All the world's a stage, Shakespeare famously wrote, and all the men and women merely players. Chandrasekhar Indla, drama faculty at the Academy’s theatre arts department, would take a dim view of such a simplistic description of a stage play. As director, lighting designer, sound technician, mask-maker and writer, Chandra has been a part of hundreds of performances and, talking to him, you would believe that the stage is possibly more than the world, and players perhaps more than merely men and women. “Drama is an important instrument that can build a sense of consciousness in society,” he shares. “There is a need to save and reinvent drama.” For over five years now, he has dedicated his career to introducing children to the world of theatre arts.

A prolific academic, Chandra was among highest scorers in the National Eligibility Test, an exam held nationwide by the University Grants Commission (UGC) which qualifies people to teach performing arts at a collegiate level. His work since his first tenure as a master’s student at the University of Hyderabad has been about introducing drama to a young audience. He was among the first members of the university’s Theatre Outreach Unit, created to expose children all over the state to theatre arts. He joined the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in 2015 to continue in this effort. “Our Academy is one of the best places where the teacher-student relationship is so strong in terms of respecting each other and sharing thoughts,” he says. Chandra, not a technical direcor for drama at the Academy, was very happy to teach at the Academy because the IB curriculum gives theatre arts the importance of a elective, rather than just tacking it on as a co-curricular activity as other school programmes do.

With two master’s degrees and a PhD on the way, Chandra surprisingly admits he wasn’t very good at school. In fact, he even struggled through his first degree, a bachelor’s in computer science. “I don’t remember any programming today,” he confides. Once Chandra relieved himself of his pursuits in technology and began honing in on theatre, his academic performance drastically improved. He finished his master’s in performing arts with a gold medal from the University of Hyderabad, and went on to earn two prestigious research fellowships from the UGC to write about theatre arts. These fellowships sustained him for nearly six years. “My family was happy to find out I was going to pursue theatre arts, because my paternal uncle is an author, and they thought he could help me.”

Chandra was born in Kanduluru in Andhra’s Prakasam district where his parents worked for daily wages, often at construction sites or in the tobacco fields of of the coastal district. “He was into old, traditional theatre arts,” Chandra says of his uncle. “Today I’m in national theatre festivals. I have more contacts than him,” he adds, laughing. Indeed, Chandrasekhar Indla has become a recognisable name in Telugu literary circles. This began when his final master’s project, a play adaptation of the book Gopathrudu by K.N.Y Pathanjali, became a sensation in theatres across Andhra Pradesh (before the creation of Telangana State). He followed this with another adapted play called Miss Meena, based on the tragicomedy The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Ms. Meena was performed over a 100 times statewide, earning Chandra a reputation as tested thespian. Apart from this, Chandra has also spoken and presented about Telugu theatre at international conferences.

“As a professional admirer of drama I would like to hand over the future of drama to the students to take it further,” he says. Since his joining the Academy, our students have held performances across the city, attended several festivals and plays, and most notably, entered the Amaravathi National Theatre Festival in 2017. “I had the freedom to run and develop the department,” he says of being the first drama teacher at the school. “I have used this freedom to develop the students’ abilities in acting, communication, confidence, creativity and thinking skills.” With the addition of George Macpherson to the drama department as of August 2018, the programme has only gained in strength. “We’ve built a whole new teaching strategy together,” Chandra says of his friend and colleague George. “As a practioner, I'm more comfortable teaching the the practical aspects of theatre, whereas George is very good at teaching theory."

Inevitably, Chandra went from adapting literature to the stage to creating literature himself. As of date, he has been published in Telugu literary magazines 12 times, and has a collection of short stories on the way. One of the major motifs in Chandra’s writing is social equality and social reform. At the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, where pluralism is one of the tenets of the school’s ethos, Chandra is a person students can look up to who shows these values in his work and personal life. Chandra met his wife Ezhilmathi in 2009 when they were doing their master’s of philosophy in performing arts at Pondicherry University. His area of focus was drama while hers was music. “She taught me Tamil,” he says, “I think that’s where it began.” The two had to convince their parents before they could get married. “My marriage is inter-state, inter-faith, inter-caste,” he laughs. In August 2012, Chandrasekhar and Ezhilmathi were married in a wedding with both Hindu and Christian rituals.

“Drama can build self-confidence in a person. However, most people do not have proper understanding or admiration of drama,” Chandra says. Looking out of his office window at an overcast December morning, Chandra’s thoughts about his art turn bleak. “No one reads scripts,” he says of the culture of literature in the subcontinent. “People will just read Shakespeare as a play, but that is not the case for Telugu literature.” The shields and trophies on his desk gleam in the wintry light. “Maybe this culture of drama will die out one day."

Though the thought is dark, Chandra doesn’t let it get in the way of his work, and rather uses it to fuel his work as a teacher. He knows that many of his students will go on to pursue, say, computer science, but that doesn’t deter him. “I want my students to be good humans who are not only responsible but also sensitive to others’ emotions and culture. Drama needs to be handled more as a legacy and its nuances need to be inherited and passed on generation after generation. This is possible only when I take up the role of a teacher.”

Written by Ajay Sundaram

My name is Nanjiba Sayara and I’m currently studying in grade 10 at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. I am from Dhaka, Bangladesh and this is my second year at the Academy. As a student here, I am able to access endless opportunities to explore myself, and have learnt the importance of being open-minded and caring towards all communities. I think it is our responsibility to support the less fortunate around us, and I aspire to be a social worker and establish my own NGO in the future. However, I didn’t want to wait until I was older to begin helping people. I wanted to start now.

My desire was realised through the grade 10 International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) personal project, a community project that focuses on service learning through practical exploration and a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. As part of my personal project, I went to a village school in Bangladesh where I taught a group of about 20 students how to recycle plastic bottles, and the importance of such an activity. I chose to focus on this, because recycling plastic is needed to keep our environment safe and it’s a fun activity that would keep the students interested. Please click here to see a video of my experience at the village school.

I was privileged to work with those students, as they were very enthusiastic to learn and contribute. Spending one day with children from different backgrounds made me a better communicator. My parents and I have always believed that extracurricular activities are as important as academics because they contribute to being a balanced individual. I am happy to have done this activity at the village school because it made learning enjoyable and therefore memorable.

The IB MYP personal project was challenging, educational and exciting. My parents always ask me to share my happiness and knowledge with others because it might brighten up someone’s day. I believe my session at the village school accomplished this, so I wish to continue sharing my knowledge, what I have learned and will continue to learn, with my society.

 

Growing up in London, England I had no idea that I would owe my intellectual and character development to the dynamic academic and residential programmes at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa.

I was aware of the work of the Aga Khan Development Network and their efforts to improve the quality of life of communities across the globe, but little more. After moving from London to Moscow at age 12, my parents urged me to consider the programme at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, a school 5000 miles away. I was taken aback. Why did they want to send me away? I didn’t mean to knock over the photo frame while kicking around the soccer ball the other day. As I began to read about the Academies and their vision to create leaders, I became excited at the prospect of being part of a rigorous academic programme while having the opportunity to engage in the numerous extra-curricular activities the Academy in Mombasa had to offer. 

I was one of the first members of the boarding component of the Academy and, as a result, I saw the programme grow from about 30 students living in two blocks to almost 200 across six blocks. Despite the growth, residential students remained a tight-knit community where younger students felt comfortable interacting with student several grades above them. The commitment to serve the community was of the upmost importance within residential life at the Academy. I recall taking part in cleaning Mama Ngina Drive, the street that ran adjacent to the school, as well as numerous beach clean ups, painting a local madrasa and facilitating a de-worming programme in Bombolulu to name a few. Students were also given the freedom to create their own community service projects. I was a part of a project called Your Environmental Voice, an organisation that aimed to create awareness of environmental issues and undertake initiatives to curb unnecessary pollution in Mombasa. Projects like these allowed for students to lead and take ownership of projects that made a difference in the lives of those around us.

Within the residential programme, I recall the efforts of teachers like Mr. Bernard Dudi – my dorm parent for the majority of my time at the Academy – and others who went out of their way to ensure that students quickly settled into the Academy.  Teachers’ doors were always open for a quick chat on academics, current affairs and future plans as well as the results from the previous nights’ Champions League football. In holding the position of dorm captain within the residential community and representing the community on the student council, I was entrusted with a leadership role within residential life that involved organising and facilitating orientation programmes for new students. In addition, dorm captains arranged activities for students on the weekends and liaised with students and teachers to improve the boarding experience for all. Leadership roles like this gave me my first taste of managing projects and people and I continue to draw on these experiences today.

Being a part of and leading the Model United Nations club at the Academy in Mombasa was an experience that I hold most dear. At first, the thought of public speaking and writing resolutions to combat real local, regional and international problems was intimidating enough for me to turn a blind eye to joining the club. However after encouragement from teachers and peers, it wasn't long before I began to gain confidence in addressing long hundreds of fellow delegates without needing to read off a script or feel my legs wobble. Through attending conferences as well as teaching others the skills needed to be a successful delegate, I was tasked with analysing and working with others to construct creative solutions to tackle issues concerning poverty reduction including food security; the prevalence of quality educational institutions; access to clean water and sanitation. These experiences allowed me to begin to comprehend the multiple complexities to a single issue and the ethical responsibility we carry to do all in our power to promote sustainable progress in less privileged communities.

I was particularly challenged by the rigor of the IB Diploma Programme – I quickly learnt that it is essential for students to be able to think independently and work hard to engage with thought provoking course work. Studying six different subjects as well as Theory of Knowledge and writing a 4000-word essay on a chosen topic was a heavy load to bear. Crucially, there was a willingness and determination among the student body to study in groups and push one another to achieve challenging objectives. There was no shame in going to a classmate or more senior students to ask for help and this was in fact commonplace. I think that the challenge of the IB diploma was made much easier by the effort to work together among students. The teachers at the Academy were invaluable in the process as they guided students to reach the academic goals and encouraged students to think outside the box. Their collective love for teaching and determination to see students succeed allowed for the attainment of consistently high grades and development of a passion for learning that continues to drive Academy alumni today.

As I reflect on my time at the Academy and turn an eye to the future it is my hope that I will be able to return to the African continent and help to contribute to the progress being made today. Graduating with a liberal arts education from UC Berkeley and focusing on Political Economy from an African lens has cemented the responsibility I feel to give back to communities and help improve the lives of those troubled by poverty, unemployment and poor governance. Not only did my time at the Academy help me gain admission to a top university but it helped me to grow to be the man I am today by instilling values of social conscience and intellectual curiosity that I continue to hold precious today.

By Rahim Daya