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Fernando and His Grandmother
Inspired by the Life of Fernando Pessoa
Performers & Speaker
We take a look at the life and work of Fernando Pessoa through a talk and a play.
Curtain Raiser on Fernando Pessoa | 6pm – 6:45pm
As indicated by the title above, this will be an introductory talk on Fernando Pessoa – poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher and philosopher. The remarkable characteristic of Pessoa was that he donned multiple personalities, and wrote in different and distinctive styles under each identity or heteronym. Pessoa is known as the greatest poet of Portugal and the speaker has long been fascinated by this legendary figure and his multiple styles.
Latha Reddy has spent a total of nine years in Portugal, spread out over three decades, during her diplomatic career, and speaks Portuguese fluently. She will present a selection of Pessoa’s work which will illustrate his complex personality. This introduction will provide a meaningful prelude to the play “Fernando and his Grandmother “ which will follow the talk.
Fernando and His Grandmother | 7pm – 8:30pm
90 mins | English | Ages 16+
Note: The play has references to mental illness, suicide, depression and sexuality and contains strong language.
Writer: Armando Nascimento Rosa
Translator: Susannah Finzi
Director: Mayura Baweja
Animation and Poster Design: Bharath Murthy
Lighting Design: Arun DT
Movement Director: Deepak Kurki
Music Composition & Design: Abhaydev Praful
Set, Prop & Costume Design: Rency Philip
Production: Norman Leslie Doss V
Fernando and his Grandmother is a play based on the life of the well known Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa. An intriguing literary figure from the 20th century, Pessoa is called the “Endlessly Multiple” poet because of the many heteronyms that he invented. These heteronym figures were not merely pen names but whole fictional entities with individual biographies and distinctive styles of writing.
Inventive and heartwarming, the play is based on the close relationship between Pessoa and his grandmother. It presents the dark themes of mental illness, political censorship and death, with large brushstrokes of humour, offering us a window into the unique and fascinating world of Pessoa and his many heteronyms.
In collaboration with:
Performers & Speaker
Swati De
Swati is an actor based in Bangalore. She has played lead roles in several English and Bengali theatre performances in the city and in many theatre festivals. These include Girish Karnad’s Dreams of Tipu Sultan and Yayati (Dir. Arundhati Raja). In her latest project, Girish Karnad’s Crossing to Talikota (Dir. Arjun Sajnani) she took on a production role in addition to acting. The Hindi short film, Chowraha (Dir. Nikhil Patil) in which she played the protagonist, was nominated at ‘CA’ FOSCARI SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, VENICE – 2013’ (Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival).
Shivam Vig
Shivam Vig is an actor and theatre practitioner who’s trained from Drama School Mumbai, and has worked with various theatre companies/ groups across Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore. His acting credits include Manav Kaul’s ‘Aisa Kehte Hain’, Manjula Padmanabhan’s ‘Lights Out’, Girish Karnad’s ‘Crossing to Talikota’ among many more. He is also a voiceover artist, a drama educator, and a trained clown who is keen to create works based on the stories that he believes are relevant in today’s world.
Latha Reddy
Latha Reddy is the former Deputy National Security Adviser of India where she was responsible for cybersecurity and other critical internal and external security issues. She also served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Internet Governance.
Ms. Reddy served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1975-2011. She was then appointed as India’s Deputy National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2011-2013. She is involved with several organizations and think-tanks, both globally and in India. She is currently, among other positions, a Distinguished Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation and also serves on the Adjunct Faculty of the Takshashila Institution.
