Sravasti Datta

Consulting Editor at Citizen Matters

Independent journalist

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Articles

Multilingual plays connect better with varied audiences, says Blindspot makers

1 week ago | obnews.co | Sravasti Datta

By Sravasti Datta A multilingual play enhances relatability for diverse audiences, believe Venkatesan Vaidhyanathan and Vishal Nayer. The theatre artistes, under MISF!T – My Interest Stays Firmly in Theatre, will be staging Blindspot, a multilingual play, which incorporates English, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam, in Bengaluru this weekend.
How Bengaluru lost touch with its waters and why getting it back is urgent

3 weeks ago | thefederal.com | Sravasti Datta

Bengaluru is facing yet another water crisis, exacerbated by rapid urbanisation. The exponential growth of the city — in 2025, its population is estimated to be at 14,395,000, a 2.76% increase from 2024 — has led to a strain on its water resources. In 2024, Bengaluru recorded a 100% groundwater extraction, according to a report by the Central Groundwater Board. Besides this, lakes have been encroached upon and rajakaluves (stormwater drains) concretised.
‘Barff’: Saurabh Shukla’s thrilling play draws inspiration from Kashmir

2 months ago | livemint.com | Sravasti Datta

Lounge Summary The play, which has been running for eight years now, is inspired by the landscapes and ghost villages of Kashmir and not necessarily its politics This is a Mint Premium article gifted to you. Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Barff, a play written and directed by national award-winning actor Saurabh Shukla, is set in Kashmir—however, it is not connected with the politics of the region. The inspiration lies in the people and landscapes.
Tracing the lives, hopes and end of the victims of The Dupatta Killer

2 months ago | thefederal.com | Sravasti Datta

True crime documentaries often place the murderer at the centre of the narrative, but film director Patrick Graham defies this approach in his latest documentary, The Dupatta Killer, released on DocuBay. “What interests me about the case isn’t the serial killer—I think serial killers are overexposed—but the lives of the women who were murdered by Mahanand Naik,” says Patrick. “They had hopes and dreams yet Mahanand took advantage of them.
‘Silvatein’: A play that looks at everyday feminism

2 months ago | livemint.com | Sravasti Datta

There is been a resurgence in conversations around regressive patriarchal traditions in relationships with the streaming of Mrs.—the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen. Silvatein, a play by Bengaluru-based theatre director and playwright Shatarupa Bhattacharyya, is especially relevant in this context. Through the production, she explores the complex web of intimate relationships.
HT Syndication: 'Silvatein': A play that looks at everyday feminism

2 months ago | htsyndication.com | Sravasti Datta

New Delhi, March 16 -- There is been a resurgence in conversations around regressive patriarchal traditions in relationships with the streaming of Mrs.-the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen. Silvatein, a play by Bengaluru-based theatre director and playwright Shatarupa Bhattacharyya, is especially relevant in this context. Through the production, she explores the complex web of intimate relationships.
MTC focussed on intelligent bus system in Chennai: Managing Director Alby John Varghese

Feb 4, 2025 | citizenmatters.in | Shobana Radhakrishnan |Sravasti Datta |a Bachelors

In October 2023, Alby John Varghese, a 2013-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, took charge as the Managing Director of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) in Chennai. His appointment marked a significant shift, as an IAS official had not helmed the government body for over two decades.
A non-verbal response to intolerance

Jan 30, 2025 | livemint.com | Sravasti Datta

Vijayakumaran then returned to Bengaluru to complete a previous production, Imagine A Room. “We had an event scheduled to showcase two documentaries on Kalakshetra Manipur, one on Sabitri Heisnam and one on Heisnam Kanhailal, founder-director of Kalakshetra, Manipur. We also had an actor training workshop by Pangambam Tyson Meitei on the Kalakshetra’s actor training pedagogy.
Sunita Narain interview: ‘Trump’s victory poses a threat to the environment’

Jan 11, 2025 | thefederal.com | Sravasti Datta

Leading environmentalist and Director-General Centre for Science and Environment, Sunita Narain’s latest non-fiction book, The Rise of the Neo-Locals: A Generational Reversal of Globalisation (CSE) is thought-provoking and an essential read for our times. With the question of whether globalisation is dead dominating discussions over the last few years —especially amid the rise of centre-right politics — Narain explores this topic against the backdrop of global challenges.
Prataya Saha on 1924: The Kakori Project, plight of kids during Freedom Struggle

Nov 30, 2024 | thefederal.com | Sravasti Datta

Inspired by the Kakori Conspiracy Case, a historic armed robbery of a train by freedom fighters to challenge British colonial rule, 1924… masterfully recreates the era, capturing secret meetings in dilapidated houses and secret locations. The film, made in Bengali and Hindi with English subtitles, has minimal dialogues, enhanced by precise direction and brilliant performances by the cast, which vividly portray the intensity of the times.