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    Natrani in Ahmedabad: Trace the passion for performing arts in the Red Cedar stage constructed by Pierro

    FEB 27, 2024 | By Namrata Dewanjee
    With the water pipes absorbing the heat from underneath the seating, Natarani invites the city inside to revel in art and nature; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre 
    The bricks that have been repurposed are embedded with the memories of the older structure; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre 
    The amphitheatre is equipped to host a melange of performances while situating the performing arts in the lap of nature; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre 

    A stage is sacred to a performer — it is an entity shaping a multiplicity of emotions. However, when the theatre itself is as famed as Natrani in Ahmedabad, how can the platform for performance share its grand values? Carrying the memory of its seven lives in the Red Cedar wood sprung stage constructed by Pierro, the story of the space is one of constant negotiation where the activist, actress and Indian classical dancer Mallika Sarabhai still continues the legacy of her amma’s dance school Darpana.

    The amphitheatre is equipped to host a melange of performances while situating the performing arts in the lap of nature; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre

    As the city grew in the throes of development, Natrani evolved around the supposed markers of progress. Mallika however, did not bow down. She explains, “I went to Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel at Abhikram and said, build me a wall that is reflective of Ahmad Shah’s city, but cuts the volume of noise down.” And rose the “great wall of Ahmedabad” as she calls it that has embedded itself in the conscience of the Ahmedabad.

    With the water pipes absorbing the heat from underneath the seating, Natarani invites the city inside to revel in art and nature; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre

     

    The tale of Natarani began as a school of dance started by Mallika Sarabhai’s mother and throughout the years it has evolved into a genius loci of the city. Seen here is the Red Cedar wood sprung stage by Pierro. Underneath the wooden structure is an elaborate harvesting facility that also averts the Ahmedabadi heat; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre

    In the next chapter of Natarani’s tale, Indigo Architects took over and after years of conversation between the designers and the artistic directors, the theatre was equipped with all the amenities a performer could desire.

    In its three-decade-long journey, Natrani never lost sight of what it stands for and it is perhaps best exemplified by the earthquake-proof sprung stage that today stands as a technological marvel. Keeping the knees of the dancers protected from impact, it builds on the existing iterations that make the theatre a nucleus of performing arts in the city.

    Imagined by Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel of Abhikram, the serrated brick wall with concave metal plates dulls the clangour of traffic outside; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre

    “We had the stage, a sprung stage, even in 94,” mentions Mallika, when the back of the platform was open to the river. “All you could see was the lights on the other sides of the river. So at different times when the river was dry, we’ve had horses and camels enter from the river onto the stage. At other times when there’s water, we’ve had boats coming in, characters going past in boats and so on. It was magical,” she reminisces.

    The bricks that have been repurposed are embedded with the memories of the older structure; Photograph courtesy Natrani Amphitheatre

    And today, the environmentally conscious tour de force constructed by Pierro around which the essence of the amphitheatre revolves still brims with the palpable energy following the vigour in the sprightly movements of bodies in space.

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