Sign up for a tryst with Nordic gods at a new centre in Bandra

Philosophy as a discipline can seem daunting to many but what if Jean Paul Sartre or Albert Camus were made more accessible through a study of their fictional works Or what if a course in theatre and writing was shaped with the joint experience of a researcher sociologist playwright director screenplay writer and an expert in theatrical adaptationsThor God of the Vikings by Marten Eskil WingeThe art discourse in the city is missing a multidisciplinary approach says theatre writerdirector Dr Omkar Bhatkar adding that students can gain more wellrounded knowledge of a subject when professionals from a spectrum of specialisations come together to share their expertise This and the need to have an affordable academic hub for art in suburban Mumbai were the guiding principles behind the newly opened St Andrews Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts an initiative Dr Bhatkar has been working on for a year with the support of Fr Magi Murzello rector of St Andrews Institution and Dr Marie Fernandes principal St Andrews College Bandra While three courses mdash Nordic amp Mesopotamian Mythology Theatre and Writing and Existentialism and Beyond mdash will start this month a course each in Western philosophy and theatre and writing have already been conducted at the centre The first course will be helmed by writer and mythologist Utkarsh Patel who also teaches comparative mythology at the University of Mumbai Our access to mythology is usually through Indian Greek and GrecoRoman texts We wanted to move beyond that shares Dr Bhatkar He will conduct the course in philosophy with Dr Kanchana Mahadevan Ramu Ramanathan and Dr Biraj MehtaMahesh Dattani conducts a sessionThese are very exciting times for the arts and a centre to put that in focus was much needed I am glad that it has shaped up in a more or less autonomous fashion Also if there is a course on theatre it is important that it involves practitioners in the field to bridge the gap between academia and the art world says theatre director and playwright Mahesh Dattani who is one of the faculty members for the theatre and writing course along with Puja Sarup Sheena Khalid Ashutosh Potdar Vipul Mahagaonkar Aditya Kripalani and RamanathanOmkar BhatkarFilm director and writer Tanuja Chandra who has taken a class in screenplay writing at the centre with scriptwriter Gazal Dhaliwal says I consider these discussions as instructive for me as they may be for people attending as students I get to know what people are thinking and how theyre thinking In the creative arts there is never really a final destination to reach its a long road of constant learning and improvement She adds Initiatives such as these introduce people to the workings of the film and theatre industries and give them an idea of the world theyve decided to work in And on occasion they might start partnerships between the professionals who have come to lecture and those that have come as studentsOpen to all the courses will be conducted on Saturdays and Sundays with each class extending to three to four hours Once the first run of courses concludes in July workshops talks seminars and play readings will be held at the centre informs Dr Bhatkar What the founders were clear about was that it was going to be a nonprofit making initiative with fees just enough to sustain the centre If someone shows interest in a course but doesnt register himself for it they investigate the reason and try to subsidise the fee if finance is a concern Art is an expensive endeavour which requires both cultural and financial capital We didnt want the centre to be restricted by either Dr Bhatkar sums upFROM June 16AT St Andrews College Main Building Bandra WestLOG ON TO tinyurlcomsappmumbaicALL 9970144724COST Rs 5000 to Rs 7500Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates