Event Collections

Through the ancient grace of Odissi and the crystalline grandeur of opera, ‘Rhythms of Life’ traces the journey of life through the five elements, the blossoming of the human spirit, and the eternal love and longing of mythological characters. The opera moves from the rich textures of Arabic compositions to the luminous poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, traversing cultures and centuries to reveal how vast and borderless this art form truly is. CPPA's home productions, in Indian creative and contemporary dance, hold two truths at once: the inward journey of the child within, and the outward reckoning of a woman in a world marked by conflict.

‘The Child Within’ explores that first, and most unguarded self, who over time begins to carry the weight of fracture and loss, until learning to sit with that child again, with tenderness, becomes the quiet work of a lifetime. ‘She Exists’ unfolds the journey of a woman through conflict, one marked by endurance and survival that is not silence, who, in the midst of everything, still insists on her own existence. Woven into both pieces are the real voices of children and women CPPA has worked with, reminding us that these lives deserve to be witnessed.

Through Bharatanatyam, the evening revisits characters whose stories have outlasted generations.

‘Rhythms of Life’ is a reminder that when movements and music speak together, they become what humanity has always needed: a language of empathy, healing, and shared existence.

Performers: Aastha Mohapatra | Baisali Mohanty | Rinjini Mitra

Guest Performer: Raksha Karthik

A Voice of Resistance. A Mirror to Power. A Question to the Present.

Sharmishtha is not just a character from mythology, she is a woman who refuses to be silenced, even centuries later. Strong-willed, deeply aware, and rooted in the present, Sharmishthe questions the desires, delusions, and decisions of the men around her, Yayati and Puru, in a world shaped by power, patriarchy, and the obsession with eternal youth.

At the heart of the play is a timeless conflict: the hunger for immortality, the politics of possession, and the cost of unchecked ambition. Long before such ideas made global headlines, Sharmishthe lived them. A princess turned servant, a mother, a silent witness, and a fierce challenger,  her journey is one of inner strength and relentless truth.

As the myth unfolds, we see Yayati, cursed with old age, bargain with his son Puru to trade his years for youth. What seems like myth slowly reveals itself as a painful metaphor,  of privilege handed down, of generations burdened by the unhealed desires of their elders. And standing at the centre is Sharmishthe, who sees through it all.

This play reimagines ancient events through Sharmishtha’s eyes. Through her voice, the past meets the present. She doesn’t merely retell the story,  she interrogates it. She confronts Yayati’s delusion, questions Puru’s burden, and holds a mirror up to a world that still believes nature is something to be consumed, controlled, and inherited. Sharmishthe time and again reminds both Yayati and Puru, that the transition they experience is only a dilution and they remain in multi verse, a higher dimension of time and space. Sharmishthe living in presence, convincingly brings back Yayati and Puru from dilution to their senses - i.e. presence.

With myth as metaphor and poetry as protest, Sharmishthe is a call to pause, reflect, and reimagine, not just the stories we tell, but the way we live.

This is the story of Claudia Faith Draper, an upper middle class Caucasian woman who was expected to lead a ‘dignified’ life.

She was not supposed to become a call girl, let alone become ‘that’ call girl who killed one of her clients and is now accused of first degree manslaughter.

The forces at large which ironically also includes her own mother and step-father have used their powers to ensure she is declared criminally insane and spends the rest of her life at Bellevue Medical Hospital- an institute for the criminally insane.

As is her right, she challenges this verdict and thus begins the play, “NUTS.”

This is the story of Claudia Faith Draper, an upper middle class Caucasian woman who was expected to lead a ‘dignified’ life.

She was not supposed to become a call girl, let alone become ‘that’ call girl who killed one of her clients and is now accused of first degree manslaughter.

The forces at large which ironically also includes her own mother and step-father have used their powers to ensure she is declared criminally insane and spends the rest of her life at Bellevue Medical Hospital- an institute for the criminally insane.

As is her right, she challenges this verdict and thus begins the play, “NUTS.”

Set Inside a burning hot sauna bath. What starts as casual conversation soon turns into a deadly game of wit, ego, and power. As the heat rises, masks fall. Every word becomes a challenge, every pause a threat.

Funny, absurd, and sharply unsettling, PAARA transforms an ordinary sauna into a pressure cooker of human behaviour, where pride melts faster than patience. The play exposes how fragile, and ridiculous, the human ego truly is.

A dark comedy where the room gets hotter… and so do the minds inside it.

Set Inside a burning hot sauna bath. What starts as casual conversation soon turns into a deadly game of wit, ego, and power. As the heat rises, masks fall. Every word becomes a challenge, every pause a threat.

Funny, absurd, and sharply unsettling, PAARA transforms an ordinary sauna into a pressure cooker of human behaviour, where pride melts faster than patience. The play exposes how fragile, and ridiculous, the human ego truly is.

A dark comedy where the room gets hotter… and so do the minds inside it.