Greetings to all my fellow panelists, the creative arts team especially those working off the screen, all participants, and viewers!

Firstly, I would like to thank The Creative Arts for extending their kind invitation to join today at the inaugural of their annual performing arts festival – Dramebaazi International Children’s Theatre Carnival. It has been my pleasure to follow the schedule since Monday, July 27th. I would like to congratulate curators Ramanjit Kaur and Baiśali Chatterjee Dutt for their wonderful Dramebaazi. I am still not sure who is the better drāmēbaaz out of the two curators who have taken us all on, and I quote, ‘this Creative journey where we create a safe space for the young to learn, as well as express and share their love for the Arts.’ 

In my view, the manifestation of art is the lesser half — the better half is the flow of creative juices unabated. Whether they are manifest as a work of art, a monotonal sketch in a single line, or a musical performance — a composition, theatre, as poetry or prose, is not as important for me as it is to ensure the juices are pure, and that they represent one’s journey within, and reflections without. The greatest teachers, when they are, just ensure that the creative juices flow on fearlessly with their purity and sanctity intact. The agenda, if at all, being just to be.

We are all born Dramebaaz for the entire creation is a Kartārī Drama, 

a grand play
up in the air
like the rice grains
colours myriad
catapulted from the śunya
but then held at the peak of the breath
suspended as if
the breath forgets
whether
it was at
an inhale
or
an exhale
whether
it was a catapult
in angst
some trepidation
or in celebration
or was it both
joy
and sorrow
life
and death
ebb
and flow
beginning
and end
I think
I am fond of
questions
I find answers
very boring.

Theatre is the complete art-form when enacted and celebrated in full. It has all components — play of light and dark, design — set, costume, script, —even audience, poetry and/or prose, music, dance, from harsh reality to eutopia and illusion. You have to be addicted to the idea of theatre to be good at it. You’ve to be mad – madly in love with yourself; possessed with an innate capacity and courage to clinically measure yourself to the finest parameters that there are, and beyond, and in being able to take initiatives without delay to weed out the dark — the hidden within and without — blind spots. Passion and inexhaustible intent to tirelessly cut your diamond come what may, and sucking the glitter — the sparkle — out for yourself, and for others to see it to believe it. And then make them all stand on their toes to exclaim — ‘yes, this was it!’ Yes, that’s it!’ For me, it is in the foreplay — the pre-production, and the after play, the post production, for the act is also for the others to see, and respond. The fore and the aft challenges you to see for yourself, and respond. All art forms and artists scattered across the globe may seem disconnected — a broken pearl necklace but then I see the thread that connects them. The grand synchronisation in session — always. The perfect-imperfect melody, the perfect -imperfect rhythm. 

I compliment all participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, UK, and the United States of America, who shall not only be talking about various aspects of the arts in the scheduled webinars, but also perform and conduct workshops. I hope these Dramebaazi exchanges will make lead to richer creative harvests. And of course, best wishes to WICCI, and The Creative Arts!

Bhai Baldeep Singh
Founder, and Managing Trustee
The Anād Foundation, New Delhi