and art. The project will make informed choices based on existing forms within each field. Capability to reflect on interdependence and co-existence that we share with the natural worldUnderstanding the Langurs and humans in the study region exists together, benefiting from each other, is an important part of the project and will be understood and reflected through embodied research. 32

Photograph of a Nilgiri Langur taken at Nalmukh, KMTR. PC- Prashant Soluna, field assistant. 33

3. Research My research is divided into three categories, Embodied, Secondary and Primary. Each part gains from the another. My research is a rather back and forth process, than a linear one.

Embodied research

Primary research

Secondary research

Embodied Research One of the integral part of the project is to understand the animal, it’s emotional states, it’s being, it’s habitat and interaction with others, which may be critical for making informed choices on how we ethically treat them. The question then arises how do you truly understand a being which is not you? Research papers, videos, photographs, are for sure mediums which allow one to get a larger understanding, although the experience it provides it purely either visual or mental. This is where I believe our bodies can allow for a much more nuanced experience when one tries to put themselves in the body of others. Body is not an independent entity but rather embedded in its cultural ethos. Gender, sexuality and ethnicity which shape our mental, emotional and physical selves contribute to the making of this “body”. The lived body allows for experiential knowledge and therefore, seeks to provide further stimulus to create works of art. For instance, in the works of Merina Abromovich and Yoko Uno, where the body becomes the chief medium of enacting or in the works of Ana Mendieta where the female body is positioned as a critical mediator, or in the works of Cindy Sherman which dares to break any preconceived notions or prototype of female beauty. In the following few pages I have tried to use my body as a source of knowledge, this knowledge gained then is further complimented with secondary research for a deeper exploration of various aspects of a langur life.

Exploration 1 Communication Matrix of Nilgiri langur During my field visit, I was fascinated by the whoops of Nilgiri langurs which echo through the dense forests of KMTR. Therefore, my first inquiry into embodying the langur was to understand how they communicate. Non human primates usually communicate through acoustic, internal, olfactory and visual channels.[19] The acoustic channel involves vocalization, for example sound production or canine grinding. Sounds may also be produced by utilizing objects in the environment . Nilgiri langurs produce such sound by jumping around the tree. This behaviour is a part of territorial display. The optical channel of communication happens through gestures and facial changes. It includes ear placement, a degree of mouth opening and closing, expressions through limbs and tail. The change in colour phenomenon includes examples of greying of hair in older individuals. In Nilgiri langur the infants are born with reddish brown natal coat until approximately ten weeks of age, as they grow the coat becomes black. Olfaction is another mode of communication amongst non-human primates. According to Poirier, the data and research on this mode of communication is limited, however it is evident that the fecal odour arising as a result of defecation due to intense territorial conflicts in Nilgiri langurs is not just a sign of defecation due to excitement but also, the odour helps communicate the event to the surrounding langurs. Poirier in his paper, ‘The communication matrix of the Nilgiri langurs in South India’, also points out that the communication within a group or outside groups are very much important for the social behaviour in Langurs. Each individual has a certain set of communication devises that he/she uses to survive within a group. Their communication matrix is even divided into two categories of ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ responses. “For example, a beta animal’s primary response may be associated with its beta dominance rank. Its secondary responses are those associated with its subordinate position in relation to the alpha animal”. [F.E Poirier] According to Porier, in monkeys, there are internal as well as environmental stimuli that control its reaction, even though they have significance in the manner of conveying meaning, they are not interpersonal like that of humans. Prof. Anindiya Sinha’s research on wild Bonnet macaques, a primate species commonly found in Peninsular India, questions our current knowledge about animal consciousness, and how can we truly understand what consciousness would be for them? Understanding the consciousness of animals, is something that the exploration aims to do. Although it relies on a fantastical realm, as it considers them as conscious beings, who can emote their feeling to other. (The question if it is scientifically possible is another discussion, which I chose not to dwell in, at this particular moment) Communication, is a window to recognize consciousness, therefore, I have chosen some gestural responses amongst Nilgiri langurs which could possibly help me take this topic further.

Practice

Source: Poirier (1970)

“I hear sounds more clearly; I can see more of myself”

Source: Poirier (1970)

Exploration 2 Foraging ecology of Nilgiri langur The food habits of a species is one of the one basic aspects of its ecology and therefore it was important for me to understand the same for Nilgiri Langurs. Nilgiri Langurs are folivorous species but their diet also consists of some amount of fruits, flower buds, stems and seeds. In the research it is reflected that because Nilgiri Langurs have a special/different diet system, they have specialized dental crests and gut. It has also been found out that they are highly selective towards the kind of leaves and even the parts they consume. For examples, while feeding on mature leaves, the lamina (thin layer of tissue) is discarded and only the petioles (the stock that connects the leaf to the stem)are ingested. [20] It has been noted that the food species consumed by Nilgiri Langurs vary greatly with the forest type.

Source: Debahutee Roy et al. (2012) Left: Proportion of different plant categories constitutes food species of Nilgiri Langur in Parambi-kulam Tiger Reserve during the study period (Dec-2011 to Mar-2012). Right: Proportion of different parts of food plants eaten Nilgiri Langur in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve during the study period (Dec-2011 to Mar-2012).

As a part of my practice for this particular exploration, I went to a nearby park which could be considered a form of natural surrounding in the vicinity of my house. I climbed some trees where I searched for barks, leaves, that I could possibly eat. Although, it was highly irrelevant for me to look for a leaf as an embodied langur, I found myself caught up in the foraging activity. This experience for me was simple but profound while understanding what a monkey would possibly think and feel while looking for food. This engagement allowed me to possibly think and see like an animal.

“I can notice my body reacting to the tree differently. • Time seems too long now, Maybe I should sleep”

Practice

Exploration 3 Social structure in Nilgiri Langur Nilgiri langurs being arboreal species live their lives in the canopies. They live in a group of anywhere between 8-25 with mostly female centric groups. Some group are all male and all female too. Usually there is only one adult male in the group. According to Tanaka (1956) Nilgiri langurs are less active compared to Hanuman Langur with whom they share similar social structures. Individual’s activity is also less in comparison, and they spend more time resting on the trees. In terms of social structure they seldom conduct grooming, which was also observed by me during my field visit. According to the same paper mentioned above the langurs were never spotted mounting during the observation period 1961-1963 in the Dharwar district of Mysore state. However as reported by one of the researcher’s Nagarathana in KMTR, a male was spotted mounting the alpha female on two occasions from January to March 2019, Suggesting that mounting is a regular activity during the mating seasons. In the observations made by Tanaka, it was reported that the troop observed, always moved around the trees and only came to the ground to drink water from the lake. [21] According to the paper ‘Dominance structure of the Nilgiri Langurs (Presbytis Johnii) in South India’ by Poireir it suggests that in Japanese Macaque, the infant of a dominant mothers tend themselves to dominance. However, off springs of lower ranking mothers are unable to identify with the troop leaders during childhood. On the other hand dominance is not an apparent behaviour in Nilgiri langur females and therefore, the high rank of mothers does not impact the behaviour of the infants with other members of the group. Although a more irritable mothers tends to produce off springs that are less confident. Grooming which is a sign of positive social bonds, amongst females in Nilgiri Langur troops were higher than male to male grooming. An interesting point to note here is that since Nilgiri Langurs are arboreal species, there is safety from intense predation, which is also the reason for the lack of an elaborate social hierarchy amongst the species. It also explains the more relaxed and non aggressive interactions amongst the members. [22]

Understanding the lives of langur in the trees; left: Looking at the world from a tree, Upper bottom right: trying to walk like a monkey

“As I drew I realized that my figures, would evolve into drawing characteristics of a monkey,I would draw see myself as a monkey

Embodiment through visual art

“Bark of the tree was something I noticed well while climbing the tree, The bark was also an integral part which helps in climbing.”

“Thoughts of eating Fruits on the tree. Very tempting”

“I rest and sleep like a monkey” 41

Living in the trees- A workshop Aim The experience of embodying a langurs would be incomplete without having interactions with others. Social structures in non human primates contribute towards understanding the animal consciousness at large. Therefore, I decided to organise a small workshop where I could invite people and make them experience what it would mean to be a langur. Picking an aspect of the langur life that would be fun, easy and relatable was a tough job. Although intuitively I decided to go ahead with the idea of living in the trees, as it was something that fascinated me. What I found interesting was that almost all the primates are tree dwellers, except for a few who have adapted to live on the ground like ourselves. Although we and the great apes share the same ancestors who diverged 15 million years ago. made me wonder, the similarities that we share with monkeys and our closely related cousins Chimpanzees and Gorillas. The aim of the exploration was to a) experience the life of a tree dwelling primate with a group of people b) Gain insights from the experience that would further my understanding of the langur life, through embodied research. The question that I wanted the people to explore were as follows: 1) How do you see the world when you try to live on a tree? 2) How will you perceive your surroundings from a tree? 3) What other beings would you notice differently? 4) How would you interact with those beings? 5) If you were to be a monkey how would you look at your surrounding now? 6) What would you do if you were to sit on a tree top for several hours? 7) How does being a human contribute to the idea of looking through the eyes of the other? 8) How would you communicate with others if you thought you were a monkey?

Structure of the workshop Keeping these questions in mind, a one-hour workshop was organized , in a close by park . The first 10 minutes were kept for introduction, in the next 15 minutes, I asked the people to walk around the park, see things minutely and see how would they perceive it their normal sense of being. I asked them to choose a tree in those 15 minutes and question why would they climb that particular tree. I even asked them to use a plant recognizing mobile application so that they are more aware of what they are climbing on. This would possibly make them more ecologically sensitive towards their surrounding. The next, half an hour was dedicated to climbing the trees and spending time on a suitable position. This would be the time where one could will be asking the questions mentioned above. The remaining 10 minutes were reserved for discussions and talks.

The Activity On the morning of 12th November 2019 a few of us gathered in a park, with the idea of climbing trees. The people present were my batch mates from Srishti Institute of art, design and technology. I invited them specifically because I wanted to explore this idea with a group of people I already have a relationship with. The next task was to now, climb a tree of our choice and spend some 20 minutes on it. Each of us explored and experienced this process differently. 42

Discussions The experience of creating a workshop which involves people not as audience but as performers helped develop a method of research which could be shared with a group of people. The activity was followed by a few discussions on how and what we felt when we were on the trees. The discussions evolved into lager ideas of self and space, animal consciousness, animal human relationship in the modern world. Although the answers that I was looking for did not come through in a direct form, explorations like these could become a part for further performances Some of the responses from people are mentioned below Srishti Srivatsava: “There were two things which stood out for me the most, one was when I was restlessly searching for a tree to climb, when everyone else was already atop a branch. This need for me to be a part of the pack, was reminiscent of the isolation that I feel, at the risk of being ‘left behind’, reminding me of the very real fear that animals would have when estranged from their herd. And how there is an inbuilt award system in place for not ‘coming down’ from the canopy. The second was the immense density of life and animals that a single tree holds, which I noticed when sitting quietly on a branch. And how the sterile environment of our houses and classrooms not only don’t have this ecosystem, but struggles everyday to destroy” Sahil Raina: “A powerful idea leading to an understanding of how we need to empathise with beings beyond just humans. Through a simple act of climbing a tree, there were many questions relating to our position in this world, our behaviour as a social group and how our bodies change in relation to our spaces. The langoors from what I understand organise themselves in a social group and their survival is based on that. I’m wondering whether we are any different. Whether in this wake of individualism, our very survival is being put to the test. It also posed the question of how we organise ourselves into these personal spaces, that sometimes are not representative of a large group, but instead, smaller groups that then become representative of that sub-group. I also took this as an opportunity to connect with the child within me, looking for that sense of wonder that embellished my childhood. I found myself wondering how it would be for a languor, living amongst the trees. Do they look 44

at their home within the trees, the same way we look at our homes? Overall, it was a simple yet profound way of connecting with another being in addition to wondering about man-made constructs through the eyes of a languor” Prem: “It was a feeling to be connected to your child. The feeling of joy and wonder to have climbed the tree. The problem solving innate to one in finding ways to an obstacle much much bigger in size, and sense of accomplishment to scale. The smell of bark and texture of the tree with distinctive leaves and fruits sets one tree apart from the other. The sublimity in reaching the highest branch is something which found when you trek to the peak of a mountain. But the pure joy was to jump around the branches in a tree and scale it.”

Conclusion ‘Living in the trees’ workshop turned out to be fruitful in the sense that it opened up a whole set of ideas and realizations that could be taken further. It allowed me to think and wonder the possibilities of exploring the same idea in different contexts. Could I from here, explore different aspects of a langur life with public engagement? Who will be the audience? How can I show events in the life of a langur? How will I develop empathy among people with the same methodology? How will a group of people learn different movements of a langur? Will everyone embody the animal or will it just be me? How will I construct the exact habitat? How will I show the represent the threats faced by Nilgiri Langur due to Habitat destruction?

Secondary Research My secondary research includes a detailed analysis of the study area in KMTR. It covers aspects of the on- ground situation in plantations of the Nalkmukh estate in the Tirnulveli district of Tamil Nadu looking the social and economic and ecological impacts of the plantations in the region. It also covers some mythological and cultural ideas around langurs particularly in India.

TEA ESTATE W TC

S HI

Understanding the context of research in KMTR through information mapping. The text in speech boxes is collected from various websites, journals and articles and research papers. Sources have been cited later in the sate of the art review section. 46

WORKERS

L JO

O RI

Understanding the view points of Tea factory owners and State government in KMTR through information mapping. The text in speech boxes is collected from various websites, journals and articles and research papers. Sources have been cited later in the sate of the art review section. 49

State of the art review While considering the ill effects of human activities on the survival of endemic species like Nilgiri Langurs it is also important to understand the social and economic factors both at the local and global level. According to Sunderajj and johnsingh (2001) the langur habitat faces extreme biotic pressure due to wood cutting for firewood, occasional poaching and tourism activities during festivals[23]. In the book Primate conservation, edited by His serene Highness Prince Rainier III and Geoffery H bourne, report that Nilgiri Langurs in the Cardamom hills of the Periyar sanctuary are even shot in the belief that they damage the crops. Their population in the region with was significant several year ago has not been virtually eliminated. [24] Although these insights are very significant, it does not provide us with a picture of a local habitat based on its particular geographical location. In Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve almost One third of the forest has been cleared out for the tea plantation. (Kavana, Erinjery, Mewa, 2014 [25] .This has not only impacted the natural habitat of the region but also the local tribal community of Kani tribe and has a significant impact on the various stakeholders related to the tea factory.[26] Therefore, it is not alone an ecological problem but also a social and economic one, thereby making it important to look at consciousness not only from the angle of wildlife ecology but also human and nature relationship. While the research starts from a pure take on animals it expands itself into the realm of tea production and manufacturing by the tea factory- BBTC(Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation) which directly affects the habitat and survival of Nilgiri Langur. A conflict arises where the question is whose survival matters more; The tea factory which provides livelihood to more than six thousand workers or the wildlife? Keeping in mind the generic concerns of wildlife conservation due to excessive tea plantations, let’s try to analyse the on ground situation and the humans whose lives are affected by the tea estate. Apart from providing employment to thousands of local and migrant workers, the tea estate corporation has not done enough to provide the workers with houses. Barely fifty percent of the employees had been provided households. Even for those who had houses, they were dilapidated, unfit for living conditions during the monsoon season. Apart from that, the medical facilities are not available and even if it is there, the medicines are too expensive [ 27]. Their minimum daily wage was not enough initially, although their fight for a better life was seen during the Manjolai protests,soon turned into Manjolai riots after the police intervention with seventeen deaths when the workers got into the river Thamirabarani to escape police lathi charge.[28] The tea estate workers currently face anxiety and uncertainty over the shutdown of the BBTC tea factory as it’s lease will end in 2027. As mentioned in the book “Ecological restoration of abandoned tea plantations by Chetan HC, the livelihood of families in other parts of Tamil Nadu that have already been abandoned, are affected by the plantation’s lockout and they have to go to far off cities and towns to work in restaurants, building construction etc. This might be the fate of the BBTC workers as well. Tea plantation workers are also the most marginalized and stigmatized communities in India, while a majority of them are Tamil speaking Dalit.[29] Jayseelan in his article ,“The hidden injuries of caste: south Indian tea workers and economic crisis”, mentions that until recently most of the plantations were semi autonomous and socio economic systems which were largely separate from the wider economic and cultural contexts. Due to the neo-liberal structural adjustments in India these systems have been punctured. As usual in these larger economic capitalistic systems, the most marginalized suffer. The tea estate workers who were largely away from discrimination against caste due to the isolation provided by the plantation, now after the lockout will be compelled to seek work outside, opening a whole new set of discriminatory activities against them.

The larger Picture Socio-politically the development of any country is measured by its economic growth. Countries like India which have emerged from colonial rule have become slaves to economic development. The actors in which are the governments, Multinational banks and corporations. Active reordering of societies to become more economically viable has become the idea of growth[30]. The human activities, as mentioned above such as extensive wood cutting ,tourism , construction are the very products of development whose prices nature has to pay. The very expansion of tea plantations by the British colonizers in India is still being continued, with India now the second largest tea producer in the world. Cutting down huge expanses of forests for tea production is one of the causes for habitat fragmentation of endemic species like Lion tailed macaque and Nilgiri Langur. Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation is one such corporation which has promoted financial growth over ecological stability and workers’ rights, giving rise to conflicts. Further, the idea of modernity has led to ‘universalism’[31] to become the major paradigm in the global scenario. The idea that we all live in a single globalised world and that science is the only reliable truth, marginalizing and demeaning other forms of knowledge. ‘Athropocene’ as indicated in the introduction of the project, has further resulted in giving rise to dualisms of human and nature, mind and body, civilized and barbarian as well as exploitation of sex, gender , caste and civilizational differences. These aspects of development mainly driven by material & financial growth, capitalist markets and commodification have resulted in the conflict between man and nature. The western idea of taming the female nature by the enforcement and dominion of male, the container which has the capability to restore nature through science and technology in the world of capitalism, has driven the idea that nature is a source of produce and should be tamed in order to become the garden of Eden which it was supposed to be. Francis Bacon and Fedrix Marx’s concept of domination of nature that the control of nature will lead to advancement, reduces nature to mere numbers by science and capitalism. This idea of recovery has to be reinvented as done by many environmentalists and ecofeminists in a different way, where nature is not looked at as female but rather having both male and female accessed by both minds.[32] The current paradigm of development has brought more social and ecological harm, therefore it is important to look at alternatives which have been taking form around the world which demands reorganization of relation, both within societies and also between humans and nature.[33] Some of the existing ways in which alternative models of development are emerging throughout the world which have resonated with me over the conflict in KMTR are (A) Worker Led production: Practices that lead towards protagonism of the subject of labour; attempts to construct alternative social relations and provides replacement of existing hierarchies in the capitalist mode of production. It replaces technological innovation with social innovation thereby promoting more ecologically oriented solutions. [34] (B) Eco- socialism: The revolutionary and reformist idea looks at qualitative transformation of production and consumption. It is not so much about the ‘excessive consumption’ but the type of consumption. It works in alliance with the labour movement, ecological, peasant and women movements. This type of intervention demands a change from the current paradigm.[35]

(C) Buen vivir: South American perspective recognizes the indigenous people’s model of living and conservation, at the same time it also finds alternatives and runs parallel to diverse histories. It further acknowledges the extended communities of humans, non humans, plants, animals , mountains and spirit. [36]

(D) Degrowth: Focuses on looking at alternatives to the existing political and economic discourse. It challenges the growth based idea of the society, replacing them by the idea of frugal dependence. It draws elements from environmental justice and democracy to formulate strategies including grassroots alternative and institutional politics. Keeping the idea of degrowth in mind can we think of an alternative for the large masses of tea estate capitals that have had an never ending need to expand. As the tea becomes less and less profitable, is expanding the cultivation land the only possibility? Can we look further into methods and alternatives to employ workers in a democratic manner? [37] (E)Food Sovereignty: It proposes three transformative ideas over food production: Commons, solidarity and diversity. This idea can possibly be a solution to the large scale plantation as well as the workers rights in the KMTR region. [38] (f)Deep Ecology: A change in consciousness of how we look at nature and the world around us. Realizing that we are a part of nature and not separate from it and its destruction also harms us. Can rocks and mountains sing and dance? [39] (G) Buddhism and wisdom based compassion: Eradicating the egoistic ignorance, wisdom of interdependence, self confidence and through the teachings of Buddha and Dalai Lama; Can religion and religious leaders bring a change in a communities perspective? [40] (I) Earth Spirituality: Stands at a contrast of the scientific approach to nature and promotes the intelligence that exists in nature. It acknowledges the indigenous knowledge as essentials to material and psychic being. As Earth spirituality is mostly an anti -development narrative, it finds itself difficult to enter the policy and economic discourse. ‘Nature rights’ is one of the possible ways of looking forward to this idea. Although more recently the ideas of the planet’s sentient behaviour have been proven scientifically. [41] Considering the conflicts that exist between human and nature, looking at the survival and conservation of endemic species becomes even more difficult. Can the methods mentioned above be used to develop a narrative using performance art/theatre to bring a sense of ecological consciousness amongst people?

Conclusion As the idea of development takes over smaller knowledge systems around the world, not only nature but the poor are always at loss. The large multinational companies, greedy governments and so called big conservation NGO’s in the name of growth destroy the very existence of man(referring to all genders) and nature, homogenizing all cultures and communities. Through this process of my project it has become really important for me to try to put myself in the shoes of the other, being aware of my privileged position, I try to slightly touch upon how can the consciousness of man and animal merge and how can it bring a different perspective to the table. How can we try to look through their eyes and their need and question not only the existing models of conservation but also the ideas of growth and development. A play might provoke questions and show a different perspective of looking at the world, starting with one species, residing in a few forests in India.

Initial Art based research Plays/ Theatre As my inquiry into the subject progressed, I started inquiring into theatre as a form of art. Considering the nature of my project, I began to read and analyse different plays, that would build my understanding of playwriting and theatre. Being an armature in this field of work, I decided to indulge myself in play reading as an activity. Along are a few initial plays that built my understanding of the subject.

A) Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco:

The play rhinoceros deals with a conflict between a man struggling to not lose his identity and becoming a rhinoceros; An all conversation based play brings out the essence of the conflict in realising one’s individual’s identity. Resistance towards the issue allows the character to sustain throughout the play. It is almost like the protagonist of the play Berenger, would not surrender to what the society is asking him to do. Questioning an individuality which is unique amongst a society is hard to resist. We never actually get to know, if he turns into a rhino or not, but clearly his dilemma is justified. Questions like who is an animal and who is a man, becomes prevalent for me as I realize that men have been turning into rhinos by the second act of the play. Also a question about becoming an animal is truly experienced in the play. The sounds and voices of rhinos is a constant background noise which keeps the reader aware of the weird situation in the city. Even when the most strong gives up, it is asked as to what is strength? An individual or a society? The play sometimes also refers to animals as lower compared to humans. Is that true or is that only a perception when everyone starts believing, that maybe the skin of a rhino is better than that of a human. The want to have a thicker and leather-like skin which is initially disgusting to the character but eventually turns into a overwhelming desire.

B) Mahish by Third space collective

An adaptation of Rhinoceros within an Indian context is very much representative of the country we currently live in. Instead of Rhino’s this time there is Mahish- ‘Mahishasur’ - a buffalo demon in the Indian mythology who can take many forms and is eventually killed by Durga. Where as in this play. all humans slowly convert into Mahish. The play starts with people dancing to the songs of ‘jai shri raam’ and ‘Hindustan hamara hai’, Source: Third Space collective, Youtube. where Hindu mythology is considered everything. All reasoning comes from there. Some do believe in it, while some don’t. A role reversal takes place between different scenes of the play. Certain aspects of sexual identity and gay love are also expressed within the play.

C) The trouble with harry by Lachlan Philpott The play The trouble with Harry looks at the issue of transgender identity in the early 20th century. It revolves around mainly four characters Mr Crowford, his wife Annie Briket, and his children Joshphine and Harry. The play subtly probes into the ways in which gender was and continues to be constructed, performed and accepted (or not). The ever changing roles of man and woman in the play are a little confusing but gives an interesting insight into playwriting, where sometimes these voices are description of an observer or the characters feelings. It also reflects on the role of society and how peeking and sneaking in people’s lives has always led to people taking life decisions that impact them negatively The plot has been built in a way keeping the secrets of the characters we;ll hidden even till the end. What Harry was hiding in the end is still unknown to me. It is interesting to note that even though the play’s most exciting/mysterious part is Mr Crawford, he is not the centre of the play. The play focuses on the lives of people who were affected by him. Mrs Murphy’s wishful dialogue points to an important time in history of World war 1 possibly, because of the France and germanium wars. Which further makes us believe that it is a time when transgenders were not accepted to the world. Also reflects that either a French lady is living in Sydney or has a desire to go and fight the Germans.

D) Miss Julie By August Strindberg - 1889

The play raises some very important philosophical arguments on ‘Question of Desire’ , ‘Question of Age’, ‘Question of intercaste love’. With dialogues between Julie and upper cast daughter of a count and John a servant, the play revolves around the idea of desire and seduction. It raises important questions in terms of what are the stakes for a lower caste man to ask an upper caste girl to run away with him to build a hotel business. It also points out the hidden desires of a servant who is ready to sabotage his work and life for love, knowing that the consequences will not be very favourable. Julie, even though being an upper caste female, is brought down in her status when she expresses her sexual and romantic desire to John and on the other hand John is raised in his status. The play uses dialogue to show the sexual tension through the confusion of love and hate. “ They both seem torn by both animalistic attraction and vehement abuse”[42] points out the guardian on Howard Brenton’s adaptation of the play. Miss Julie is someone who condemns the social roles of class of the times, although she herself believes that an upper caste person should be treated with some respect. The confusion in the mind of a character reveals her physiological aspects. John on the other hand is someone who is aware of the social norms and is scared to take decisions out of it.

E) Room without a victim, a draft by Esthappen S.

Character development:: the role of the characters and their needs are very well defined at the start of the play, where Kunja is someone who has just stopped slamming and is going to NA which has really worked for him. Although his wants are far more from just slamming, he wants love more than anything, He also wants ideology to define him. At some instances even his desire to be with the PREPAK militant group is shown. A desire for a country of his own. A desire of recognition and identity. A desire for love.. Guarav’s desire, Kunja’s lover, is very simple and direct that he wants to be with his country and fight for it by joining IMA. He is gay and very clear about his identity. . He is well aware that is strange for a gay man to enter army and is slightly aware of the consequences that will have on him. Rajkumar is a character that Kunja sees when he hallucinates. It is almost like Rajkumar calls Kunja back home and warns him about getting involved with a man who works for the army. Kevin is another character which in my opinion is again a hallucination that Kunja sees, and his desire to be loved my another man is fulfilled somewhat with Kevin. The play point the concept of Slamming and orgies in the gay communities, a concept that I had hardly known before. Dialogue: In my opinion dialogues are a way of representing the two different identities of the characters who are in love, The conflict is made very evident throughout different scenes. For example in the first act through dialogues it is made clear the current equation between Kunja and Gaurav. Their love and acceptance of each other is made evident. In the following scene we could see that they are drifting apart, with each of them being separated by their ideologies. The third act represents how both of them separate as they cant anymore live with each other because of their identity.. Dialogues are also representative of each character’s inhibitions and what their ideologies are. Physical action on the stage: plays a very important role in defining who they are and what they do. The upside tree. The sex and orgies on stage. The hallucinations. Philosophical argument:: What defines identity? Can you be free in a country which is separated by boundaries of religion, caste, love etc.?

Inferences In the process of understanding how plays can become actors in talking about politics and culture, I found Mahish by Third space collective an adaptation of Rhinoceros by Ionesco to be very critical in reflecting the current Indian politics and society. The dominant Hindu narrative is questioned when everyone starts turning into a bull or Mahish - a representation of a demon in the Indian mythology. An absurdist play which does not make sense in its space, time or characters, is a sharp critic to the Hindutva narrative. The use of animals in both the plays Rhinoceros and Mahish is also relevant to the societies they are situated in. Although the plays use animals as only representations, the duality between man and animal emerges when in the play Rhinoceros, Daisy, Berenger’s lover starts turning into a Rhinoceros (when the whole city has already turned into animals). It is then she starts noticing and appreciating the skin of Rhinoceros rejecting her own. Further the naturalistic plays like The trouble with Harry Mies Julie and Room without a victim questions one’s identity in the naturalistic setting, here each character is formed by its social, cultural and historical narrative. Their journey is reflective of the desires and struggles one goes through in the current society we live in. These two forms of playwriting naturalistic and absurdist, help me construct the play that draws inspiration/style from both.

Movies A)Princess Mononoke

A 1997 Japanese animated fantasy, dwells into the absurdist and magical realm of demon gods and animal spirits. It is placed in a conflict zone of nature and humans. The humans want to expand their iron factory which provides employment to thousands of women who otherwise would have lived a miserable life..However, the factory is in the middle of the animal habitat. which threatens their survival. This movie is an account of the fight resolved by the protagonist of the Source: Fathom Images, Youtube. who tries to navigates between both worlds,.looking for a middle path. He understands both sides His love of Princess Mononoke represents the human idea of love, and might also be representative of the love for nature. On the other hand when he sees how the woman in the iron factory are being empowered by the Owner of the place, it makes him realize the importance of her work. He wants both animals and humans to stay at peace... The world of the deer god and the tiny ghosts is the magical realm that the movie goes deep into. The movie ends on a note where the iron factory has to be compromised. It represents t nature being more powerful than humans. I also enjoy the role of the chimps which is to plant more and more trees to regain the forest.

B) My neighbor Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘My neighbor Totoro’, has created an unforgettable impression on my mind with it’s fantastical concept and imagery. Two sisters and their father create a story which makes one think of the relationship we share with nature . It also deeply reflects magic that surrounds us. Totoro’s tiny little house in the tree, His private vehicle and his interaction with the kids is beautifully illustrated. How plants grow in his presence and through his prayer only to enjoy the song of the Source: Kwame Opam, The Verge. night. The two sisters are not afraid of anything ,extremely close to nature and their family. Magic and Realism play together in this world, which is also probably true of this world we live in, but cannot see, as we are just too engrossed in our narrowed life as a human. .

Inferences The above mentioned Studio Ghibli movies, provide me with a perspective where I could possibly use the idea of magic and fantasy while developing a narrative for my script and performance. These two movie provide us with a perfect sense of how important nature is to humans and how magical our world can look like when we open our eyes towards it. I hope to include the nuance of the storyline in my work.

4. Artistic Process With insights gained from Embodied (Primary research) and Secondary research, I started with the process of making. Where the activity of play reading encouraged me to write a play and then perform it, embodied research evoked me to work towards creating an embodied experience for others. Keeping in mind that I eventually will have to create an output for the project, at this stage I decided to work with both the mediums and later see what I would like to take further.

Into Playwriting As the idea of writing a play was very new to me, I referred to one of our facilitators Ramneek Singh, at Srishti Institute of art, design and technology for helping me understand the elements, techniques and methodology of playwriting. I chose playwriting, so that I could eventually develop a storyline which will help me communicate the insights that I have gained from my research on the issue.

Identifying the Stakeholders Map 1

Identifying the Stakeholders Map 2 60

Picking an Aspect After identifying the stakeholders the next step was to lay down a mind map, which will bring fort the connections within different stakeholders. Even though I had enquired into fixing the context before. This was the stage where I looked deeper into various issues that have resulted in Habitat fragmentation and destruction for Nilgiri Langurs.

Framing the philosophical argument After looking at the various issues around the subject I was able to devise a larger question which could be play as an important Philosophical argument while writing the play. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How does the adoption, abandonment of a land affect lives of the forest, people and the Wildlife.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; As mentioned earlier, the expiry of lease for the BBTC plantation corporations ends in the year 2027. The workers face anxiety and fear over the eventual loss of livelihood when the factory is abandoned. Further, according to HC Chetana and T Ganesh, if a plantation is abandoned and left unmanaged, it experiences a different colonization pattern, where invasive species take over and affects the recovery of native forest species.[42] Therefore a rather complex situation arises where the problems of the forest and that of people cannot be ignore. The question the really becomes, who does the land belong to?

Writing the play With the philosophical argument in place I wrote two initial drafts. They varied in their formats. One was an inquiry into a naturalistic play, which laid more focus on the lives of the tea estate worker and another was a fantastical, absurdist play which looks into animal-human consciousness.

Draft 1- Nila A naturalistic play revolving around the concerns of tea estate workers who fear that they will have to leave their homes as the lease of the tea company is getting over. The tea estate area was declared a tiger reserve and therefore has to be vacated. The protagonist of the play is a woman named Gayatri who wants to fight against the oppression of the government on the poor tea estate workers. She is met with an opposing view of her friend Sathya, who does not believe in fighting for an issue like this. He claims to be someone who would rather live a life without conflict. During this time, there is an uprising of protesters in the region, who just like Gaytari are demanding their rights. An incident which shakes both Sathya and Gayatri apart occurs where 11 protesters drown themselves in a river, hoping someone will listen. A few months after the incident, we see a change in scenario where, Gayatri has taken up a job as a tourist guide in the tiger reserve. She seems to have adjusted well to the situation, on the other hand , Sathya has not been able to cope up with his friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death who dies during the protest. He now wants to be fighting against what happened but does not have a solution or a way forward. Gayatri as a tour guide meets one tourist who convinces her about the importance of animals and their current state. Gayatri starts believing in the idea of the tiger reserve and how it will protect its being; keeping the needs of the animals before her own. Sathya on the other hand has been falling sick and still wants to fight. Seeing Gayatri change her opinion he is confused about his ideology and feels alone in the whole situation. He starts questioning his own identity and his role in his society. Who is better and who are you supposed to fight for are the questions that one is left to wonder.

Snippets from Act 1-Scene 1

Characters Gayatri, Sathya, Forest Officer, Bablu Bhaiya, Sugreev, Tourist Act 1-Scene 1 Plot line for scene 1 ::Sathya and Gayatri are sitting in a tea shop:: discussing what their lives will look after they leave the tea estate:: Gayatri is convinced that she does not want to leave the place and wants to fight for her rights:: Sathya is of the opinion that they should just accept their fate and move on:: A forest officer and Sugreev ( head of the tea estate village) wants are introduced who are happy with the fact the the place is being cleared by these people:: They consider the tea estate workers as lower caste Dalits and untouchables::In the meanwhile a group of protesters are approaching the tea shop and the actors are getting agitated:: By the end of the scene the protestors have arrived at the site:: All go out to see what is happening:: The protestors are moving towards a lake::

It is 9 a.m. at the Chai Bagan. Next to the bagan there are a few small, dilapidated houses. Water is dripping from the roof from last night’s rain. Across the road,there is a small tea shop, where few men and women meet in the morning to go before they start their daily jobs. Two peacocks are seen running outside the tea shop. The tea shop looks more like a post office. Four men are standing outside the shop on the left sipping tea. There is a bench on the right where a Sathya and a Gayatri are sitting. There is also a temple besides the shop where people are walking in and out of every now and then. You can hear the sound of the bell loud enough to ring your ears.

Gayatri:[ Sipping tea, anxiously] Are you ready to leave? Gayatri: [Sighs] It’s not easy to leave, I have not been able to sleep since a last few nights, Sathya: Well, I don’t think you need to worry so much. It’s only fair. Gayatri: [Taking out a sheet of paper from her blouse] Can you submit this letter at Biju’s school? He is not very happy leaving the school.

Snippets from Act 1-Scene 1

Sathya: Yeah? Tell me more. Gayatri: I have been struggling too, I feel wrong leaving the place, not sure what will happen next! Sathya: It is a part of life; you move on ahead with things that are given to you! That’s how one deals with life, you know! Gayatri: Well, I don’t really think it is fair to us. People have never been fair to us. (Sathya takes a bite of a biscuit kept on the bench) Sathya: it’s different for me. I don’t like expecting things from others. I am ‘go with the flow’ kind of Sathya. Gayatri: It might work for you. You see you are a Sathya. It is easy for you to make a living. Sathya: Well, if you try even you can do it. There is nothing that a Gayatri can’t do that a Sathya can. Gayatri: Oh, well, give me an example. Sathya: I mean…. (Bablu Bhaiya stands with two cups of tea ) Bablu Bhaiya: Here you go. Sathya: Yeh Aapke Haath Ka Aakhri chai hoga! Looking at Bablu bhaiya. Gayatri: I don’t feel right leaving my home. I have worked here most of my life. Bablu bhaiya: Where will you go women? Sathya: yah apne ghar jayengay. Apne maa aur baap ke pass wapas Gayatri: I don’t have any other choice. Even Biju does not want to leave school, he has made some good friends here. Bablu bhaiya: Aapke Gaon Mein School nahin hai kya? Gayatri: Biju 12th ka exam dene wala tha lekin ab wo iss saal shayad Khatam na kar paaye. Sathya: han to kya hua hai, usne kaun sa Bada Insan banana hai! Agar ek -do saal idhar udhar ho gaye to kya farak padhta hai. cover up kar lega.Tum itni chinta kyu karti ho?

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Snippets from Act 1-Scene 2

Scene 2 Plot line for scene two :: Sathya meets his friend Hari at the protest:: Hari is saddened by the state of his people and has lost all hopes:: He wants to fight but feels anything they will do will not help:: Sathya tries to convince him to not fight and move on with his life:: Hari is convinced that there is no meaning to a life like this:: Hari is moving towards the lake with all the protestors:: Seeing Hariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekend physical state, Sathya offers to get him some water:: Sathya goes to a nearby house to get water:: On coming back, he realises that Hari has gone towards the lake:: Sathya sees his friend entering the lake:: Feels helpless::

The lake, right under the hill, where Bombay Burmah Tea factory was established. It is abandoned now. More than 600 men and women have gathered around the lake. They are holding flags and Chanting slogans. Sathya has recognized his friend Hari from the other Chai Bagaan and goes to talk to him

Sathya: Are Hari! Tum yehan kya kar rahe ho? Tum ko kafi practical aadmi ho, is bheed mein kyu shamil ho. Hari [in a low tone voice]: Ham yehan isliye aaye hain, kyuki koi hamari sunta nahi hai. Ham baar baar ye sehan nahi kar skte. Agar is baar hamari kissi ne nahi suni, han hanuSathya kasam kha ke bol rahe hai, ham aapni jaan dedengay. Sathya: Are par tum, itne pareshan kyu horahe ho?Tumhari Zindagi yahin khatam nahi ho jati, tum kitna kuch kar skte ho aur kitne kuch badal sakte ho. Hari: Neeche, hamare chai bagaan ki taraf, police aa chuki hai, Hame ye protest chalane se rok rahi hai aur hampar Laathi charge kar rahi hai! Sathya: Ham tumhe yahi samjhana chah rahe hai, ki ham log neeche darze ke log hain. Hari: Nahi, ham log, inke liye roz itna kaam karte hai, agar ek din nahi Karengay to in sabka dhanda band hojayega. Pura duniya ko chai nahi milega. Ye Police kya karti hai?

Snippets from Act 1-Scene 2

Sathya: Is ladai se kya fayada, Jaise hi ham padhne, likhne lagte aur apni rights claim karte hai, they start beating us. There is no end to this. People in power will always remain in power. There is no end to it, therefore, it is important that we find our ways and live our lives peacefully. Hari: We are scheduled caste people, We like to sit with everyone equally. Are we animals? Sathya: To be truly honest, animals are treated better than us. Hari: Aur tumhe kya lagta hai agar ham yahan se bahar chale jayengay to hame log achi tarah se treat karengay, Yahi ek jagaj thi jahan koi discrimination nahi hota tha. Hamne suna hai bahar ham jaise logo ko, ye bade log, chai ki dukaan ke andar nahi ane dete hain, Han glass ke kam mein chai bhi nasseb nahi hoti. This is a clear conspiracy of the ruling class, upper class community and political parties. Hari is sweating, becoming more anxious Sathya: Me ye sab samajh raha hun, par tumse yehi keh raha hun, ki tum itne jaldi, itne utawale mat ho.Thoda Ruk jao, socho is baare mein. Haro: Hamri aauratein yehan bhi surakshit nahi hai, hamari bhabhi aur uske bahe ko aakhari baar jab protests hue the to unko pani mein dubba gaya tha! Sathya: Hari, you look really pale and you are sweating really badly. You wait here, I will go get some water for you.

Sathya goes to the nearest home, asks for some water in a glass Hari to himself: Is there any point of such a life? No one will care about me. But I will care, lekin… ase ham kese jiyengay, shaayad hamari zaan dena kisi cheez ke kaam aye……..

Sathya comes back with a glass of water only to find out that Hari has gone.He sees him walking along with some 6-7 other men. They go further and further away into the lake. Sathya shouts in fear and despair- “Hari, Hari”. Slowly the crowd fills up the space between him and the Hari, so Sathya can’t spot his beloved friend anymore!

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Snippets from Act 2-Scene 1

Act 2 Scene 1 Plot line for Act 2, Scene 1 :: Sathya and Gayatri meet at the same chai shop:: A few months have passed after the event:: Gayatri has taken up a new job as a tour guide:: Sathya has no work as of now:: There is a tourist who has come from North India and has a keep interest in watching Nilgiri Langurs:: Sathya, Gayatri and the tourist all go for the nature walk to look out for Langurs:: Tourist is asking about Nilgiri Langurs and other animals:: Both Sathya and Gaytri have interesting insights:: Sathya, is low in energy and is in a bad temperament:: He sees Gayatri and asks her how she is okay with what happend:: She says she seems to be doing okay, as the whole situation has turned out in her favor:: Satya is not able to keep up with how things have moved on:: He is reminded of his friend Hari, who gave his life for a cause:: He falls on the ground, feeling helpless:: Gayatri consoles him and asks him to go home, as his behaviour is hindering her job::

The Sathya and the Gayatri are sitting outside the same tea shop. The tea shop this time looks more Dilapidated. Bablu bhaiya looks weaker than before. The tea shop is still owned by him. A tourist has come from North India. It is 9:00 in the morning and it has been a bright day. Bablu bhaiyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s predictions say that it is going to rain during the afternoon. The winds are strong and the village seems almost abandoned. Only a few people can be seen at the chai shop and most of the houses look abandoned. The same bench is outside the shop, where the Sathya and the Gayatri are sitting. There are two chai cups kept on the bench. Both are sipping tea. The tourist is also standing near the bench, clicking photographs. She also has a cup of tea kept next to her.

Tourist: I am amazed at how such a huge land of forest has been just cleared for the tea plantation

Snippets from Act 2-Scene 1

Gayatri: Yes Madam, this has existed here for more than 60 years now, although the lease of the tea plantation company is over and now the area will be left for the forest to regenerate. Tourist: Ah! The tea tastes so good! [to Gayatri] that is good, wildlife needs its home, instead people have occupied their spaces. Tourists: It is also interesting to see a Gayatri working as a tourist guide here. Have not seen that happening often. Gayatri: One has to do whatever is needed to survive. Tourist: That is true, I am happy to see women getting empowered in areas like these. Gayatri: What did you say madam, you wanted to see? Tourist: Nilgiri Langur. Gayatri: We have seen them several times. They are very common here. Tourist: That’s perfect! Gayatri: We should start then, you can easily spot them in the morning. [To Sathya] You want to join us? Sathya: Uh! huh! yea okay! Three of them start walking up the hill, to spot and observe Nilgiri Langurs Tourist: Oh! What is that ugly factory doing up here in the mountains? Sathya: Oh! don’t bother. Does not function any more. Tourist: Anyway, what do you know about Nilgiri Langurs? And have you seen lion tailed Macaques or for that matter tigers? Gayatri: Langurs and Monkeys are seen quite often here. I haven’t seen a tiger, although this Sathya tells me stories of him spotting a tiger when he was a young kid. Tourist: Oh! That’s interesting, Tell me……. Gayatri: Oh Madam, there you see, A group of Nilgiri langurs is on that tree up there. Tourist: OH my god! Takes a camera out of the bag, starts clicking photos Can you tell me a little more about them?

Draft 2- Karumanthi This draft draws from Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana both in terms of writing as well as the concept.. Hayavadana’s plot revolves around the idea of exchanged heads and how their lives start changing after the incident..I have adopted this idea in my play, where the heads of a monkey and a human get exchanged. A representation of the duality between mind and body, human and nature, civilized and barbaric. The draft tells the story of two best friends a monkey and a man. The man, Appanna is known for his intelligence and the monkey, Kaliya for his fast paced body. Appanna has an idea of finding a fruit that he saw in his dream. His desire for the fruit is so big that he could possibly do anything to get it. Kaliya being a langur, offers to help him in searching the fruit which is only found in the most inner parts of the jungle. On finding the fruit, Kaliya brings it to Appanna, who now wishes to feed the entire village with it. Very soon, the prosperity of the fruit reaches every house in the village and before you know it, Appanna opens up a business. He then wishes to expand it further into the forest for the benefit of self and the people in the villages Kaliya realizes that Appanna’s business is going to threaten his forest and tries to convince him to be happy with what he has. Instead, they get into a fight inside a Kali temple, where Appanna in order to protect himself cuts off Kaliya’s head. Seeing this Mother Kali wakes up from her sleep and is terrified by the sight. Angry but sympathetic she gives them their lives back, by putting their heads on their bodies. Although in her sleepiness she puts the heads on the wrong bodies. Further the play revolves around the lives of these two poor beings who explore their new worlds. The conversations happen between the body and the mind. Their lives now completely transformed, Appanna, goes into the forest and sees the mystery and beauty of the animal world. On the other hand, Kaliya, realizes the capacity of his new body. They question what makes them who they are? What is consciousness?

Snippets from Act 1

Characters Appanna, A young man in his early 30s Kaliya: An adult nilgiri Langur Actor 1 Mother Kali Vulture 1 Vulture 2

Act One (At the centre of the stage there is a frame on which a curtain hangs. Behind the stage actors and props are kept. The sutradhar (Narrator enters the stage from the left) Sutradhar: The beautiful forests of our country have witnessed the actions of its residents and for years, all have lived in a beautiful harmony with each other. But in the recent past, one kind of animal got distinguished from others on the basis of intellect and the capacity to communicate through language. We all know who that kind is. It is right next to you, in front of you and even you. The capacity to perform in front of a civilized audience, which has been backed up by months of bodily as well as intellectual rehearsals is evidence that says we are different. But are we truly different or are we too entangled in our own pride to not accept and see all the different types of consciousness that exist in this world? This ego is possibly the reason why we treat anything other than us with less kindness and empathy. Or Am I generalising it too much? It is not for us to understand this mystery and maybe it is not even within our power to do so. Our duty is to simply pay homage to the forest and the animals and get on with the play. This is the forest of Mundanthurai where conflict between the forest and other beings have existed for years. A certain part of the forest is ruled by a king, whose fame and achievements have reached far in the world. One youth Appanna, who dwells in the village is our hero. He is unrivalled in intelligence and is known for his knowledge in politics, zoology, botany and mathematics. We have another hero, although he is of a different kind, he is a Langur, known by the name kaliya. He is the member of the Highest order in his group. He has a queen with a few infants. He is dark and plain to look at, with beautiful golden hair which embraces his characteristics. In deeds which require drive and daring, in strength and in physical skills he is difficult to match. [ A scream of terror is heard off stage. The narrator, quickly looks in the direction of the scream, waits, hears nothing and continues] There is a strange relation that the two heroes have. They are best friends, what and how in the world two different species became friends is not known. The world wonders for their friendship. [The scream is heard again. The narrator, this time cannot ignore it]

Snippets from Act 1-Later in the act

Appanna: How can I describe it to you? But, I had a dream last night, A dream about me running through the jungles. I went round and round the jungle until I came across one pond. Near the pond, I saw this huge tree, shining against the sunlight. It was almost as if the tree was calling out to me. I settled there, to rest, and boiled some water, when a leaf from the tree blew into it. There was such a strong aroma that came from it that I could not resist drinking it. I had a warm feeling when I drank it, as if the liquid was investigating my body. I want those leaves Kaliya! But I am only a human, How will I go around searching in Jungles? Kaliya: Now, you wish you were a monkey, don’t you? Appanna: But you are, You can easily climb trees Kaliya. Will you get me those leaves? Kaliya: Me! You want me to get you the leaves, that even you know nothing about? Appanna: Please Kaliya, I have never felt this strongly about anything. I think there is something hidden, something that I need to know about the tree. I need to taste it, I need to find out what is hidden? Kaliya: Alright, Alright, It looks like a serious situation. It does look like this tree has taken up all your mind space. I do take you seriously but…… over a leaf??? Appanna: I mean it! What’s the use of this mind, if I can not get what I desire? I would not feel rested until I taste it. Kaliya: Where do you find the tree? Appanna: As I remember from the dream, the tree is in the Oothu forest, next to the pond. Kaliya: Can you be more precise? Appanna: I don’t remember exactly, but two birds live in the bark of that tree. The birds have long beaks, which are yellow and the birds are grey and balck in color. That is all I remember about the place…. But the tree… Kaliya: I will go then, I will go and look for the tree, for my beloved friend. [Goes out] Appanna: Kaliya… Kaliya… He’s gone. How fortunate I am to have a friend like him. What a monkey. But should I trust him? He is a monkey after all. He is clumsy and what if he eats the leaves himself? Oh Lord Hanuman, if i get those leaves, I swear I will make the whole village have a taste of it. Kaliya: [reaches the forest] This is Otthu- the forest of my tribe. I think it won’t be so difficult to look for it here. It’s a wonder my relatives don’t get lost here. There…. There is the pond, I now need to find the right tree. [Examines the trees one by one] Now. This is not a yellow beak bird. It is an eagle- this? A bulbul. This is-er-a barbet. Ah where is it? (jumps around a few more trees and comes back staring at one of the trees) This is it! Finally I found it. A proper yellow long beaked bird, It is a malabar grey hornbill. Now I need to find a fresh leaf that I can take with me. [Climbs up the tree until he finds the best leaf]

Snippets from Act 1-Later in the act

Appanna: Oh! Kaliya..have you ever thought what it’s like to be a human? Imagine all your petty concerns will just vanish. You will be in the world where creativity will be at its peak. You will be more like humans, more hardy for any kind of environment. Kaliya: And what makes you think, we are not creative? What makes you think I want to be more like humans. Some people in my world are already disgusted by your kind. You have destroyed more than you have ever given to us. To our mother nature. Appanna: Kaliya, Now I am getting annoyed. I cannot have more conversations with you on this. Please let go! It is getting late, we should go. Kaliya: No.. No.. we need to talk about this right now. I cannot let you destroy our only homes. You know how certain things have already started affecting our type because of this idea of yours? [Appanna gets up and starts to leave] My friend… he was killed by another gang member as they wanted his home. You know why they wanted a new home?......because [Appanna keeps on moving ahead, as if not listening] Because their home was destroyed for this business of yours. [Appanna stops and looks behind] Appanna: We are your friends now.. Kaliya… Drop it….. [kaliya frowns… His face has become pink with anger and is really furious. He makes one or two open mouth gestures, which Appanna ignores. He hoots twice, then screeches, scratches his legs and leaps forwards in an attempt to attack Appanna; Appanna alarmed by Kaliya’s reaction slaps him..both start fighting. Kaliya, jumps from behind and grabs Appanna’s head; He starts biting Appanna’s ears; Appanna who is now really annoyed, grabs Kaliya by his head and shakes him up. Kaliya, even more furious than before bites Appanna’s ear off. Appanna screams with pain and starts running away from the temple. Kaliya follows him, jumping from one hold of the temple wall to another. In the meantime Appanna takes the sword kept on the temple and puts it in front of him for protection.Seeing a sword in Appanna’s hand Kaliya gets even more angry and in a haste, jumps on to Appanna. Appanna in order to protect himself sways the sword and cuts off Kaliya’s head. His head(the mask rolls down the body) Kaliya’s head also falls on the ground. Appanna screams and sits on the ground] What! What have I done.. Kaliya… Kaliya.. How can I cut off my beloved friend’s head! What have I done? No one will ever forgive me for this.. You were such a good friend.. How can I do this to you? How will I live without you, my friend? We did everything together. I disappointed you and you are now gone. Your head lies here and your beautiful body there ....What am I supposed to do! Mother Kali, did you see this, I have committed a horrible crime. Please help me! How could I? I should also cut my head off. I don’t deserve to live. Mother, you don’t care, here is another offering to you…. [lifts the sword and puts its point on his neck, and cuts his head off. It was a difficult process, he struggles, groans, writhes. And ultimately kills himself] [With a little hustle mother Kali comes out from behind the curtains. ]

Kali: All right! Who is it? (finishes her yawn, opens her eyes only to find out that everyone at her temple is dead) Oh Kali! You are again late. There was a time-many many years ago-when at this hour they would have the mangalarati. The devotees used to make a deafening racket with drums and conch-shells and cymbals. So I used to be awake around now. I have lost the habit now. These two idiots have killed themselves in my temple. It will be a shame if people see that this has happened under my nose. I better get their heads together and go off to sleep. (still yawning, with sleepy eyes mother Kali puts the two heads back to their bodies and presses her sword on their necks) Such foolish rascals. What was the need for Appanna to kill himself? He must have known perfectly well he would be accused of killing Kaliya. But till his last breath- ‘Oh my friend! My dear brother’ In any case, my job is done here, I better be going. (Kali dissapears. In her sleepiness she did not realize that she put the heads onto the wrong bodies. Both Kaliya and Apppana wake up to see their heads have been exchanged.) Sutradhar: What? The heads got exchanged? What indeed is the solution to this problem which holds the entire future of these unfortunate beings? We must face the consequences and act accordingly. Act 2 [It has been a few days after the incident; Appanna is seen as a monkey with a head of a human. He is walking along the lawn with four legs, scratching jumping, making noises] Appanna: Ah! Who am I? Am I a monkey or am I a human? Well, it is said that the mind is above the body, so I believe that I am still a human. I am Appanna, I think like him too. I wonder what it would be otherwise. It is fascinating though, all these years we were only friends and now we are blood relations! Body relations. Ho! Ho! I think I should be happy with this new transformation. This was never possible before. I can visit several jungles, collect more fruits like this and grow my business. I wonder though, if people will accept me. Body: [shruggers] ticks are annoying me, can you please take it off. [Eyes wide open. Mouth opens and the lips retracted] Appanna: Who? Who is that? Where is this voice coming from? Body: It is me, your body, I am talking to you. Appanna: Oh what a wonder! Now my body is talking to me!. Body: Yes, yes, now don’t spend much time thinking over this. Your mind will never stop. Common now, scratch my back! Fast.. fast I said ... I am hungry and need some food. [Appanna scratches his back] Appanna: Oh Alright! I have been craving some Jalebis and Samosas too. Let’s go! Body: Hold on, you selfish man… monkey.. Whatever you are! I only need leaves. I can only digest that and nothing else. We better go to the jungle.

Snippets from Act 2

Body: My poor body, you have been stuck in the mind of a human, which just thinks about the self, we should be interacting with our type again, there is so much to look for and so many things to do. The grooming of my family, the ability to climb and jump, the heavy breathing after a long climb on a tree. All that’s gone now. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Appanna: Don’t worry, you will be soon released of this suffering. Body: What do you mean? Appanna: I will be a human again, This body will soon transform back into a human body. You see, I don’t use you the way I should be, after a few years, these long fingers will be of no use, this bent body will straighten up and all the unnecessary parts will go away. People will then accept me Body: And what about me you selfish being? You are planning a murder. Appanna: You think this is easy for me? if you don’t function properly, I will not function too. But I have to change, change back to a human body. Body: And then you will go back to your business and destroy what this forest has given you.(Sarcastically) Appanna: No, All this thinking in the forest is changing me. Body: Oh, in what ways? (Sarcastically) Appanna: This desire… Oh this desire of a human.. Body: It is infuriating.. Appanna: Ever since I was a child, I had not really seen the witching fair of the dark forest. I was so immersed in my books. Although I had read it but I had never experienced it. Oh! How can I describe it to you? There is so much to experience in the forest. Long before the sun rises, the shadows of twigs draw faces on the floor. The stars are like firecrackers in the sky. Then the day dawns and the fun begins. The circus in the tree tops and the cock fights in the shower of feathers. I see the squirrels running around at the speed of light. And the dances! The tiger-dance, and the peacock-dance, and the dance of the sun’s little feet with silver anklets on the river. Body: I have experienced it all. Although never given it those words. Appanna: That is what a human can do. I want to experience all of this, write it down and share it with the world. They should know of the wonders that exist in the world. We are too engrossed in our own lives, so much so that we have almost forgotten that this beauty exists in the world. Body: And what about your business? Appanna: Business, this mind would not think of a crime like that anymore. It is brutal. It is polluting, If I do this, mother Kali will never forgive me. She gave me this new life to think differently, to rethink and help other humans realize our crimes and mistakes. I have been chosen to do this, and I will do so as soon as I regain my weak slender human body. Body: Well, you are really transforming

Snippets from Act 2

Appanna: I can’t wait to use these hands to write again, to go back and share my new knowledge with my people. (Appanna goes inside his tiny little house pondering, and trying to use tools to write and draw whatever he is thinking about) Vulture 1: Who? Kaliya? Kaliya: Yes. Vulture 1: It has been so long that we have met. Where have you been? Kaliya: Here: Vulture 1 : Here in the city? It is difficult to believe that a monkey can live here. Kaliya: Humans do. And now, I am half human, I cannot escape it. This body needs luxury. Vulture 1: What do you do? Kaliya: Live. Vulture 1: Have you heard anything from Appanna? He is slowly transforming back into a human. Kaliya: Oh is it? Oh ! what a bastard! Even after living my beautiful life, he has not learnt anything. His human mind will not change. Vulture 1: Well, he has his promises and reasons. You know, because of him gone, the business hasn’t really worked that well. People are out of work, not getting paid, they are deprived of food. Kaliya: Why should I care? After all, it did not take him much to cut off his ‘beloved’ friend’s head. Vulture 1: I agree, Well, you have lived more like a human now. What did you learn about their ways of living? Kaliya: They build big roads and buildings… bigger than our trees… they have vehicles to move, they can travel the world in no time… and now they have a lot of food. They eat our predators too. Huh! (laughs) Vulture 1: Ask me, I have had a taste of humans and they are tasty. Kaliya: They seem to really appreciate their minds. I now understand why Appanna did what he did. Vulture 1: You seem to like it for a change. Kaliya: I can spread my wings, fly, cover seven continents, ten shores and measure the sky, with this body. My consciousness is expanding daily, I can see and process a lot faster. I have a lot to learn but I have begun to appreciate it. Vulture 1: shame! You are becoming a human. Kaliya: Why do you care?

Snippets from Act 2

Vulture 1: Because we need you. You are our chance to save what is left of our homes. Soon when Appanna regains his body, he will come right at us. We will lose our only homes. Kaliya: You should also live with me, here in the city. Imagine all your petty concerns will just vanish. You will be in the world where creativity will be at its peak. You will be more like humans, more hardy for any kind of environment. Vulture 1: Oh! You fool! Kaliya: When this body came to me, it was like a corpse hanging by my head. It was a humans’ body, after all not made for the woods. I could not even run for 15 mins. I had no use of it. The moment it came to me, a war started between us. Vulture 1: Clearly I know who won now. Kaliya: Fortunately or unfortunately, this body won. Now, I don’t have to run far in search of food. You get everything in these big so called shops. This body can digest a lot of different kinds of food, and I have now also acquired a taste for it. Vulture 1: Well, your body convinced you quite easily. Sutradhar (to the audience) : How could I make you understand? If Kaliya had changed overnight, and changed back to his original form, he would have not changed much. But that’s not how it happened. He changed day by day, Inch by Inch, hair by hair. He observed what was going around him and saw the wonders of the human world. He forgot what existed in his own nature, was far more precious than what he can see at the surface. How could I tell him that humans today, themselves practice going back to where Kaliya originally came from. Kaliya: Why, have you come here? Vulture 1: I had to tell you this, that Appanna, is becoming human and you need to go back and fight with him. You have to tell him that his plan is going to destroy us and your family. Kaliya: Why? Why did you have to come just when I thought I’d won this long and weary battle with my body. I am a human now and I have accepted it. I was successful in uprooting all the memories that existed in this head. This struggle of feeling incomplete and being separate from where it belongs to. It was difficult to beat away all the memories that it had. Is it not strange? This body has its own memory too,memories of Appanna’s body like a ghost. Memories of love, desire, lust. Memories that cannot be understood, cannot be recognized because they belonged to a human. I decided to stop this fight and accept my fate. Vulture 1: These humans.. Kaliya: You came here, you are talking to me, and now all those memories of my mind are coming back. No.. NO. NO.I don’t belong to the jungles any more. This is my place and I like it here. I will have no peace there anymore, no salvation- So go. I beg of you. Go. Vulture 1: I will. If you want me to. Vulture leaves while Kaliya disappears into the city crowd. He never looks back. People look at him with strange eyes as his face resembles that of a monkey’s way too much. But the world is a place for all sorts of humans.

Inferences and way forward Draft 1- ‘A naturalistic play’ was my first ever experience in playwriting. It was an intuitive process, where I tried to put myself in the shoes of two tea estate workers and think and emote like them. The character of the tourist in the second act, is rather a representation of me, when I had visited KMTR for my field visit for the first time. This version brings out some important incidents like the Manjoli riots where 17 people got killed, escaping the brutality of police when they were demanding for higher wages. It tries to predict what will the lives of the characters look like after the abandonment of tea plantations. The second draft, which is an adaptation of Girish Karnard.’s Hayavadana, tries to look at the world through the eyes of an animal. It also tries to look at the issue of man- animal conflict, when the man starts encroaching the forest land for his own benefits. In the draft, the question of creativity arises again and again. It questions if creativity is only an agency of a human mind. It also showcases the attraction of a human life on contrary to the forest life. The use of the tool- head exchange is to show, what happens when you put yourself in someone else’s life. The writing style here too is intutive but the structure is borrowed from the play Hayavadana, as it allowed my writing process to follow through easily. From here, I wanted to merge the styles and the focus questions of the two draft into one, where the issues of tea estate workers and animal-human conflict is brought together. This will eventually allow me to create a story which is comprehensive and also develop a stronger narrative for my final script.

Embodied engagement Creating an embodied experience for others through a workshop Nilgiri langurs face threats from habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation due to human activities like wood logging, poaching, and encroachment of forests due to crop plantation. The students living in the nearby region, need to be aware of the consequences human activities have on the lives of another species as the world is not just home to us. Realising that we are only a part of nature, is important for children to make present and future choices that can have an impact on their surroundings. Through an activity based engagement using performance and embodied practice as a medium, the idea is to create a workshop which could make children aware about the species found in India. One of which focused here is the Nilgiri langur. This could then possibly expand into developing models for other species which face similar concerns. Age group : 14- 15 years Identified places : Poorna learning centre, Bangalore class 9th-10th Schools identified by ATREE ACCC in Tirunelveli district,KMTR Concept note for the workshop The world we live in today, has created a divide between the human and the non human, we have been constantly subjected to scenarios where the natural world is separated from us. Today, it has become even more important to bridge this gap and realize that we are very much a part of nature and it is not just a commodity for us. Western Ghats is a biodiversity hotspot and understanding its different beings is important to revive our connection with nature. Nilgiri Langur is one such species, endemic to western ghats, which today faces threat from habitat destruction due to human activities. This workshop is designed to understand the lives of these beings and their various conservation concerns through an embodied engagement to connect to animals and realise the impacts humans have on nature both directly and indirectly. Designing the workshop In order the communicate the story of Nilgiri Langurs, I divided the theme of the workshop in three categories.. a) Knowing the langurs Types of forests: tropical moist deciduous; riverine, wet evergreen forest; montane shola grassland Animals in the habitat: leeches; snakes( indian rock python, rat snake, king cobra), malabar giant squirrel, Lion tailed macaque, hanuman langur, Malabar pied hornbill. Foraging ecology Living in the trees:The physicality of being a langur Communication through sounds and facial expression Emotions within an individual: grief, play, affiliation etc./ Affective consciousness Social structure and Hierarchy within a group Intraspecies communication: Mother infant relationship Monkey and human interaction Copulation b) Events in a langurs life Infanticide Run and chase from the predator In search of food during crisis

Logging during a festival Reactions to tourists, conservationist, scientists Situations like a cyclone or flood Interaction with a tea estate people A day into the world of humans . Mythological aspect of langurs. Iconography of monkeys in India c) Conservation messages Habitat loss & fragmentation Local communities and the flora and Fauna Tea estate covering a major part of the forest Wildlife poaching Activities related to Tourism Tiger reserve and concerns of the local communities

Themes and Activities A) THEME: KNOWING THE LANGUR WORLD 1) Interdependence and Co-existence To understand nature’s complexities; Systems that are interdependent and coexist with each other. Knowing the habitat, thereby means giving importance to different natural elements biotic and abiotic that supports life. Nilgiri Langurs are endemic to Western ghats; exist within a wide variety of forests. Aim: To understand how a forest is a complex interconnected system of interdependence and coexistence. Activity: In a group of 12 children, every student will have a different role to play- (a) A tree (b) wind (c) insect (d) Monkey (e) fruit or flower (f) birds (g) human. Each member will perform their roles at first, through movement. After which, they will come together wherein they will show their relation to the tree. In order to understand the interdependence, we will remove each character from the scenario one by one and see what happens. (Taking an example of Cullenia exarillata - Mesua ferrea - Palaquium ellipticum a keystone species which fruits during the dry season, provides food to a lot of arboreal, diurnal mammals and birds. The seeds of the fruit are a major part of diet for Lion tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs. Another example could be that of a fig tree (ficus) on which various monkeys, birds, insects and bees depend) Process 1) An introduction to the particular tree chosen and the role of each character in relation to the tree as well as with each other. 2) Divide yourself into two groups of seven and five each. One group will be the observer and the other will perform. 3) Each member of the performing group will be assigned a role. 4) The characters will represent their relation to the tree through movement 5) One by one the ‘observer’ group will remove each character and see how that affects the ecosystem 81

6)After an imbalance is created in the ecosystem, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; observer groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has to decide which character to bring back and which one to not. 7) This continues until the group has figured out how a balance in the ecosystem remains intact. Questions What do you realize about the interdependence of beings? Does this make you question how a human is connected to its natural environment? Have you pondered over the choice you have made that directly and indirectly affect the natural world?

2) Living in the trees- the physicality of being a langur Aim: Understanding the habitat of another species- Langur who live in the trees; Experiencing the physicality of being a langur would evoke a sense of awareness about the species. Furthermore, realising that monkeys and humans have the same ancestors who got diverged some 15 million years ago. Activity: With a group of 12 students, we will be spending about an hour or a half outdoors in a park. The idea will be to search the tree that you like the most in the park, followed by climbing it. We will spend almost half an hour on the tree of our choice. Keeping in mind that we are monkey bodies, we will pay attention to what our bodies would like to do. Noticing other organisms staying with us on the trees will be recorded through sketches or writings. Process: 1) An introduction to Nilgiri Langurs and their physicality and their foraging ecology. 2) We will all go to a park, followed by exploring certain monkey movements, depicted by me. 3) Spend 10 minutes on the ground, exploring different movements on the ground and look for a tree on would like to climb. Pick a tree you would like to climb on and question why you picked that tree. 4) Spend net 20-30 minutes climbing and staying on the tree. Notice your bodies and how being a monkey would feel like. What do you monkeys do on a tree? 5) Try to interact with the tree and different beings that are around the tree. After the activity is done, we come back to the ground and have a discussion on what it felt like to be on a tree while being a monkey. 6) Document your time on the tree through sketches and drawing. Reflection/ Questions How is being a monkey different from being a human in terms of body? Who and what did you find interesting on a tree? Were you able to climb a tree? Why did you climb that particular tree? Did you realize something about the social nature of the group? How is life different on a tree?

3) Communication through sounds and facial expression. Aim: To understand the language of Langurs. Understanding that, even though in the animal world, speech does not exist, there is another language they communicate through. Nilgiri Langurs have a very vocal creatures with a wide variety of sounds. Activity: We will be experimenting with communicating with each other through a language which is not 82

speech but both visual and auditory. Understanding that animals have their own language and meaning assigned to different sounds and facial expressions. Process: 1) An introduction to the communication matrix of Nilgiri Langurs and monkeys through videos, audio and visuals. 2) We will form a group of 12 monkeys who are a part of one group, followed by exploring some monkey movements. 3) We will try to communicate with each other initially by imitating the sounds and facial expressions of Nilgiri Langurs 4) Then once we are comfortable with the language, we will assign certain meanings to different sounds and expressions. 5) We could experiment with (a) grooming (b) threat (c) negative emotions Reflection/Question: What have you learned about the non verbal ways of communication? What does this tell you about the animal world? Are we really different from animals? How do you see yourself using sound and visual expression in a day to day communication? Does this connect to you differently than speech? Do you find your bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communication to be more meaningful when compared to speech and language?

B) THEME: EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF LANGURS 1) Wood Cutting for firewood. Aim: The langur habitat is under severe biotic pressure in the form of wood cutting in the fire wood. The pressure affects the habitat in terms of reduction of food plants, loss of canoy continuity, lack of regeneration and recruitment and food plant. This activity is to understand what happens to Langurs when they face a problem like wood cutting which is a threat to their survival Activity: In continuation to Activity 2 ( Living in the trees), the students will be on trees. One person from the group will be a wood cutter. He will choose which tree he would like to cut. Noticing how Langurs would react to a situation like this will be the purpose of the activity which will be followed by a short reflective essay on the same. Process: 1) In continuation to Activity 1, we will now mark a boundary for the langurs to live in. 2) Two of the students will be asked to be wood cutters. 3) The wood cutters would have a discussion amongst themselves, as to how much wood they need and for what purpose, depending on which they will cut the trees. 4) The Langurs who reside on the trees which are being cut will have to react to tree cutting. 5) They can choose to go to trees where their mates are or choose a new tree. They can even choose to leave the whole place or die. 6) The displaced langurs will have to decide whether they like the new tree or not, depending on which, they move around to find a good tree. 7) This will continue as long as the requirement of the wood cutter is fulfilled. 8) In the end we will observe many langurs are left and how has wood cutting affected their survival. 83

Reflection/Questions How do you think wood cutting affects the survival of Langurs? Did you feel any threat from the wood cutters? How well did langurs manage their survival? What feeling did the wood cutters go through? How did the langurs feel? How much wood cutting did you think would have been fine?

C) THEME: CONSERVATION CONCERNS 1) Connecting with the Langur and its habitat Aim: To understand the concerns related to the habitat of Nilgiri Langur. Activity: A group of students who will be assigned the roles of (a) a group of monkeys (b) trees or land (c) local people staying in the area (d) tea estate factory (e) A person in the city who is a regular tea consumer. The premise being that each group has their own reasons to use the land. The conflict here is that not all of them can survive together because it puts a lot of pressure on the land which is not sustainable. How do you solve a problem like this? Is there any solution or no? Process: 1) An introduction to the KMTR region. Concerns of the tea factory, tea estate workers and Nilgiri Langurs 2) Followed by assigning different roles to different groups 3) Langur group: 4; Land:1; local people 3; Tea estate factory 2; Tea consumer 2 4) Each group has 10 minutes to think or practice their side of the story and justify why it is important for them to have the land. 5) The argument is set through movement. 6) After which, each group comes together to put forth their argument and further improvise, depending on what they think fits the situation better. 7) This can go on for 10 minutes. They can either end the act with a conclusion or leave it open ended depending on where they have arrived. Reflection/Questions Whose land does it really belong to? Whose needs are more important? Is there a way everyone can live together while still getting the most out of everything? What was it like for people who were not humans? What was it for people who were humans? Did you learn anything about the language of the body for the non human world? Do humans always win?

Exploration Before taking this activity to the field I wanted to try a set of activities with a group of people to see how the activity spans out. Below I have explored Activity: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Connecting with the langurs and its habitatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Tea consumer Land

Plantation worker

Playing out the roles of Land, tea estate worker a tea consumer from the cities and a langur.

How a langur would interact with land.

When happens when the land starts dying.

How does land interact with the tea estate worker.

When the land revolts back.

Feedback and suggestions Seminar 1- Panellists “Shivangi needs to do further research on play styles. . It would be substantial to experiment with one context and do more elaborate work on the street theatre, community based work and audiences later towards the conference. Shivangi’s model for environmental education has many unique elements and will be worth writing up as a research paper as well”.

Review by Nagarthana Former student of Pondicherry University who worked for her Master’s dissertation on Nilgiri langurs ecology at Kalakkad- Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve, Thirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

For decades now, wildlife conservationists and researchers have largely focused on scientific methodologies and techniques to study and understand the various intricacies of the animal world and how our actions impact them to only publish their findings in journals in an attempt to bring changes at the policy level for protection and conservation of nature and embodied wildlife. Conservation of nature and wildlife will not be possible without the collective efforts from government agencies, scientific community and the local people. The approach towards conservation has been the same for decades with laboratory research and fieldwork dominating this arena to create a substantial impact. However, this method has failed to reach those at the crossroads of human-wildlife interphase, especially those living at the forest edges due to lack of awareness. More importantly, there is need to reach the larger community who are living in oblivion to the damage that they are causing to environment and wildlife. Theatre and art workshops do exactly this by employing an engaging and participatory approach to educate the young and old alike on various topics in addition to instilling a sense of confidence and togetherness. The work designed and proposed here showcases the importance of engaging and mobilising children using art and expression for reflection, reasoning and spreading awareness about the ecology, behaviour and conservation of Nilgiri langur, a folivorous arboreal species inhabiting tropical evergreen and deciduous forests of the Western Ghats. Performance based acts provides a platform for developing thought, creativity, interest and to come up with probable solutions for the ongoing challenges faced by endangered species. This approach as opposed to other streamlined studies on Nilgiri langur behaviour or ecology gives the onlooker a broader view into their lives by using performance and practise as a medium so as to evoke empathy and respect for other beings and coexist harmoniously. I believe that such constant engagement and participation of children in performance-based activity can change the outlook of people to one of positivity and help in overall conservation of endangered species and nature in general, arising from positive attitudes and perspectives. This is a novel approach depicting how and what it feels like through the lens of another which can positively pave the way for increased tolerance and respect for wildlife and its conservation. 86

A recollection of the things that I saw during my second field visit

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Engagement with ACCC ATREE The aim of the second field visit, was to understand and get a perspective of the community conservation efforts which have been taken up by NGO’s like ATREE in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve. Stationed at Ambasamudaram, in the Agasthyamalai Community based conservation centre, I was briefed by Sir Mathivanan, the communication manager about the current efforts that are being taken up by the organization.

Theatre group- Nature Talkies On the first day of my visit I witnessed the performance of a local theatre group called ‘Nature talkies’ supported by ATREE in one of the villages near Ambasamudaram. The aim of the performance was to spread public awareness about snake bites. It was performed in front of a local village in the evening. Around 50 people had gathered to watch the play. The play was created in three sections a) Introduction to types of snakes found in the forests of Agasthyamalai and awareness on snake bites (b) The taboo and notions around snakes (c) The importance of local deities and their relationship towards snake bites. As the play was directed in Tamil, I was not able to gather the exact meaning of what they were saying. None the less I understood the structure, context and meaning of the play. My interaction with the theatre artists opened up the possibility of working with them for my play. What I liked about their play was how they had divided the it into three sections, covering all important aspects of providing snake bite information. They had 4 main character, 6 musicians and 1 singer. I realized that an important aspect of their culture is their language. Without knowing their language it would be futile to put up a performance for them. The people in the village seemed to respond to the play as well. The play was purely informational. It was comic in nature. A possible collaboration emerged out of the interaction I had with them and they agreed to help me perform my play in the upcoming month of July. Although due COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown, it could not be materialized.

Visit to Bay of Bengal for a workshop Another interesting aspect of this field visit was that I got to see one of the workshops held by ATREE on Mangrove forest habitat, at Tuticorin in the Bay of Bengal coast. The workshop was held by ATREE for school children of age 14-15. Schools mainly came from Tirnulveli, Ambasamudaram and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu making it a group of fifty students. Another workshop on the same day was held at one of the salt production centres, as Tuticorin amounts to 30 percent of the salt production in India. This visit was specially helpful as I got to see methods and techniques employed by ATREE in carrying out the workshop for students. The workshop allowed the students to actually experience the habitat and its various species. In the mangrove forests Children were asked to find crabs and identity them, which was followed by a description provided by the field guide. The excitement and curiosity increased when they learnt about what equipments one can use to research on a subject like this. Schools were even provided with information posters with illustrated flora and fauna diagrams. With the insights gained from this, I wish to do the same, with my activity based engagement that I had designed for the Nilgiri langur habitat.

Interview with the tea estate workers Due to the time constraints of my field visit, I was only able to interview two tea estate workers at Nalmukh, KMTR. It was important for me to get their first hand perspective as it would enrich my project and give substantial ground to my research.

Interview questions and Responses

Kunjuman

A 67 year old tea estate worker, who now owns a shop in Nalmukh, Kanjuman worked as a factory labour for 23 years but now his woks only on contract basis. He says his family migrated to the plantations from Kerala in search of jobs. Along with them 800 other families also came. He is also a part of a labour union in the plantations. His daily wage is Rs 650 and although he is not very happy with the income, he says he is satisfied with the medical and housing facilities. When the BBTC lease gets over, he will move out of the plantations. He reported that the Nilgiri langur population has decreased since the 1970s due to logging activities. He believe that BBTc has not been responsible for the loss of habitat in the region.

Devasahayam

A 47 year old tea estate worker, works with his wife at the plantation, has a family of 4 to support Devasahayamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earns a daily wage of Rs 320, which does not satisfy his needs. He says that they are not provided with a proper housing system and the medical facilities are not available to them. Even during emergencies they are sent to the government hospitals. He reproted that he was a part of 1999 Manjolai riots and is still angry about the police beating them. According to him the labour unions are Communist party unions and are there for spreading their propoganda. Even then their leaders so to BBTC, with demands, they are instead given more work to do.

Way forward/ The work with ACCC ATREE With the second field visit coming to an end, I devised a plan for my next visit in the month of April, with Sir, Mathivanan, the Communications Manager at ACCC ATREE. He had talked to two schools in Ambasamudaram where the workshop, described in detail on page 88 could be held. The Schedule for which is as follows: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Knowing the Langursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;- Schedule Day 1: Field Visit A visit to Nalmukh, where children will get to see Nilgiri langurs and their habitat, guided by one of the forest guide- Maria Anthony, who works at ACCC ATEE Day 2: Embodied practice 8 am- 9 am I Breakfast 9 am - 10: 30, A presentation, introducing Nilgiri Langurs and their conservation concerns 10: 30 am - 12 pm I Activity 1 and Activity 2 These activities are mentioned in the page.... 12 pm - 1 pm I Lunch 1 pm - 3 pm I Activity 3, 4 and 5 3 pm - 3: 30 pm I Tea break 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm I Mask and tail making/ Craft 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm I Break 6:00 PM - 8:30 pm Play Writing and Making Students will engage in making a small piece of performance from the experience they have had in the last two days Day 3: Performing in School The performance piece crated by the students will be presented in front of a the school the next day.

Performing a play As a result of my interaction with the theatre group at ATREE, I decided to work with them, for performing my play, in the month of July. The idea was to take the script to the stage. We would eventually work on how the play should look like on stage and even edit the script, wherever necessary. A great benefit of this would also be that we could then work on performing the script in Tamil, which is understood by the local people. Nature talkies, artist performing langur behaviour 91

Conservation course at NCF

The conservation course was taken by mentor and ecologist Rohan Arthur and physicist Suri Venkatachalan at the Mysore office of NCF. As mentioned above the aim of the course was introduce the foundational ideas that have shaped modern conservation. A five day workshop was a journey into the history of the world revolving around various ideas that have been dominating the world of conservation. We took this journey with the mentors, as they explained the course of conservation through the lens of Capitalism. The three categories that divided the structure of the course were a) conservation and Capitalism b) conservation with Capitalism and c) conservation by Capitalism I attended the course as I thought it would help me develop ideas around conservation as my work looks at the conservation concerns around nilgiri langur along with the social economic challenges that the tea estate worker face in the plantation of KMTR Some topics that were discussed and have been helpful in forming my ideas around the project are: 1) Capitalism and Neoliberalism as the current driving factors in Conservation 7) Relation between economy, ecology and culture 2) Conservation Biology 3) Development 4) Sustainable Development 5) Ecosystem Services 6) BINGOs (The big NGOs) 92

By the end first day of the course I was baffled by the ideas that were being discussed in the class. Although as I progressed through the sessions certain ideas started becoming clear. Understanding, conservation was no longer a day’s work, but instead is a long term exchange of knowledge and ideas. This was the biggest insight that I got from the classes. The conversation began with human nature relationship, starting with the discovery of Americas by Colombus, referred to as discovery of another earth, hence “paradise”. With this, Europeans started moving out of their homes in the fear of losing wood and land, when the population in Europe started increasing. The idea of a commodity was created, which led to trades between different countries, like South America, china, Africa, Europe and India by the 17th century. By the early 1800s a connected world was born, with philosophers like Francis Bacon and John locks redefining our relationship to land. Certain ideas that did stand out for me through the sessions were how the neoliberal economy that the world currently functions in, has completely taken away the relationship that we shared with the natural world. Instead it has transformed it into a give and take relationship. Thus the idea of Ecosystem services. Or how the larger narrative of Capitalism which is mostly based on the idea of financial economy has taken over the world, and there is hardly a way to escape it. The idea that we can build an Utopian world, with current economies , we have started destroying what naturally exists in the world like the knowledge systems of the indigenous people or the life of other being. Some of the conversations also focused on how different environmentalists, philosophers, ecologists for long have been putting forth ideas to save the natural world, for example, Conservation Biology by E.O Wilson. We also looked at how Game reserves and National parks have been the ideas of elites who for long have been taking away the homes of indigenous communities across Africa and the third world countries. What fascinated me the most was how the big conservation organizations like WWF, or IUCN have been breaking the very foundation of conservation. Certain very important questions around ecosystems and biodiversity were put forth like: Where do ecosystems begin and end?, What do we consider pristine? How do we identity the ‘other’? Are humans separate from the ecosystem? Some important names that came up who have been crucial in forming the ideas of modern conservation like Julian Huxley, Rachel Carson,David Harvey, Jacques Cousteau etc. I realized that much of my work that revolves around the plantations is the very product of Capitalism. Although the concerns faced today are very much important, there is a whole history that one has to look into to understand the whole context, for instance how did even tea come to India? How did colonization impact the lives and livelihood of the tea workers. More importantly as my area of research is a Tiger Reserve, how has that changed the forest and the lives of tribes like the Kani’s who have been displaced from their own lands. It also made me question my role as a tea consumer and how Capitalism almost makes it impossible to escape from the very issues that you want to fight against. These and many more questions perplexed my mind. I have realized though that it is a journey that I will have to take in the coming years of my life. 93

Exploration/ Iteration Into the art of Theatre As I explored a little more into making, I realized setting the scripts for the stage was an important aspect of my project. This would further enrich my work and allow me to explore options of how I want the scripts too be presented in front of an audience. Some of the explorations that I started working with were props and mask making, stage designing , lighting sounds and acting.

Tail making:

While envisioning the final play, the character that I wanted to explore the most on stage was that of a monkey. After embodying the primate species, the question then was how do I present this character on stage? With an intuitive understanding , I worked on making a tail, as that would distinguish a human from a monkey.. For my first experiment, I used a green cloth which was available in my house to make the tail, by wrapping it on to a thin metal wire. Further I wanted to explore adding colours to it. Technically a Nilgiri Langurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tail is black in colour, but my first version of the tail has a variety of colours. I would correct this with further explorations in the process of making the tail.

Mask Making

Although a tail is enough to distinguish a monkey from a human, how do we distinguish a monkey species from another? Nilgiri langurs have thick black coats, with golden hair. To make this distinction clear, I made a mask,.using cartridge sheets and Crepe paper. The face were coloured black and the hair golden. It was necessary for me to keep the mouth section of the mask open as it would allow for visual and vocal expressions to be seen by the audience. Mask making was one of the most exciting exploration that I had done. I would further try out different types of masks with different material that would allow for a more nuanced representation of a Nilgiri Langur.

Stage Designing

Habitat of Nilgiri langur is very important in defining the species. It also plays a crucial role in the storyline of my script. Due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the only space I had to experiment with stage design was a small room in my house. To set up a stage, I first crafted some leaves and plants like the Cullinea tree fruit that would be necessary in making the stage specific to the Kalakkad and mundanthurai forests. The background was made using a green cotton cloth, and plants and fruits were made out of Crepe paper.. I would further want to explore creating a rainforest landscape , with a few insects endemic to the region like the cicadas. or birds like the Babbler, or squirrel species like the Malabar giant Squirrel.

Acting For the purpose of acting, I wrote a scenes that would further the storyline of play drafts -Karumanthi, snippets of which are shown from pages 71-72. I found acting to be a very difficult job, as one would have to remember the dialogues and at the same time enact it with emotions and meaning. I did this exercise with one of my friends Sristi Srivatsava. We both took the role of two different characters that were crucial to the play.

Scene to enact This particular scene revolves around the characters Kaliya and Appanna and their conversation after their heads have been exchanged.. The first draft of Karumanthi ends with both the characters immersing themselves in the lives of the other. Appanna whose head is now, that of a human and the body of a monkey, proposes that he wants to expand his business, which will flourish his village with growth and development. On the other hand Kaliya with a human body and a monkey head realizes that this idea will ruin the natural world that they live in, furthering the problems that are already faced by the monkeys due to human activities. The dialogues address some important ideas and issues around growth and development. The following few pages show how acting this scene looked like on the stage.

Appanna: okay.. I want you to take me to the tea tree forest… Kaliya: Are you out of your mind? Appanna: No,I have thought about it.. Kaliya: What makes you think I am going to help you with your malicious intent…

Appanna: You are hardly aware of what’s going around the world. But let me tell you.. All this, if we expand our business, if we promote our plantation, we will be helpful to the world. Kaliya: In what way?

Appanna: You see, what our nation and the world needs is growth, purely economic growth. It goes by the idea that if you produce more, the wealthier you become. And tea is the best way to do that. Haven’t you seen how addicted people in the village already are to this thing? Kaliya: What growth are you referring to?

Appanna: Development. Development which promotes expansion, enlargement and spread throughout the world. ( tries using his hands to express but falls) Kaliya: Of what? Appanna: Of tea… a recognition in this world. We will be significant partners with the bigger people and companies in the world. Does that idea not excite you? 98

Appanna: Don’t you see? We will have money and respect, no one is going to question our bodies. We are something that both humans and animals have never seen before. What better way to introduce ourselves to the world than a grand entry like this? Kaliya: I am alright here. I don’t need your help. Now you can go.(distressed) Appanna: listen to me,(With excitement) there will be trades with other countries, you will get to see the whole world…..

Kaliya: You still don’t see it, you fool. They need our land. Our mother earth. They want you to work for them. Appanna: Ha ha, you are wrong. They will work for us! Kaliya: Are you sure, because by the sound of it, they have already lured you with the idea of growing tea in the forest. Sooner or later, they will convince you to leave all that you have and give it to them.

Appanna: We humans are not so evil. You have got a wrong picture of us Kaliya: You think so because you have not been on our side.Their actions have been loud and clear. They want to cage us, keep us as their pets, control us, call us by whatever name they would like and then use us as their servants, just as they will do with you.

Appanna: Yes I do, as I said, growth and freedom will liberate us from all the bodily limits. We have money, we have everything! Kaliya: This idea of growth you have will rip us all. I will lose my kind. And don’t be mistaken (intelligently) You will also lose your people. Kaliya: How can you be so intelligent and dumb at the same time? Us animals, our knowledge, our consciousness whatever we contain is for our own good. If you adopt what others think, what will make us who we are? Should we just change for a little bit of money? 99

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Feedback and suggestions Seminar 2- Panellists Her plays are nuanced and take into consideration complex on-ground scenarios as well as the play of consciousness of both animal and human. Her arguments are well researched and translate strongly in the practices she has built. The literature review would benefit from more work on the idea of consciousness/ ecological consciousness. Some discussions on how the ideas discussed in the literature review are being adapted in the play would enrich her research. The overall styles of writing are appealing, but may have challenges in terms of time required for enacting, as well as language and cultural relevance in some cases. This is something that would need more work on. The set design is creative and strong. At the moment Shivangi has explored different styles of the script booklets and the set design. It would be important to ask if visual elements need to be similar between the stage design and the play as a book and how she can build visual integrity across her submission. Overall it is an excellent body of work that asks critical questions and provides new directions to how we can think about ecological consciousness.

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Choosing to work with playwriting as a final output With the COVID-19 Lockdown situation, the plan to go back to the field (KMTR) and carry out the workshop with school children or develop my performance with theatre group came to a hold. This brought my work to a very uncertain position. I was not sure which aspect of my work could I now take forward. With a week of anxiety and overwhelming thoughts I finally decided that the best thing to do now, would be to invest my time in developing a script and work extensively on it, so that I can deliver an output which is nuanced in its form. The remaining time till the submissions would allow me to develop the skills needed to write a script which is informed in its craft, as playwriting is a new skill for me. I was sad about not being able to perform but I could eventually do it in the space, as and when the pandemic situation gets better. Therefore I got involved with theatre group Mandali, a part of Srishti Institute of Art, design and technology, which was at that time being mentored by Ramneek Singh. We would meet thrice a week to read plays and twice a week to attend play writing sessions. This helped me speed up my learning process with constant feedbacks from mentors and peers.

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Understanding Playwriting The play writing sessions started with the mentor introducing techniques of writing an Act based Drama with each act having its aims, as mentioned in the notes below. The first most important thing was to create a conflict between two characters, which provides space to bring out some of the philosophical arguments that one wishes to explore.

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Taking a different path In order to learn the craft of playwriting, I wanted to move away from the philosophical argument that my project focuses on i.e the animal -human conflict in KMTR due to the adoption and abandonment of tea plantations through understanding animal and human consciousness. As I had an already set agenda, it made it difficult for me to get into the free act of making which here is playwriting. Therefore, I decided to choose a completely different topic and work on it for three weeks. This exercise would then help me use the methodology learnt from this process, in the play that I want to write for the project. When the world was just getting to know about the Coronavirus, I too got interested in understanding how disease of this scale affect the world. With a little research into the history of pandemics, I found the story of Syphilis to be very interesting. The next few pages are a representation of how I developed the information that I collected about this disease into a play.

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Aim: Writing a scene

Exercise: Choose a context of your choice and begin a scene with “ What makes me really angry is....”. Write only one scene

Context: Syphilis originated in the 15th century France, as a sexually transmitted disease. It is believed to have been carried from the new world when Columbus found the land of Americas. Some of the most famous artists, philosophers and priests of the 15th century France, where known to have Syphilis. It was a terrible disease causing crippling pains throughout the body., Itching, bloody sores and even melting noses. It was brought to India by the Portuguese in the 17th century. A stigma around sex worker originated during that time.

Philosophical statement: How does the stigma around sexually transmitted diseases impact the lives of sex workers?

Choosing the Characters A doctor, a sex worker and a Priest, were the three characters that I chose, for writing this scene. It enabled me to create a conflict between the ideologies of a sex worker and a catholic priest. The doctor’s clinic was a meeting ground for the two polar ideologies.

Alongside, Snippet from the scene

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Aim: Setting the scene in a relevant Indian context

Exercise: Rewrite the scene and try putting it within a relevant Indian scenario. Add one more scene which is in continuation to the new one

Context: Devavdasi is a long prevailing system in India. Many girls are forced into sex work if their family follows a Devadasi system. Young girls are given to Goddess Yellamma in the southern states of India, a ritual which turns them into sex workers. This system has been in place for a long time, but due to Madras Devadasi prevention of Dedication act of 1947, this has been prohibited. For some women Devadasi system has empowered them, as its makes them independent, while for some, it has been a demeaning journey.

Philosophical statement: 1)How has the Devadasi system impacted the lives of young girls in India? 2)How does the stigma around sexually transmitted diseases impact the lives of sex workers?

Choosing the Characters Chennawa a young girl is being given to the Goddess Yellamma in the ceremony, which is taking place in the scene. Hanumwa, older to Chennawa is now a sex worker and suffers from a disease. She is rebellious and wants to stop the conversion ceremony of Chennawa. Alongside, Snippet from the scene

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Aim: How to build diversity in writing

Exercise: Taking the same context, now write two different opening scenes for the same context.

Context: This particular scene tires to look inside the lives of the young girls who are bound to become devadasis. After watching a few documentaries like Sex, Deaths and the Gods by BBC, I got an insight into the social and economic conditions of these women. With almost no other livelihood options they are left to opt for sex work. In these scenes I have also tried to look at sexually transmitted diseases that psychologically, mentally and socially affect their lives.

Philosophical statement: How do the socio economic conditions of families force young girls to become sex workers?

Choosing the Characters Rajan, forces his younger sister Hanumwa, to get ready for the dedication ceremony Chennawa ran away from her house because of the same reason and tries to convince Hanumwa to not go for the ceremony, when they are interrupted by Rajan and the Sarpanch of the village.

Alongside, Snippet from the scene

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Aim: Using Visual language to write a scene

Exercise: Write one more scene with a different opening which has moved you, through visual language. Close your eyes and imagine what you want to see.

Context: In the house of any devadasi, usually the adult females are the one who force the young girls into sex work, mostly because of lower economic conditions. As most of them are not married, there is hardly any other man to run their houses. Young boys born in the family usually take no account of their mothers. Older women do not get any work as they say that no one wants to have sex with them.

Philosophical statement: What happens to a women who has grown older within the Devadasi system and has no work option left? Other than economic reasons what makes them force their own children or grandchildren into sex work.

Choosing the Characters Hanumwa who just lost her mother, is being asked by her grandmother, Ajji to become a devadasi, so that the fanancial conditions of their family can be taken care of.

Alongside, Snippet from the scene

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Back to the original path After having gone through the writing process, I was now ready to get back to my original idea that this project revolves around- With the aim of creating ecological awareness about Nilgiri langurs and addressing their ecological concerns, I started working with defining my characters and building a story line around them. I wanted to take forth the ideas from the two drafts that I had previously created amalgamating the socio political play- Nali and the fantastical play- Karumanthi which looks at animalhuman consciousness.

Philosophical Argument 1) How does the adoption and abandonment of a place affect the lives of the forest, people and the animals? 2) Can an understanding of human- animal consciousness work towards a providing better solutions towards conservation?

Defining the characters Drawing from the play Karumanthi which is an adaptation of Girish Karnadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hayavadana, I took the characters of Appanna, Kaliya and Mother Kali. Although this time the who they identified as and their relationship with each other changed.

Physical

Kaliya

Malla

Psychological

String built langur, masculine, good at physical activities

Territorial,Alpha male, protective, caring, proud, entitled, capable, aggressive, intimidating, intelligent

Vulnerable, inclusive, Pioneer, conscientious, open, adventurous.

Tall with a belly pooch, almost bald, always looks tensed.

Rich, protective, respected, known in his community. Owner of the tea factory. Belongs to the elites of the socierty. Has many soial connections. One son and two daughters

Worries about everything, obsesses over things, anxious, angry.

Mr Kutty

Appanna

Social

A Dalit plantation worker, Tall, lanky, short Belongs to economically hair,long hands and legs, strong built body weaker sections of the society. Two children. Well known in his community, rebellious

Strong built, A little brownish coat with a mole on the face.

Dominant, Alpha female, caring, protective,asserts position at will. Mother of three infants in the group.

Agreeable, warm,kind, trusting, compassionate, emotionally stable.

Aggressive, lovable, protective, head strong, wise.

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Developing the plot Scene 1: Appanna, a tea estate worker finds himself in a dilemma when Mr kutty , a factory tea owner in the forests of Mundanthurai asks him to cut the very tree in which his best friend Kaliya a langur lives. Kaliya tries to convince him that he should not cut the trees as it is a home to him and his family. Bound by his job and this position as a tea estate worker he has to finish the work given to him. Appanna tries to convince him to go and find another tree to live in, but Kaliya refuses by saying that “it is his home, and he won’t go anywhere”, When Mr Kutty comes to keep a check on Appanna, he tries to tell Mr Kutty to leave this patch alone as a group of langurs live there. Mr kutty scoffs at him and asks him to do his job. Further on spotting Kaliya, he takes out a gun from his pocket and shoots Kaliya. Appanna baffled, tries to stop Mr kutty and cuts his head with the axe he was holding. Mr kutty’s bullet finds its aim though and Kaliya drops from the tree with his head severed as it goes through a branch. Both Mr kutty and Kaliya are dead. Scene 2: Dumbfounded and scared by his act of killing, Appanna takes the two bodies with their heads to the Kali temple, asking mother Kali to help him. Mother Kali appears from behind the statue in her sleepiness and helps him by giving him instructions to put the heads back to their bodies. Appanna in his anxiety does the same but by mistake replaces the heads. When the two bodies wake up, they realize that Mr. kutty now has a monkey body and Kaliya a human body. Both astonished and frightened don’t know what to do anymore. Kaliya , when he realizes what just happened, starts thinking about the possibilities of this new body and tells both Appanna and Mr Kutty that the only way to solve this problem now is if he goes to the Tea factory and Mr kutty goes to the forest. Mr Kutty finds this idea ridiculous and fights Kaliya. Although both weak in their bodies fail to even put up a fight. Appanna and Kaliya leave the Kali temple and inform Mr kutty about Kaliya’s group in the forest, who might take him in. Scene 3 & 4: Mr Kutty with his new body, at this stage is left helpless. He has no idea what to do, as he cannot go back to his family or the factory. He fears that the humans will kill him just how he killed Kaliya. His anger against Kaliya and Appanna keeps on increasing, until one day when he spots a group of langurs. The leader of the group, Malla, sees Mr. Kutty recognizes Kaliya’s body and takes him with her. Malla, even though very protective of her group, keeps Mr kutty, thinking that his body will help protect the group . In the next scene, which is a few months after this incident, we realize that Malla wants Mr kutty to leave the group as it is rather threatening them. “No one in the other group has seen anything like this” his body makes others suspicious. “ The langurs have been having territorial conflicts as the land has been shrinking more and more because of the plantations” “ If the other groups know that they don’t have any leader they will attack them.” At this stage Mr kutty tries to convince Malla to let him be, as he has nowhere else to go. He even at some point mentions that this new body has been doing wonders for him and he can fight others. His body remembers fighting, just like Klaiya’s body. Malla agrees, just when a group of all male langurs come and take over the group. Killing Malla’s infant. Kutty and Malla manage to escape. Scene 5: In the next scene we find that Kaliya has adjusted to the human world very well and is running the tea factory. This exchange of dialogues happens between Appanna and Kaliya. Kaliya tells Appanna that very soon the government will come and take over the factory and the big people will come and put fences around the forest to protect them. When Appanna asks Kaliya, what will happen to them when the factory is taken over by the government, Kaliya responds by saying that there is only little he can do about it. The workers like Appanna and the forest dwellers will have to leave the place. At least his forest will be protected. He also shows his desire to be more human, and the wonders of what his human body does. Angry by Kaliya’s response, Appanna tells Kaliya how he thinks he has just become like others, like Mr kutty, who for their own gains will do anything, even when it is ethically wrong. Scene 6: Appanna with other workers have now started protesting against the atrocities of the Tea factory and the government. This scene takes place in the midst of the procession between two police officers. P1, 112

who is more ecstatic, believes that the protesters are dangerous and tries to lathi charge them. He even reveals his suspicion about Mr Kutty, who looks more and more like a langur. The protesters who were demanding that they want to stay in the plantations are eventually lathi charged by the police. In order to escape the police brutality, the protesters start running towards the river. Many drown and die. Scene 7: When Kaliya realizes what happened in the procession he guilts over his decision of not helping the workers and the forest people.. He talks to Malla about how he thinks all humans have been responsible for their fate. He gets more and more convinced about the idea that fencing is the best solution. Fencing the forest will protect the animals living inside. He tries to forget what his life looked like as a monkey. He believes that the only way to protect the forest is if he truly becomes a human and fences the forest Scene 8: In the next scene we realize that Appanna has been put behind bars for inciting violence. P1 approaches him inside the cell and insults him for his lower economic conditions.. P1s suspicion about Mr Kutty has increased. He now believes that Mr Kutty is forming an army of langurs, A Vanar sena to take over the forest. Appanna is astonished by P1’s allegations. He initially does not speak anything but eventually gives in by saying that P1 is right, when forced to speak. Scene 9: Mr Kutty finds himself at Mother Kali’s temple where he requests her to make him complete, into a complete man. Mother Kali is not convinced and asks him what he is going to do if he is complete. Kutty responds by telling her that he has seen enough suffering in the animal world, because of his factory, and if he can become a human again, he will fight for the animals. Mother Kali, convinced by his reaction, makes him complete, but into a langur. She tells Mr kutty a secret, which he would need, when he fights. Scene 10: Kaliya Visits Appanna in jail, and tells him how sorry he feels about his actions. Kaliya tells him that the parliament has implemented a new act which allows the forest dweller to keep their lands. He also tells him that the big people have fenced the forest. Although now, he has nothing much to do. All his new life he was fighting, but now there is nothing to fight for. Appanna tells him that he is wrong. It is their land and no government or no big people will have the right to take it. They will fight. Appanna makes Kaliya realize that their enemy is not just the government, it is something that penetrates all lives. “The enemy is no one else but just like what used to be Mr Kutty, who for the large scale production of tea for his profit, destroyed our lands,took away our homes and created enemies within friends.” Scene 11: The forest is on fire, Malla and kutty are still sitting on the tree from the first scene when Kutty asks Malla to come with him. Malla is convinced that the fire has been caused by the pilgrims and is angry that even after fencing the forest nothing has changed. The forest fire is increasing and Kutty repeatedly asks Malla to go. Malla angry refuses and is ready to burn in the forest fire as a sacrifice. She aks kutty to go and tell Kaliya to fight for the forest. Her sacrifice should not go to waste. Scene 12 & 13: Kaliya realises that Malla is dead and is furious, he grieves her, while Appanna who has been released from the jail, and Kutty plan a fight against whoever takes away their land from them, be it the government or the big people. This is where Mr. Kutty reveals his secret about the collective consciousness of all beings. That they can fight if they can believe in themselves and connect with everyone. They all can become one another and that is how they will fight their enemy. They also devise a new forum upon which a new structure will be formed, where all humans and animals are treated equally, where all can exercise their creative power, where the land has its own right! They plan for a new future together, fighting whoever separates them.

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Snippets from scene 5

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Snippets from scene 10

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Feedback and suggestions

Mentor Suggestions By Srivi Kalyan: “This particular script is looking into many issues like the idea of fencing, forest dwellers, forest fires due to pilgrims, government taking over the factory, Parliament act, which have not been debated well in the play.. It would be better if the play, just looks into the initial idea of human- animal consciousness and issue around land. The question about who does the land belong to? “

Mentor Suggestions By Ramneek Singh: “ Ask yourself, if you think, what the characters are saying, what they say in the most optimal way? A play should focus on the complex journey of characters. This particular play, looks like it has been written with an agenda, which makes it repetitive and boring to read. It would also be important to look at who the protagonist of the play is. A protagonist shall be present in every scene, even if the he/she is not present in it.”

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Rewriting the script With the mentor feedback in place, I started writing the play again. Although this time it became a little difficult for me to figure out what exactly the roles and desires of each character were. Therefore I chose to simplify this problem with a help of the dragon story.

The Princess and Dragon story “The story involves an upper-class woman, generally a princess or similar high-ranking nobility, saved from a dragon, either a literal dragon or a similar danger, by the virtuous hero. She may be the first woman endangered by the peril, or may be the end of a long succession of women who were not of as high birth as she is, nor as fortunate. Normally the princess ends up married to the dragon-slayer.” (Wikipedia contributors. 2020) [43]

How does it connect? In relating my story to the characters of the Princess and Dragon story, The equated the evil to idea of ever expanding development and growth. Princess as Kaliya, Appanna and the tea estate workers as women endangered by the peril of the dragon. Mr Kutty as the princess who escaped the dragon and Malla, Mr Kutty and nature as the prince. The tea factory is a physical representation of development.

How did it help? The whole equation, and comparison helped me in identifying the desires and wants of each character, with a set of question and answers, I had in mind regarding the script I was writing. Q.1) What lured the princess ( Kaliya) to be with the dragon(Development/ Capitalism)? A.1) The attraction towards the grandeur , offered by the dragon. Money, luxury, ability to see the wonders of the world, stability, supreme power, possibility of a future, ability to communicate with a language, technology, creativity, innovation, beyond survival. Q.2) What is the role of the other women(Tea estate workers) in keeping the princess (Kaliya) with the dragon? A.2) The survival of the other women depends on the survival of the princess. The princess empathizes with the other women. By giving the tea estate workers a better life ,Kaliya thinks he is doing good, it also blinds him to the evils of growth and development. Q.3) What made that princess who escaped(Mr Kutty) the prison leave the dragon (development/ growth)? A.3) A body that allows freedom, away from the demands of the capitalistic world, ability to see the larger consciousness. Ability to redefine freedom,creative freedom. Having free time to contemplate. She can’t go back because of the fear that the dragon will reject her.( In this case Mr kutty cannot go back as a half human and a half langur, as there is hardly any space of a different being of another kind) Q.4) Why does the prince(Nature) wants to kill the dragon? A.4)The dragon has the princess, He has burnt the houses of the prince’s family (forest) before. The prince does not want the dragon to capture the people in his family. They fear the never ending demand of the dragon, that he might enter their homes and take away whatever they have. Q5) Who is the dragon? A.5) Omnipresent, with big wing spans, ever growing, seems immortal, supreme powerful gained through unfair distribution of power, higher in status, demanding, cunning, individualistic, over consuming, prefers violence, survives on the work done by others.. People feel that for their survival the dragon has to survive. A barrier has been created because the way the dragon has created his life goes against the way of life of others who live in the forest.

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7. Final Output A play script Title of the play In Orrumai Orrumai mean Unity/Oneness in Tamil

Redefined Character sketch Physical

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Social

Psychological

Kaliya

Strong built langur, masculine, good at physical activities.

Territorial,Alpha male, protective, caring, proud, entitled, Pioneer.

Vulnerable, confused, inclusive, conscientious, open, adventurous, moody.

Mr Kutty In his late 30s

Tall with a belly pooch, almost bald, always looks tensed.

Owner of the tea factory, Proud, belongs to the elite section of the society.

Obsesses over things, anxious, angry. Skilled and smart. Visionary

Appanna In his late 20s

Tall, lanky, short hair,long hands and legs, strong built body.

A Dalit plantation worker, Belongs to economically weaker sections of the society. Bound by limitations.

Agreeable, warm, kind, trusting, compassionate, emotionally stable.

Malla

Strong built, A little brownish coat with a mole on the face.

Dominant, Alpha female, caring, protective,asserts position at will. Mother of three infants in the group.

Aggressive, lovable, protective, head strong, wise.

Mother Kali

Eyes red, tongue rolling out, long unruly hair, four arms, small fangs, skirt made of arms and wears a garland of skulls.

Feminine form of time, “Aspect of nature that brings things to life and death.”

Witty, sarcastic, cunning, angry, bad tempered.

P1 (Police officer) 45 years old

Medium height of aroun5.9’. Healthy, always wears the police hat, has a moustache.

Upper caste Brahmin, good communication skills, staunch believer of caste system, Comfortable in native language.

Nervous, self conscious, head strong, ecstatic, stressed, hard working, over thinker.

P2 (Police officer 2) 37 years old

Tall, Fair, Big moustache, belly pooch, a handsome looking young man.

Knowledgeable, originally from metropolitan cities , naive.

Compassionate and empathetic, mentally agile.

Redefined Philosophical arguments 1) What happens when we begin to look at the world through the eyes of the other- human and nonhuman(nature) beings? 2) How does the adoption and abandonment of a land affect the lives of the forest, people and the animals? 3) Can an understanding of human- animal consciousness contribute towards building a collective consciousness which can help solve some of the ecological, socio-economic issues that we face in today’s world?

Genre Drama, fantasy

Curatorial Note In Orrmai, tries to look at the world we currently live in through the eyes of another. One one hand there is a tea estate owner and on the other a Langur. Survival of each depends on the other when their desires clash. They both want the same thing. Are they able to reach a conclusion or will there be no resolution? This play is an account of the dilemma’s the characters face when they enter the world of the other. Their journey makes them question themselves and they make decisions which will impact the survival of others. This play poses some critical ecological and social concerns that haunt our world today. Inspired by the current state of affairs in the tea plantations of BBTC (Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation) in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu, it tries to question who does the land truly belong to? The planters, the workers, the animals or the forest? Each character’s consciousness brings them to the same table, to question, who is the real enemy? The play seeks to evoke a collective consciousness that exists within all beings. It questions what happens when we experience the world being aware of the connections that we share with others? Can we then as an intelligent species take actions and make decisions which are informed by the presence of other beings? The hope that it carries is to make a small group of people, who the book reaches to, aware of their ecological surroundings. Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana and Esthappen S’s draft, A room without a victim, play an important role in forming the structure of this play. The exchanging heads of a man and monkey and the character’s living in each other’s body is drawn from Hayavadana’s concept of a man with a horse head. The search for a new identity when one is forced to leave behind his original identity, is an idea pulled from Kunja’s wish to leave behind his Manipuri self and live the life of a Hindu with his lover Gaurav in ‘A room without a victim’. The characters of P1 and P2 are inferred from Abhishek Majumdar’s The Djinns of Eidgah which give a glimpse of the soldiers posted in militarized Kashmir. In Orrumai is a small effort to speak the language of an animal which is usually muffled by the orators of the world. It is a way of realizing that consciousness exists within other beings. This play is dedicated to all the monkeys and other species around the world, without which our survival on earth would have been impossible. It is an account of what they might possibly want for themselves, of course there is no real way, yet, that we can truly understand what goes inside the conscious mind of an animal. But my intuitive self has tried to find ways of speaking for them through me, in this interconnected world. 121

Scene wise plot description Snippet from Scene 1

Mr Kutty: (Alarmed) How many? Appanna: Sir what? Mr. Kutty: How many Langurs. Appanna: Ah! I guess eight. Mr Kutty: That’s .. that’s a lot. Looks around in the canopy of the tree, takes out a gun from his pocket and aims. Appanna: (amazed) Saheb, What, What are you doing? Mr Kutty: Protecting our crops! This is our land now, not theirs! 2 Appanna: But sir, they don’t.. Mr Kutty: This solves the problem. Appanna: Sir please.. Don’t do this.. The langurs...they are my friends, you just can’t kill them. Mr Kutty lowers his gun Mr Kutty: A friend? Look at you, calling a langur your friend. Laughs Appanna: Sir, the gun? That’s not right. We will clear this patch, just don’t kill them. Mr Kutty: They are harmful to these plantations. Ravaging our crops. 3 Appanna: I can talk to them, make them leave. Mr Kutty: Listen, just do your job. If you don’t then I will call someone else. There are plenty of others. Appanna: But Saheb, it’s not them. They won’t do anything. Kutty: I am just doing what is necessary. We need this patch otherwise our company will go into debt. Do you know how to shoot? Mr Kutty spots Kaliya. Appanna: Me. No sir Mr Kutty takes another aim. Appanna: Saheb... Mr Kutty takes aim. To save Kaliya, Appanna runs towards Mr kutty. Just as Mr kutty shoots, Appanna swings his axe, cutting his head off. The bullet found it’s aim though, killing Kaliya instantly, his limp body falls down the tall tree, thuds loudly against one of the branches, his neck making a loud crunch before he finally lands on the ground below the tree. Kaliya’s body fell on one side, and his head on the other, completely severed.

Plot summary: Kaliya asks Appanna to leave the patch of land alone as Appanna cuts the very tree on which Kaliya is sitting. Appanna finds himself in a dilemma as on one side his friend’s home is at stake and on the other, his job. Mr kutty is looking forward to clearing the whole patch of land for better crop productivity. While Appanna tries to convince Mr kutty to not clear this patch of land, as a group of langurs live there, Mr kutty mocks him. On spotting Kaliya Mr Kutty takes an aim and shoots at the monkey. In order to save Kaliya, Appanna cuts Mr kutty’s head off in an instinct, Although the bullet finds its aim killing Kaliya instantly. His head severed while he fell off the branch. On the ground lies two dead bodies and two heads. Context: How the expansion of tea plantations affect the habitat of Nilgiri Langurs

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Snippet from Scene 2

Mr Kutty: What.. What happened? Kaliya struggles to get up, coughs, stays silent, slowly observes his new body. Appanna is in shock Mr Kutty: My hands. Oh my God , this can’t be true! Kaliya: Silence Appanna: Silence Mr Kutty: Sits with his hands on his face. Observing his hands and body again and again. Mr Kutty turns his head towards Kaliya who is looking at him, their eyes locked, have now become big with amazement, they take a few steps towards each other. Kaliya raises his hand, looks at it intently then extends it to touch Kutty’s body. Kutty stares at Kaliya and raises his hairy hands to meet with what used to be his hands, and when their hands meet, they both gasp. Their eyes wide open in shock. They stand still for a few moments. Mr Kutty: (Still staring at Kaliya, chirps) What a wonder! Kaliya: Oh my! Appanna: Oh! Kaliya…. How can I explain this to any of you? I am so sorry...I.I..I.. Mother Kali came..asked me to put the heads… I. I .. mixed the two.. Forgive/ Appanna who is frightened, suddenly stops talking and looks at both of them still facing each other, staring into their eyes. Appanna: Emits a squeak of regret. Mr. Kutty touches his body which is now kaliya’s. Kaliya finds comfort and does the same for his body which is now Mr. Kutty’s. They observe each other and grieve for what they have just lost. This goes on for some time. There is silence around. Suddenly Mr. Kutty snaps out of it panting and looks at Appanna, stays silent for a moment, then his blank face changes. His eyebrow condenses into his forehead, his eyes more intent. With this he charges at Appanna on his twos but his body feels weak; instead he falls on the ground. Both Appanna and Kaliya look at him. They begin to move towards him, to help them.

Plot summary: Shocked and helpless with his act of violence, Appanna reaches Kali Temple to ask Mother Kali for help. He prays and wines until mother Kali pays a visit to him. In her sleepiness she asks him what does he want? Appanna asks her to make the two dead bodies alive. Mother Kali, seeing the Appanna’s honesty, tells him to put the two heads back onto their bodies and then pressing axes against them. Excited and anxious Appanna does the same, but in his nervousness he puts the wrong heads on the wrong bodies. He is terrified, but Mother Kali has disappeared. When the two dead bodies wake up, they realize that they don’t have the same bodies! Astonished both Kaliya and Kutty are left speechless. Very soon Kaliya realizes that maybe the heads git exchanged because mother Kali wanted so. He tries to convince both Appanna and Mr Kutty that this is a good idea and probably they should switch places. Ridiculed by this idea Mr kutty tries to mock him, but when he realizes that Kaliya is serious he tries to get into a fight with him. Both bodies still recovering are not able to fight back. They give up, Appanna and Kaliya begin to leave, as they realize there is no point talking to Mr kutty. With not much option left Mr kuty is made stays back at the temple, when both of them go the tea factory. Context: This particular scene has been referenced from Girish Karnard’s Hayavadana Act 1.

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Snippet from Scene 3

Kutty has been observing the group, As he is clumsy in his ways of moving in the forest, he is spotted by the female alpha. Kutty tries to escape, but is caught, the alpha pins him to the ground and sniffs him, recognizes his smell, takes him with her on her back) --Kutty is held captive in one of the trees, constantly watched by the younger Langurs. He is given some leaves and fruits to eat. He finds it difficult to digest. He curses Kaliya every now and then. ---He is being fed, in captivity . Restricted to the top of the tree;not much activity allowed; Still kept on a watch. His body is healing. Every night he wails ---Kutty jumps from one branch to another, clumsy, plays with a few other langurs sometimes. Watches grooming sessions, tries to get groomed by the adult females; is shooed away ---The langurs teach Kaliya their language and behaviour regularly, threatening him that he will die if he doesn’t comply. ---Slightly more versed with the langur language now, Kutty has adjusted to the group. His interaction with the Higher ranking members of the group is still limited.

Plot summary: Mr Kutty left alone in the temple looks for food. Thoughts about leaving the forest and going back to his normal life haunts him, as he knows he would not be accepted in the society. One fine day he finds a group of langurs and follows them. With little experience in the monkey ways, he stumbles and is noticed by the alpha female Malla of the group. Malla, recognizing Kaliya’ boy, immediately puts Mr Kutty on her back and takes him to the group, where he is trained to become a monkey.

Snippet from Scene 4

Malla: (laughs) You can’t take Kaliya’s place, Besides You are a threat in yourself . Kutty: How can I make you understand this? I.. I don’t want to go back, and it is not just about surviving out there, but I am free here, this body, this mind, all of it feels larger and bigger. I am not limited to a system anymore, there is so much more to explore, to see, to redefine what life is. If I go back now, I will lose this freedom, and then I will be Mr Kutty again…... I am scared of that… scared of I will become what I left behind. Malla: The damage you have already done here is irreparable. It is only because of you that we are being attacked and you are expecting me to take you in? Kutty: I can’t go back…Not like this, I am a strange man now… Half human .. Half monkey.. The world has not seen anything like this... Moreover, they will put me behind bars and do experiments on me. Someone else’s curiosity will get me killed.

Plot summary: Malla tries to convince Mr kutty to leave the group as now she has realised that his presence in the group is just another threat. He is not a langur and therefore poses threat to the group. She tells him of how because of the land clearing the monkeys have been facing territorial conflicts and if any other group gets to know that Kutty is not the real Kaliya, they would attack them and take their houses. Mr Kutty tries to persuade Malla into letting him stay in the group. There is a shift in his thinking. He describes to her how, his body which is still of Kaliya’s, remembers everything that the body did. He tells her not only he is forced to stay with the group but also he wants to stay. Just as Malla realizes the importance of what Kutty is saying, a group of all male langurs attack them. Killing Malla’s infant and many other family members. When Malla is spotted grieving her infant, the alpha of the all male band tries to mount her and declare victor. Seeing this, Kutty fights him, killing the alpha instantly. Context: Due to the large scale production of tea, large expanses of land are cleared of its natural flora and fauna As mentioned above in the state of the art review, this has been one of the reasons for higher male takeovers rates, as the bands start fighting over the limited territory.

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Snippet from Scene 5

Appanna: (shouting) What are you now? Kaliya: (confused) Uh Kaliya -Kutty- both? Maybe all! Appanna: But you still have the same head and therefore the same mind Kaliya: This body has given me a different identity Appanna: So your body wins over your mind? Kaliya: I don’t know what defines identity. Mind? Body? Appanna: I thought your mind defines what you can be Kaliya: But the body defines who I am, (shakes his head) how can we debate about something which is so confusing? How do I choose between the two? Appanna: I don’t know. You are free to choose. Kaliya: How can I be free when I still have to choose? Appanna: Your freedom lies in your choice. Grabs Appanna by hand and pulls him up. Kaliya:(Irritated) For now in this factory, I am kutty. Therefore, I am human. (Beat) Appanna: It.. It is strange that you own a factory now!

Plot summary: Kaliya questions his identity, wondering who he is now? A human or an animal. We realize that now Kaliya has become the owner of the factory and he is slowly learning the ways of human life, becoming more human Finding the right time and space Appanna puts forth his demand for letting the tea estate workers make gardens in their backyard thinking that at least Kaliya would listen to them. Only to realize that for him, tea production for the factory has become more important. Appanna, shocked by Kaliya’s negative response to his demand, gets frustrated. He does not understand how someone like Kaliya would not listen to him anymore. Kaliya further tries to tell Appanna how his new body is giving him ideas about the possibility of a new life. :”it is like my body is talking to me” he says” ….telling me things I can do.. see...and not just here.. not just this place, but beyond it.. you know.. beyond my little world.. into the world of humans”.

Snippet from Scene 6

P1: Sir do you believe that the forests can talk? P2: Ah! I don’t know. P1: Sometimes I think I can hear them. P2: Good for you. P1: It tells me that I should take away all the humans with me from here P2: What? P1: Yes Sir, They are sad…. Sad because of us P2: Are you sure, It’s the forest talking? Or is it something you want to tell me P1: I don’t know. P2: If that’s the case, where will you take them? P1: To the city sir, where there is no problem for anyone. P2: Huh! That’s an easy answer. These people who you want to take away have lived in the mountains for years . They are accustomed to it. You can’t just expect them to go to the cities. P1: Sir look at them, they keep on demanding, again and again, today it is better houses, tomorrow it is going to be bigger roads for bigger cars and then bigger shopping malls, railway tracks and what not. It will just destroy the forest. How will we stop them? P2: You know about the forest too well, huh? They don’t tell you about the connections they have with these people? P1: At Least not with these people. It’s not their forest, not their land. P2: Oh God! Who are you to say that they should not live here. P1: It’s not me sir, It is the forest talking, I am just saying that they need to move out of here. Leave this place alone. P2: If that’s the case, who will provide you with tea then., the one that you enjoy sipping every ten minutes? P1: I am not sure, maybe I don’t even need it. P2:Scoffs at P1

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Plot summary of scene 6 : P1 and P2 discuss the processions taking place in the plantations headed by Appanna, who are demanding for higher wages and gardens in their backyard.. P1 is of the opinion that the protestors are dangerous and is paranoid about the things they could possibly do. P2 a new man to this area is astonished by what P1 is saying. P1 tells P2 that he talks to the forest and it tells him that the forest should be left alone, sparking a debate between the two. As the protestors show sloganeering P1’s paranoia increases and he gets up to lathi charge one of the protestors. Startled P2 reacts in anger asking P1 to step back. Later in the scene P1 exposes his suspicion about Mr. Kutty being a langur, which is scoffed at by P2. As the protests start, singing and marching begins. P1 without any further delay lathi charges everyone in the protest, raising reaction from people who start throwing stones at the police. As the crowd gets more and more agitated, other police officials join. People start running towards the river in panic to escape the brutality of the police. Context: Manjolai riots have been a huge ruin in the history of the plantation workers in Tirunelveli. Demanding for higher wages, the workers faced extreme brutality by the police, killing 11 men and on 23rd July 1999.

Snippet from Scene 7

Ghost: But you still can see me. There is a reason Kutty. Come back. Come back. Come back. Kutty: That’s not possible anymore. Ghost: Look at this body, so ugly, so repulsive.(shows his mirror image to him) Who will ever love it? Do you want to die alone? Kutty: (his face hangs) No...I don’t want to. (upright again, more stern) And I won’t. Ghost: Are you sure about it? This body doesn’t have much time left. Kutty: doesn’t say anything Ghost: The language. Do you remember it? The complexity and the sound of it. So sophisticated. It was what made you who you were. The power to communicate. The speeches you gave. Kutty: This language is not bad either. Ghost: It is so inferior. How can you give up on years of evolution? Kutty: Silence Ghost: Your voice Appanna, the songs you sang, so melodious, people would go crazy over it. You remember? Silence Kutty: How do I sound now? Ghost: Mostly screeches. Pause Listen (makes him listen to his own voice from the past) This is so beautiful. Kutty: (listening to his own voice) It is. Ghost: Look at yourself (show him an image of Mr kutty from the past) Kutty: Oh! That’s me. Ghost: Shows him his mirror image against his past image Kutty: Oh! I was good looking then. I was good looking. I was wrong! Oh! I wish I could go back. I could be that again. I haven’t got those arms, it’s a pity! The hair all over looks so ugly, my hand, so rough and fingers so long, Oh! I can’t stand this hairy body-Oh I would love to have that wonderful soft skin-smooth without any hair on it. The songs, the music- I would love to hear them again- I wish I could sing again. Ah- OO--OO- COh- KSK. It’s not that. Try again louder from the stomach- AAAA --OO--OOO-OOOOOOOO-OOO-O, that’s not it. It’s too feeble, it has got no drive behind it. I am just howling. That’s all I can do now. Howl and make crazy noise. I have only myself to blame. Hey you? Have you left? Hello? Has he left? Come back. Help me. I should have gone back when there was time. Now it’s too late! I am a monster now. I will never become a human again, never, never! I just can’t. I can’t stand the sight of me, these hands. I am too late..too ashamed. Too bad!

Plot summary: Kaliya is faced by his own ghost in his tiny house up on the tree in the middle of the night. The ghost reminds him of the beauty of the human life that he has left behind. Kutty, initially convinced that the monkey life is what he wants to live now, slowly changes his opinions when he is presented by the the vision of the songs he sang or the food he ate, or the love of his close ones when he was a human.

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Snippet from Scene 8

Kaliya: I will forget the songs of the babblers that my body used to dance to. Malla grooms his back Kaliya: I will forget the fierce Uncle who adopted me. Malla grooms his arms Kaliya: I will forget the father who died fighting my uncle. Malla grooms his back again Kaliya: I will forget the freedom I had. Malla grooms his neck Kaliya: I will forget the taste of the fruits. Malla: But why can’t anyone else do it? Kaliya: It has to be me. It is my responsibility. Malla grooms the other arm Kaliya: I will forget the human friends in the forest Malla grooms his stomach Kaliya: I will forget the leopards who hunted us! Malla grooms his hands Kaliya: I will forget the loud calls and hooting in the mornings and the evenings. Malla grooms his thigh Kaliya: I will forget the battleplans I made with my brother Malla grooms the other thigh

Plot summary: After realising how one decision changed the lives of Appanna and many other tea estate workers, Kaliya was now convinced that there is no other way to solve this issue other than becoming more human. He tells Malla that he will forget everything that made him a monkey. He will forget his past. He will forget whatever he used to be.

Snippet from Scene 9

P1: Tell me.. Appanna does not say anything P1: Don’t stay silent now, reply when you are questioned! Appanna: I don’t know what to say. You, think you are above me and that’s why I have to answer all your stupid questions! As a matter of fact I have lived more of a life than you ever will, I don’t have a voice anymore and no matter what I do, I will end up in a place just like this. Is this what you want me to say? You killed many of my people today, because you were scared! Hahaha (Pause) You were scared that we could speak? Interesting! P1: Shut up!t I don’t need to hear any of this bullshit. Tell me about the army. Appanna stays silent. P1: Say it otherwise I will beat the hell out of you! Appanna ponders and replies Appanna: Well, if you have caught us, then let me tell you, yes you are right, Mr Kutty is in fact a monkey, langur to be specific. And yes, we do want the forest, so we have built up an army of langurs, you know in some sense you can call it Hanuman’s Vanar sena. P1: I knew it Appanna: Except, one thing you have gotten wrong here. P1: What is that? Appanna: We are not the enemies of our nation. We are just simple people fighting for what is ours. We don’t own the forest, we don’t want it all to ourselves. We just demand what is ours. But mind you, in case we don’t get that, we will fight! We will bring our Vanar Sena to your lanka! P1: Huh! Look at you, threatening me! Bloody thieves.

Plot summary: Appanna found himself to be interrogated by P1 inside a jail cell. P1’s suspicion about Mr Kutty and his Vanar Sena have increased. Appanna is astonished by P1’s allegations. He initially does not speak anything but eventually gives in by saying that P1 is right, when forced to speak.

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Snippet from Scene 10

Kali: You are a Langur now, Kutty: No, that can’t be it. I fear Mother Kali, that in this world, I will forget what I used to be. As good as it may be here, I don’t want to give up on my history. This life is one of wonder, thrill, excitement but no one knows me here. I look into their eyes and realize they don’t understand me. They don’t know what I have done, what my life used to be, the things that I enjoyed, the things that I grew up with, the food that I ate, the children I had, the school that I have been to, the mother that I had. I have tried, the only time I feel that I am a part of them is when we are fighting. They have adopted me because of Kaliya’s body! At first I felt great because I did not have to belong to anyone. But when I see them grooming , playing, sleeping together, I start wanting to be one of them. I want that.. I want to go back to my wife, my children, my factory, where people can see through me. Kali: I think there is a lot that you have missed here. You need to learn from them. They are not very different, apart from their bodies and mind. But beyond all of this exists something, which is greater than all these physical aspects of life. Something that connects you to them, them to you, and all other beings. There is a messy network of things, around you, underneath you, above you, which you can’t see and therefore cannot comprehend. You are not bigger or smaller than them. You are just you! And they are you. You are them. That’s all you need to know and understand, and there will be a community beyond all your physical capacities to fight whoever and whatever you want. I am also a part of you. How do you think you can see me? I am nothing physical, and yet, here you are, talking to me asking me for my help! But mind you I am nothing different. Just look within you and you will have all the answers that you need. If you have understood this today, then this body or mind won’t make a difference. So be it- You will be one! You will be complete. You will be a langur!

Plot summary: After Kutty sees his ghost he has become more convinced that he wants to be complete again. He visits Mother Kali’s temple to ask for help. When confronted he requests her to change him.. Mother Kali not convinced enough by his reasons asks him what he is going to do if he is complete. Kutty responds by telling her that he has seen enough suffering in the animal world, because of his factory, and if he can become a human again, he will fight for the animals. Mother Kali tells him that she will make him complete but he will become a monkey. Agitated and scared, Kutty describes in length why he can’t be a monkey. Mother Kali tells him that if he understands the interconnectedness between different beings, he will be able to be whoever he wants to be. He will know of things bigger than the physicality of a being. Mother Kali disappears and there stands Kutty, a complete monkey.

Snippet from Scene 11

Kaliya: What about the land they dig to plant seeds with their sweat Malla: What about the healing powers of the plants? Kaliya: What about the hands that sow the seeds Malla: The talking trees Kaliya: The laughters of children Malla: The croaking frogs Kaliya: The homes that they make. Malla: The bonds that we share. Kaliya: The community that they create Malla: The smell that informs us about the rains Kaliya: The stories about the forest and their people Malla: The land that gives us fruits Kaliya: The soil that connects them to their roots Malla: What about the rows of deadly tiger marks, the wild gaurs roaming, the leaping fish, the peacock, the birds that love the moon. What about them? Kaliya: It is the only safe place the workers have Malla: The only safe place we have. Silence Squeaks.

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Plot summary: Kaliya wants Malla to see the world he has created as a human. He wants her to see the things he has done for the worker. Malla refuses to see anything as Kaliya the very protetor of the forest has now started encroaching his own land. This is followed by a debate between them where they discuss for who the land is more important the estate workers or the animals. Malla realizes that Kaliya is never going to understand this, out of frustration she jumps on to Kaliya to fight him. The fight goes on for some time, until Malla falls from the tree. Kaliya worried clubs down to see what happened. Malla, still conscious, is hardly able to speak. She tells her to make the right decision and work with everyone and save the forest.

Snippet from Scene 12

Announcement on the speaker. “ The State government is taking over the factory and the forest land starting next month. The tea factory won’t be functional in its original form, but shall have far better developmental opportunities. The workers are requested to make arrangements and leave the forest as soon as possible. The forest land will come under the government jurisdiction and it will hold all property rights of the land. The government shall do everything in its capacity to look after the flora and fauna of the region and shall use the ecosystem services for the better future of our ever growing and beautiful state”

Snippet from Scene 13

Appanna: Who will we fight? Kaliya: Whoever takes our land from us. Appanna: The government then? Kaliya: Them and more. It is not just the government who is our enemy, or just the big people who we think will eventually take over our land. I have seen it, experienced it and been it. Mr kutty was the enemy once and then I was. You are a part of it too. We can’t really see it, it is everywhere but still hidden, hidden in every human that you see, everywhere you go. It is so attractive and additive. It makes you feel like you need it, to survive. It gives you power and strength but at the cost of who we were and who we truly are. It takes away what we have and makes us believe that it is the best way to live, forcing us to all be the same. And mind you, if you take another path, it will crush you, keep you on the side, taking away all the knowledge you have. After Malla’s death I realized that I was wrong this whole time. I thought I was doing something good for the people here but then I was just an equal part of the enemy because I had forgotten my roots. I can’t let that happen again. We can’t let it take over our mind, our bodies, our forest, our skies or our rivers. Kaliya: So how do we identify our enemy? Appanna: Whoever tries to break us apart. Whoever distinguishes between you and me and tries to take away our land.

Plot Summary: Kaliya meets Appanna in jail, where he apologizes to him about how things happened. Kaliya’s change in opinion is seen where after Malla’ death he has realized what he was doing with the factory would have just harmed everyone. The government in the previous scene has declared that there it is going to shut down the factory and the land would be used for other developmental projects. All workers are supposed to leave. Appanna, saddened by the reality, is not sure about his future. Kaliya assures him they will fight for the lang which has belonged to them for years. He says that he knows the enemy, it is not just some government or some big industry. The enemy is bigger than that. Kaliya assure Appanna that he will release him from the jail and they will fight together with the animals.

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Snippet from Scene 14

Kaliya: But how do we do that? Kutty: Wait.. A moment of silence. Mr Kutty closes his eyes. Apppanna and Kaliya look at him with strange eyes. Can you see it? Deep down inside you are the land As kutty speaks everyone on stage starts transforming into the land. You are the river Everyone turns into a river. You are every plant on this earth Everyone turns into plants You are the mountain Everyone turns into mountains You are a rock Everyone turns into rocks You are the birds Everyone turns into birds The cicadas Everyone turns into cicadas The fish Everyone turns into fishes The tiger Everyone turns into a tiger The leopard Everyone turns into a leopard The elephants Everyone turns into elephants The forest people Everyone turns into forest people And you are the langurs Everyone turns into Langurs. Apppanna and Kaliya have been transformed. This is it. This is the larger truth. My consciousness is yours, and yours is mine. It is our fight, not just yours or mine. We fight for the earth tomorrow. And we will succeed, for we have the support of everything we just became. Appanna: (shivering) I have never felt like this before Kaliya: I am everything! I am Malla , I am Kaliya, I am Appanna! Appanna: I guess, what that police officer said was true. We do have a Vanar sena after all! They Laugh. The whole forest and its beings have now turned into Langurs. They have a capacity to turn into whatever they would like to be. The next day, the whole forest with itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different beings united together in interchangeable forms are standing in the factory. The world has never seen anything like this before. The police, forest department and the big people are on the other side. There is a long standing fight, which goes on for three days. This can be represented through visuals on screen on a stage, which can be a messy representation of technological weapons fighting against nature.

Plot summary: A collective of human and non human is born where all realize the power of interconnectedness and collective consciousness. They have the ability to now turn into whoever and whatever they want, river, trees, animals, humans. Nature is by their side. Directed by Kutty all are ready to fight the government who is going to take away their lands from them tomorrow.

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Snippet from Scene 14

Kutty: In any case, they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dare enter the forest. They are scared. They have not seen anything like this before. Appanna: They have guns Kutty: We have nature by our side. Look at this, look around you. Kaliya: Tomorrow we go again! And if everyone is on our side, we will start something new. We will grow our own crops, a small factory, only this time it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a factory made of machines, but by people and animals together. And mind you, we are not alone here. There are many more like us, we will find them and form something which builds a bigger resistance to the outside world. We are building a new community. Whoever wants to be a part shall sign the document today. The document hangs from the tree on the stage, which the tree itself reads. Tree: TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP, COOPERATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE BETWEEN THE PEOPLE, THE ANIMALS AND THE FOREST This document highlights the resolution between the cooperating parties who will be in alliance to create a new society. It reaffirms their desire for the establishment of a Collective based on the participation of all humans and animals. Being desirous of further promoting and developing friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. Who, having presented their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows: 1. All human and animal shall be treated equal 2. The people and nature shall coexist harmoniously. 3. All members irrespective of their form of existence shall have the right to freedom. 4. The well being, integrity and dignity of soil, water, mountains, plants and animals should be one of the primary concerns of this new society. 5. The needs of the most vulnerable like the lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri Langurs, Nilgiri tahr, indigenous communities ,the plantation workers etc. shall be given prime importance until recovery. 6.Animals, the forest and the indigenous communities shall hold all the rights over their lands The knowledge systems of the forest shall be used for the creative and social development of the forest. 7.Any activity which requires human intervention like tea plantation, logging of wood, into the land will be taken ahead only if complied by the committee of forest and its beings. 8.The tribes living in the forest, shall not be disturbed. 9.The society will not be bound by the production of what the world demands but only what is required for the self sustenance of the society. 10.The plantation workers shall have all the creative power and freedom to the factory, if and when occupied. 11.The production of any crop solely lies on the worker forces. Langurs, monkeys, wasps, snakes, birds, bees, cicadas, insects , wild dogs , squirrels, trees, and the workers, all come to sign the document. ALL TOGETHER To us To our land To our animals, plants and fellow humans. The End.

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Book Design Target Audience As my output, is a play script, It was important for me to put it in a book format. My initial plan was to perform the script in front of the identified audience i.e the people living at the crossroads of humanwildlife interphase, especially those living at the forest edges. This includes adults and sub adults particularly living near the forests of my research area Kalakkad and Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. Some of the identified places are Tirulveli and Ambasamudarm Although due to COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown none of this could be actualized. Therefore I have identified an audience to who the book will be targeted to. The Play book will eventually be translated into Tamil and Hindi, to address a wider audience. Students from age 13-17: The play in its current format will need to be edited in terms of making the concepts of animal and human consciousness more apparent when the target audience is from the age range of 13-17. I would like to further add to the fantastical theme of the play, where I can dwell a little more into the natural lives of langurs Adults from age 17-21: I have read this version of the play several times with a theatre group of young adults, with changing audience in every session. The concepts around the play have been understood well as reported to me by two of students in the sessions, aged 20 and 21. Where: Introducing this book at high school level and to undergrad students from colleges and universities in Tirnulveli district of Tamil Nadu. How: 1) Distributing low quality prints of the book in schools during workshops and events like the Waterbird festival held by ACCC Atree in Ambasamudaram and Tirnulveli. 2) Certain scenes of the play can be read by students as a class activity during workshop, mentioned above. 3) It can even be performed by the identified theatre group- Nature talkies in the villages they travel to in Tamil Nadu. I seek to understand how these age groups understand the meaning of the play and if that affects them to take actions in whatever little way possible. A it is a book, I would also want students from colleges and high school to read the play to provide them with a larger understanding of the human and non human world. I hope to incite a curiosity amongst young adults to start looking at the world through the eyes of the other as the decisions they make will in the future and the present affect the survival and quality of our life on earth.

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Typography

Choosing Serif I chose serif font over a sans serif font because serif fonts portray tradition, seriousness and a formal tone. Because of their classical nature serif fonts carry, a feeling of trust and respectability. Hence serif became ideal for my project. I explored 10 serif fonts, and through much deliberation, I chose Garamond. Garamond is a group of many serif typefaces, named for 16th century Parisian Claude Garamond. This font has been popular and used often for book printing and body text. I chose Garamond because it is elegant, while not being overly orante or showy. It looks the most classic and was the most legible out of all. I chose Times new roman as my heading font as it is most legible, simple and provides enough breathing space.

Aa TIMES NEW ROMAN Times new Roman

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 ?><.,”:’;{}[]=@#$%^&*()

Aa Garamond Garamond The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 ?><.,”:’;{}[]=@#$%^&*()

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Illustrations

Inspired from Gond art Character of Appanna, the style is adopted from the Gond art, which takes it’s inspiration from nature.

Drawn from Quentin Blake Illustration style Mr Kutty’s Character, inspired from Quentin blake’s Illustration style.

Naturalistic, Intutive Drawing Kaliya’s character, a naturalistic, more intuitive form of Illustration 134

Mr Kutty with a monkey body

Malla in scene eleven

The monochrome colouring is for the events happening in the scenes

Kaliya with a human body

Malla grieving her dead infant

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Appanna, holding heads of Mr Kutty and Kaliya in front of the Kali temple.

Tea plantations with estate workers

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Kaliya imagination of a human life, and his bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to expand his consciousness

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When Kutty tries to forget his past as a monkey; Scene eight

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When everyone starts turning into lungurs. Scene Thirteen

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Mr kutty turns into a complete monkey

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Mr kutty turns seeing his ghost

Malla grooms Kaliya

Whose land is it?

Police brutality against the workers

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Cover page I wanted the cover page to be something which would amalgamate all the different concepts that the play talks about. The cover image on the next page represents the meeting of a monkey hand with a human hand. A point where both the world’s of Mr Kutty and Kaliya meets. The blurred background represents the home of both these characters but with an exchanged desire, as bodies get replaced with each other, their wants switch too.

Title Deciding the title of the book was one of the most difficult task. I came up with several titles based on the keywords: Human animal consciousness, animal consciousness, collective consciousness, interconnectedness, exchanged heads, unity. Names that I thought of Halfway Midway Vanavas Karumanthi Lost in transition Midway Seeing through your eyes Through your eyes In search of completeness Oneness The switch The land Langurs Orrumai Qualia With Orrumia and Qualia in mind, I decided to go with Orrumai which means Oneness in Tamil. I added an ‘In’ to represent the act of being in oneness. I used a Tamil name because the play is meant for the Tamil speaking audience. The book will be translated in Tamil when it is presented to the desire audience.

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Way Forward After attending the conservation course at NCF, which looked at some foundational ideas that have formed modern conservation, I was intrigued by certain stories that I came across while researching its history. Stories about how Africa was colonized made me feel empathy for their nation but at the same time I felt like I wanted to know more as my knowledge about it was very limited. India in itself was colonized by the Britishers which had an everlasting effect not just on our lands but also our people. I started wondering how colonization would have affected the wildlife in our country. With Britishers grabbing their hold on India, and the passing of the Slavery Abolition act in 1833, the colonists started looking for slaves elsewhere, and found them in India. Once feared and fierce tribals of eastern and central India, now were employed as collies. In the tea plantations of India employing the locals as workers was becoming problematic as the locals could revolt back or even stop working whenever they wished to. In the late 1860s the British started employing migrant labourers for the tea industry in Assam from east and central India.”This system was sustained by harsh penal legislation where the planters had the right to ‘private arrest’. This meant that they could hunt down absconding workers and deliver punitive sentences.” writes Madhura Roa in her article, The story of Chai-Part 2. She also notes that the exploits of the British planters in the Assa tea industry were atrocious. The labourers were not provided with enough wages or even good living conditions which resulted in high mortality rates. “Frequent instance of flogging a recalcitrant worker to death, sexual assault, and other equally vile forms of torture have been recorded in various archives and first-hand accounts.” [44] As my existing play looks into the issues of tea estate workers I wanted to understand the social and historical contexts which have contributed over a period of time towards reaching where we are today. Understanding how colonization has been a root to a lot of evils in our society. An interesting aspect that I wanted to dwell in was to understand how colonization has affected our wildlife, our nature, our lands and our people. Furthermore how has the narrative of conservation floated, surpassed or been through colonization. With a little bit of research and insight I wrote three scenes which I thought would possibly help me figure out these questions further.

Problems and way forward

As I finished writing this scene I was told that It is very problematic in a lot of ways. It is eco fascist as it pushes an agenda of ‘only animals- and nature should survive’. It is racist as it tries to equate tea workers with monkeys. Even though I was slightly aware of the dangerous boundaries I was treading into, this exercise made me take a step back. I realized that the play that I was writing would require a lot of research ,different from the one that I have inquired into for this project. The current play which is my output takes more of an intuitive writing process compared to what I was aiming for. As a way ahead into the context of my work I would further like to inquire into the questions of colonization and its effect on our lands, animals and people. On the other hand playwriting is a journey that I have just started to inquire into. There are many more aspects of this particular skill I would like to inquire into. Some of them are mentioned below: 1.Inquiry into different styles of play writing 2. Building a deeper understanding of the elements required to write a good Drama 3. Reading and attending more playwriting sessions on contemporary plays 4. Understanding Indian forms of theatre 5. How to build a play for the stage 146

Kutti: You have given up quite easily Appanna, without any real fight. I heard from Balla, he had gone to the forest with the Planters the other day. He said only a third of what used to be our home, is left of it. Most of it has only plantations now, no trees, no birds, no fruits. Only human tracks everywhere. Are you okay with that? You don’t think we will ever go back? Or are you so hopeless that you don’t care anymore? Appanna: What do you want me to do? Kutti: Be the leader you used to be. You have gotten us this far. Remember the time when Kaliya had gotten too close? You had seen him way before any of us had spotted him and you howled and howled until he had to run away. That was brave. Who would think a Langur could scare away a Leopard! But you..you could do it. I want you to gather all that strength in you and fight the humans. Appanna: This is different Kutti, It is not a leopard, these are humans. eI was used to the wild.. but this... this is completely different. They are capable of doing atrocious things that we can’t even think of. They are way ahead of us. Kutti: I believe in us, and I know we can win this fight. I have something in mind and I need your help. Appanna What are you thinking of this time? Appanna looks at Kutti with suspicion. Kutti: I… I have been thinking, whenever there is a tea break, the planters are either busy chatting and sipping tea or are with one of us. That is the time, when it has to be done. Appanna: Suspicious What must be done? Kutti: Burn the plantations! Appanna:(Scoffs) Are you serious? Kutti: Yes, and I need your help with it. When I am gone during the tea break/ Appanna: You can’t be serious right / Kutti: When I am gone during the tea break, and when most of the men are busy, you have to reach the factory door. A man keeps his matchbox on one of the shelves. You reach the shelf and take the matchbox. No one will notice you because they won’t think we can do any of this. You take the help of some others and burn down the plantation. Appanna: Haha how can you be so naive! And what then, Kutti? What happens when we have burned the plantations. We will still be tied to the factory. How will this guarantee our freedom? Kutti: We will run away. There will be total chaos, we can untie our chains and just run. They won’t see us. Appanna: Run where? We have no home left. All the others are also on their side. Kutti: We will find another one Appanna. We will. Not this..This is not our home.. anywhere... somewhere else. Appanna: Silence No, I can’t help you with this. This is insane. Kutti: And we are supposed to be. Remember we are wild. We cannot be tamed. Kutti points cautiously towards the shelf near the factory door. There. That’s all you need to do. It is easy, and a door to our freedom. (Beat) Tea break, in a few days. Okay? Appanna: I won’t risk the life of my group members for a stupid plan like this. Kutti: Oh, so now you are the leader again? (takes his hand and points quietly towards the factory door again) See. Look at that. That is where our home was. Our trees. Our lives. Look (points at a few humans) What are they doing here? Don’t you feel ashamed when someone else has ravaged your territory? When how you live your life is defined by a human. How do you feel when your only food is cooked rice and milk and not something that you can digest easily? They live like that, not us. Our freedom lies in the forest, in running and chasing. Not this. Appanna: You believe or not, but these langurs still look at me thinking that I will protect them. I only know one way of doing it, and that is to follow orders. Perhaps they need me more here than fighting for something whose future we don’t even know. Think about Malla, what will happen to her when the humans see what we have done. Will you be able you protect her then? I am sorry freedom in this life and that is how I know this will work. I am sorry I can’t take chances for Malla, you or anyone in the group Snippets from the scene; Appanna as a male Alpha langur and Kutty as the female Alpha langur 147

Reflection “Live close to nature and your spirit will not be easily broken,for you learn something of patience and resilience”- Ruskin Bond Fascinated by the illustrated stories of Ruskin bond or intrigued by the short stories of Rudyard Kipling, I began my journey as a nature lover when I first started the course. Over these two years of learning experience, I have moved from just a nature lover to someone as an artist who inquires deep into the ideas of nature and is interested in now understanding the various historical, social and cultural aspects of the world that have defined our relationship with nature. Earth education and communication as a course allowed me to dig deep into the complex relationships that we, as an intelligent species share with the natural world. It made me question my already existing ideas and beliefs that had formed over the years and rethink them in ways that were more informed and enlightened by the current and historical scenarios. With this project I started looking into the porous boundaries that connect the human and the non human world, and the curiosity of seeing the world through the eyes of the other. As the world progresses more and more into the ideas of development and growth, every time it leaves behind an important part of a world which plays an integral part in our survival. We hear everyday about how a lot of species have either been affected by the forest fires like in that of Amazon or how a certain elephant has died because the ‘local people’ in one of the villages in Kerala fed her a pineapple bomb. And the blame game begins. It is almost every time that the poor are affected as they don’t have a say. Even though concepts like eco justice that we read in the books are in place, they are not seen being implemented in the remotest areas of our country. The environmental laws meant to be protecting the environment are only used as an when the government wants. Here, I feel that there is a need to look at the world a little differently. What happens when you put yourself in the minds or the bodies of other people or beings? Can we then think about the choices that we make with a different perspective? Can we put ourselves into the lives of animals or of people who we only feel a certain empathy for? Can we then begin to see what the wonders of their life has to offer or what grief hovers them? Can we therefore make better choices as people of our privilege, that directly and indirectly impact the lives of others? This particularly is the aim of this project. I feel that the journey that I have taken over the course of these few months, I have come to realize a lot about the things that we know and things that we don’t know. Looking at a primate species, in this case a langur, was not something that I had researched about, it was rather a suggestion by my mentor, as she saw that some of my work in the past had sketches of langurs. For me at that point, I was interested in exploring the context of human animal boundaries, so picking any species would have done. Although what I did not realize at that time, was that there was always an intuitive self that wanted me to work towards a species that closely relates to us. Nilgiri langur happened to be one of the species that I got to work with while interning with an ecologist Vasanth Godwin Bosco. And there began a journey of an inquiry into a never ending subject of non human primates. Understanding the lives of a langur becomes difficult when you want to understand their state of mind. Most of the scientific journals and papers provide you with a very structural understanding of the animals, what it eats, where it lives, what is its social behaviour. Although it is very integral in understanding the animal, it is still limited in the form it is communicated. Thus, came the idea of embodying the animal and trying to understand their possible state of mind. My embodied engagement of the animal allowed me to look deeper into the animal self, although it is always going to be impossible to really know what goes on in the inner minds of the other. We have just begun to slightly understand consciousness in humans and it would probably take us a lot more time to truly define what consciousness is and even longer to know the state of consciousness in animals.

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Allowing my body to behave like a monkey, provided me with insights in affect in animals which is the instinctive state of mind ,just before our cognitive self starts as explained to me by Prof Anindiya Sinha. This helped me atleast get in touch with my instinctual self and thereby understand the instincts in a monkey. My various field visits to Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve as represented in the documentation book were very important in truly getting to know the habitat of these langurs, Not only did I come across several primate species like Lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri Langurs I also got a chance to see the lives of the humans living in the hills of south India i.e the tea estate workers. As made very apparent by the Humanitarian crisis that our country faces because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, when thousands of migrant workers struggled to even get basic food and water. This has been the state of the tea estate workers in many plantations across India for a long time. The problems of the poor always remain the problems of the poor , but hardly anyone tries to see it differently. Although that would be a different debate to have later. As I started my creative process of making from an embodied practice to play writing, I realized, playwriting as a tool, truly allowed me to look at the world through the eyes of the other, While defining each character, I had to build both intuitive and research based understanding of the subject. For example the character of Kaliya was brought to place with an amalgamation of my embodied and secondary research. Similarly interviewing the tea estate workers, allowed me to get a first hand perspective into their lives and the issues that they face. An extensive research into different plays also helped me in building a better understanding of how to write a drama. I read almost 20 plays in this course of two months. An interesting part that I found while working on writing the play was how simply it defines the desires and wants of each character. Not to say that it puts them in boxes, but it helped me get a better understanding of the world we live in. It also allows one to almost question everything. The intensive act of rewriting dialogues, truly let me explore the life of a character as each dialogue has a meaning. Nothing should be said which does not contribute towards developing a character or the plot. It summarises the complex lives of people in a way that makes you relate with them. As an artist, working as playwright was a choice that I made while doing my research into the project. It has been since then, four or five months that I have developed skills in this field. Although at an amature level, my work has seen progress in terms of both writing skills and developing an understanding of the methods and techniques needed to write a Drama. From the first draft that I wrote I feel I have come a long distance, where now I can begin to inquire a little deeper into playwriting. Here I would really like to acknowledge certain plays that have helped me in building my skills in Playwriting. Starting from Hayavadana, a play by an indian playwright Girish Karnard, from which I have heavily drawn my concepts. Abhishek Majumbar’s the Djinns of Eidgah which made me understand the importance of character development and Esthappen S’s play draft ‘A room without a victim’ which helped me develop the philosophical arguments around identity. As a whole I feel my work has come a long way from the first proposal to the final script. My work is interdisciplinary when it uses different mediums of visual and performative art to communicate a subject as complex as ecology and trans-disciplinary when it investigates the porous boundaries that connect human and non-human worlds through the intervention of art. The project evokes critical 149

questions as to how can we consciously engage with the nature around us, especially the animate living beings and how we can create symbiotic relationships with the flora and fauna around us. Due to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown situation I was unable to truly experiment my work on the ground. Some of the critical research questions that the project asks have yet to be answered from the desired audience. I wanted to test my play on students in high school and at an undergraduate level in the field which could not be materialized as I could not travel. Although the insights gained from some of the people that read my play proved that the concept of ecological consciousness is being understood and taken well by them. My brother who has just graduated school, after reading my play told me that he thought that the play was about seeing the perspective of the animal- langur, which to me was a big achievement as evoking the perspective of â&#x20AC;&#x2122; looking through the eyes of the otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; had materialized in him. I hope to take this work further where I can possibly use the same methodology which has been applied for this project into different contexts of ecology, education and conservation. I also want to present my play in front of the identifies audience as soon as the pandemic situation becomes better. This project is dedicated to all the langurs and animals that I had encountered through this project. It hopes for a future where our small attempt like this can provide for a better life to these animals who now suffer at the hands of human ignorance.

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References 1: Schlottmman, Jamieson. 2017. Environment and Society. New York University Press 2: Collectives, Raqs Media. 2013. Three and a half conversation with an eccentric planet. Third Text 3: Down to Earth. Environment reader for University readers. State of Wildlife (110-111). Centre for Science and Environment 4: Down to Earth. Environment reader for University readers. Changing Landscape of the Western Ghats(115-116). Centre for Science and Environment 5: Barnosky, A., Hadly, E., Bascompte, J. et al. Approaching a state shift in Earth’s biosphere. Nature 486, 52–58 (2012) 6. James Freitas, New England primate conservancy “Nilgiri langur Semnopithecus Johnii (2018)- https://www.neprimateconservancy.org/nilgiri-langur.html

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Through the eyes of the other SHIVANGI PANT