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Bringing `alive' the Bard

Nothing like an exercise in Shakespeare. Nostalgia apart, it gives your literary side an outlet

REVIVAL This contest was the first of its kind in Mangalore

For generation next, which is more in sync with the likes of Michael Crichton and Jeffery Archer, the Bard of Avon may not hold much awe. But a whole generation of English language teachers still swear by the Bard. This was evident in Think Aloud, a competition on the soliloquies of William Shakespeare organised as part of Bequest 2005, the inter-collegiate talent fest of Besant Women's College.

The response from the participants, eight in all, did not disappoint the organisers, especially, Manjula K.T., Principal of the college. After successfully experimenting with Poetry in Theatre competition during a similar inter-collegiate fest last year, she came up with the idea of organising a competition on soliloquies among a series of competitions lined up for Bequest 2005, a two-day event.

"I had urged heads of each department to organise a competition for Bequest. Think Aloud, organised by the Department of English, was one of them," she says. "The festival was a neat admixture of conventional as well as unique competitions. It is probably for the first time that any college in Mangalore has organised a literary competition dedicated solely to the Bard," she adds.

On reasons for choosing the Bard for the competition, she says not much of preparation is required for soliloquies. "Had we chosen a Shakespearean drama, students would have had to put in much more preparation by way of costumes and other props. Think Aloud was about an individual enacting any Shakespearean soliloquy of his or her choice with costumes to boot."

An English language teacher herself, Ms. Manjula says another reason for reviving the Bard is because Shakespeare is gradually being relegated to the background in syllabuses prescribed for graduate students. Shakespearean plays were first removed from the B.com syllabus and then the B.A. Only B.Sc students study the Bard as part of their language studies now, she points out.

"Shakespearean language has its charm. It is different from the English we use in our daily lives. It is however sad our students seem to find the Bard's English too hard for comfort. English teachers though feel Shakespeare should not be totally removed from syllabuses prescribed for graduate students. Think Aloud was an off hand tribute to the Bard," she observes.

On the performance of the competitors, Ms. Manjula was fulsome with praise. Most of them understood the concept quite well and it reflected in their performances, she says. The manner in which Aruna Shenoy, faculty, organised the event succeeded in bringing "alive" the Bard all over again.

Who says Thinking Aloud does not count.

JAIDEEP SHENOY

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