Theatre of joy

14/06/2026

Gurvinder Singh's films absolutely and resolutely reject the values and the mode of mainstream commercial cinema. His films have been widely showcased in India and internationally, especially at the Cannes, Venice and Busan Film festivals. He feels that cinema needs to move beyond the cycle of cause and effect, conflict and resolution that the mainstream cinema seems to be stuck in ….“… I hate to watch a film in which everything is explained or understood in a desired manner, “he says, “The audience should become a co-creator, not just a receiver. As many audiences there are,” says he, “as many experiences there can be.”
Gurvinder invokes the significance of the experimental tradi-
tions within the Indian New Wave movement, pointing to an inheritance to
be cherished and celebrated.
Link to full podcast in the comments.

12/06/2026

Madan Gopal Singh.always seems animated by a deep appetite for meaning. There is in him a kind of alert aliveness — an almost childlike astonishment that has never calcified.
There is a quality of receptivity in him — as though he is always slightly leaning toward what might reveal itself next.
What is rare is that this openness has survived accomplishment.
Madanji can actually be defined by what he has refused to become.
Scholarship has not hardened into authority; performance has not solidified into persona.
There is still a sense of someone following a thread because it fascinates him, because it unsettles him, because it invites him further.
Check out this ...
https://open.spotify.com/episode/59ihhLP71c7UbgkfNrEtYy?si=XSjthHljR0WiYadpRehxNQ

Theatre of Joy · Episode

05/06/2026

Harleen Kphli in conversatiom with Subhasis Neogi
Subhasis creates his own puppets. In this video we go along with Subhasis and actually understand how a puppet performance is created. Subhasi, Anupama and the members of the group "Putul Nacher Ashor" are the only serious puppeteers in Chandigarh. They work with students, teachers and people of Chandigarh and that is great for Chandhigarh! Link to full podcat in the comments.

Follow us On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theatre.of.joy/F...

05/06/2026

Deeptha Vivekanand a corporate-trainer-turned-professional story-teller
Deeptha has been telling stories for a decade. She tells to audiences in schools, colleges and corporate organisations. She is also a Story-teller-in-residence in a private school in Chandigarh, but her roots stretch all the way to Chennai, in the south. Where she was born and raised.
Deeptha currently serves as the Reading & Storytelling Lead at St. Kabir Public School, Sector 26, Chandigarh. Most recently, she was part of the annual Children's Literature Festival held at the school in May 2026. All you parents of school going kids out there .... do have a listen. Link to full podcast in comments.
https://youtu.be/h7ZDFkoJQJU
https://youtu.be/h7ZDFkoJQJU

04/06/2026

Diwan Manna has been actively capturing/creating images in India, E...

04/06/2026

Harleen Kohli in conversation with Diwan Manna
Diwan Manna has been actively capturing/creating images in India, Europe, America and South East Asia since 1980. He is better known for his conceptual photographs. He was born in a small town, Bareta, in Punjab, a north Indian state known for its agricultural riches.
He was trained as a graphic artist and painter but chose to be a photographer instead.
He has been given National Academy Award, a once in a lifetime award by the National Fine Arts Academy of India along with many other prestigious awards and honours.
Diwan lives in Chandigarh. Do have a listen. Link to full video in comments.

Diwan Manna has been actively capturing/creating images in India, E...

03/06/2026

Sukhmani is an innovative creativity facilitator transformative wellness facilitator and corporate coach with nerly 20 years of experience designing art based learning programs for global organisations. She specialises in using inprov theatre and play to foster team cohesion , leadership agility and stress management. A unique background in professional theatre and film enriches her rtraining programs where she uses tools of storytelling, presence and creative risk-taking.
She is brilliant. Have a listen.
Link to full video in the comments

Harleen Kohli with Sukhmani KohliSukhmani is an innovative creativ...

03/06/2026

Shruthi Veena Vishwanath is part of a contemporary movement of musicians who treat devotional and folk music not just as performance but as living archives. Shruthi’s work is less about virtuoso singing and more about curation of forgotten voices, quiet intensity, and keeping mystic poetry alive in contemporary listening spaces.
An amazing conversation with an amazing person.
Link to full video in the comments.

Harleen Kohli with Shruti VishwanathShruthi Veena Vishwanath is pa...

31/05/2026

Sonia Chauhan is a corporate attorney who lives in Chandigarh, where she runs an independent law practice. Alongside her legal career, she has built a notable presence as a fiction writer.
Sonia is the author of two works — You Tell Me and This Maze of Mirro..
Her writing is described as intimate and character-driven, exploring the complexities of human emotion and identity through stories about modern Indian relationships and lives.
Have a listen ... it might inspire you to write the book you've been wanting to.

Harleen Kohli in conversation with Sonia ChauhanSonia Chauhan is a...

29/05/2026

Sukhmani Kohli has been a theatre and clown practitioner for nearly 20 years. Her work as a clown performer, director and facilitator is centred around creating experiences for people of all ages that spark play and joy, enabling them to be real and authentic and have deep, transformative connections. She uses ‘non-serious’ playful practices to explore ‘serious’ themes of love, grief and conflict. She has worked with and mentored several organisations in India and internationally, that work with youth and children around gender, sexuality, active citizenship and sustainability. She has also taught clowning in Institutes like National School of Drama, Tripura and Srishti Manipal Institute of Design, Bengaluru. She has been a co-founder of social change initiatives like Cafe Kaffee Kuchh, India Youth Jam and India Arts for Social Change Jam that use art to challenge notions of activism. Do have a listen. Link to full video in the comments.