In the current climate of flag-waving nationalism, fake news masquerading as facts on forward messages and chest-thumping bigotry, it can be easy to lose sight of reality. Lost in our echo chambers, we don’t wish to open the window and see what’s happening, believes theatre practitioner Rasika Agashe. In her theatre company Being Association’s play, Des, four characters find themselves on the eve of India’s Independence, grappling with information, biases and the idea of a nation. Will they open the window to reality?

Written by Abhishek Majumdar, Des is a satirical take on today’s “post-truth” India. Agashe, who set up the theatre group with her partner and actor Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, shares that the script found its way to them as part of their competition. “I felt this was an important play that needed to be staged in these times,” she tells us.