Latest news with #Sharanya
The Star
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Hush The Theatre debuts its Children's Theatre Festival with three quirky shows
This weekend, Hush The Theatre opens its doors to families for its first-ever Children's Theatre Festival – an event bursting with colour, laughter, and playfulness. Designed for children but sure to charm adults too, it proves that the best theatre doesn't always have to be quiet, but can be loud, joyful, and wonderfully spontaneous. The independent theatre group, based in Glomac Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, will stage three original productions, mixing music, slapstick, mime and more. The public can catch The Non-Essentials and Crayons Gone Wild! this Saturday (July 19), while Bohemian Kats: The Great Escape takes the stage on Sunday (July 20). 'I was always keen on producing theatre for kids and families because I believe in the power of theatre,' said Sharanya Radhakrishnan, Hush The Theatre founder, who wrote and directed all the shows. 'Children's theatre can speak to everyone in the room no matter their ages. When I was young, I was bullied and became extremely shy. Studying theatre is what pulled me out of my shyness and saved my life. I believe that putting a smile on a child's face, even for just a few seconds, can help them feel included,' she added. The three productions were staged separately just a few months ago, and the Children's Theatre Festival is where they finally come together – creating one lively weekend of shared stories, laughter, and discovery. 'There's something really exciting about blurring those lines, between adult and child, comedy and heartbreak, polished and spontaneous,' says Sharanya. Photo: Hush The Theatre (Next week, extra shows reserved for children's NGOs and community groups will further Hush's mission to make theatre accessible to all.) 'We saw really mixed audiences, parents who came for Crayons Gone Wild! ended up buying tickets for The Non-Essentials, and adults who came for Bohemian Kats were surprised at how much they enjoyed something made for kids. This blend is exactly what I hope to keep growing,' said Sharanya. Each show promises plenty of fun and mayhem. Crayons Gone Wild! asks what happens when a box of crayons decides they have had enough of being scribbled about without having a say. What follows is a riot of colours, chaos and heart. The Non-Essentials flips the spotlight onto characters usually left backstage, background trees, castle guards, even 'The End', as they audition for their moment to finally take centre stage. Bohemian Kats is exactly as offbeat as it sounds, a wordless, physical theatre romp where a group of rebellious meerkats break out of the zoo and boogie their way to freedom to the soundtrack of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. 'Bohemian Kats: The Great Escape' a performance set entirely to the timeless music of Queen. Photo: Hush The Theatre Behind the festival is Hush's Resident Actor Programme, Sharanya's passion project to nurture original, inclusive theatre and support young talent. The cast – Putrina Rafie, Naveen Raja, Lew Li Ling, Qayleef, and Deena Dakshini – each bring their own spark, from improv comedy to dance and movement. Putrina and Naveen have spent the past few years making their mark in theatre, while the rest of the cast are promising new voices finding their footing. 'The goal for the Resident Actor Programme was simple. It was my way of creating a safe but slightly chaotic space where emerging actors can help bring my original children's scripts to life,' said Sharanya. 'They (the cast) bring unfiltered energy to the table and they're not afraid to try something completely ridiculous and turn it into something meaningful. It's this spirit of playful risk-taking that Sharanya believes gives each show its spark. 'As a director, I've learned not everything needs to be polished from the start. The best moments often come from silly improv. If we can make a six-year-old and a thirty-six-year-old laugh at the same scene, we're on the right track,' she concluded. More info here.
New Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Golconda sways to Bonalu fervour
HYDERABAD: The centuries-old Golconda Fort was filled with colour, devotion and music as thousands of devotees gathered on Sunday, the first Sunday of the month-long Bonalu festival in Hyderabad. Women, young girls and transgender persons offered the traditional Bonam — a decorated pot filled with rice, jaggery, curd and neem leaves — to Goddess Jagadamba, the presiding deity of the Golconda temple. Leading the procession were the Pothurajus — bare-chested, smeared in turmeric and vermillion — who danced to drum beats, clearing the way for the goddess symbolically and spiritually. With whips in hand, they stomped in rhythm with the dappu drums. Chants of 'Jai Mata Di' and 'Amma Bonalu' echoed through the fort as the procession began early and continued late into the night. Each Bonam, carried on the head, symbolised gratitude, protection and the fulfilment of vows. Sharanya, a cross-dresser carrying the Bonam, said: 'I have been coming here for 10 years. This is where the first Bonam in the city begins. Bonam means bhojanam — meal. When the goddess feeds us all year, why can't we offer her a meal in return? This is why the Bonam is made from freshly harvested crops.' Sharanya added: 'Farmers do not eat the new harvest until it is offered to the goddess. Most offerings include food that cools the body, like curd rice or jaggery. We go into a trance when the goddess enters us and then carry the Bonam. It can be turmeric rice, pachipulusu, jaggery rice or toddy. During Ashada Masam, it is believed the goddess returns to her maternal home, and these offerings welcome her and seek her blessings for health and prosperity.'
New Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Achyuth Kumar, Sharanya Shetty team up for murder mystery, Kaunteya
Sharanya, who plays a crime reporter, adds, 'My character shares a strong emotional arc with her father. It's powerful and layered.' The film's muhurat was held at Kanteerava Studio with notable industry figures in attendance. Veteran actor Shashikumar gave the clap for the first shot, while writer V Nagendra Prasad and lyricist V Manohar kicked off filming duties. Kaunteya is set to begin shooting on June 9 in Bengaluru and Mysore. 'There are no songs — the re-recording will be crucial to the narrative,' Chandrhasa noted. Produced by debutant BK Srinivas, the film also features Bigg Boss fame Neethu in the role of a police officer. The crew includes PL Ravi as cinematographer, BJ Bharath, who takes charge of the background score, dialogue writer Har Mahadev and editor Anuranjan.
Hans India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Congratulations to Sharanya who is climbing the heights of success... Sharanya shined with 437 marks
Sharanya, who fulfilled her parents' dreams, is congratulated for securing the second rank in the state in the Inter.. The eight-year-old Sharanya, who achieved an excellent success with 437/440 marks in the B.P.C. group in a private college in Medchal district, is the daughter of Dr. Raghavendra and Dr. Ramadevi, who is working as a medical officer at the Kushaiguda (Jammigadda) Primary Health Center. Born to doctors, Sharanya has also set a good record in her studies. Following the path shown by her mother Dr. Ramadevi, Sharanya achieved the second rank in the state with her hard work. This success was celebrated with cheers by the family members. Grandmother Gummidala Narender Lalitha, grandmother Seetharamachari, Vijayamma, brother Dattatreya, and sister Sravani, all the family members congratulated Sharanya and called her a source of pride for their family.
India Today
21-04-2025
- General
- India Today
40 students from Bihar's 'IIT village' clear JEE Main 2025
Over 40 students from Patwa Toli, a village in Bihar's Gaya district known as the 'village of IITians', have cracked this year's JEE Main exam. This includes 28 students from Vriksha Sansthan, a free coaching centre run by former IITians to help children of weavers and low-income Toli's journey to becoming a hub for engineers began back in 1991 when Jitendra Patwa became the first person from the village to get into IIT. Today, he lives in the US and supports students from his village through his NGO, 'Vriksh We The Change'. Since then, the IIT dream has become a household goal in Patwa village, home to about 20,000 people and known earlier as the 'Manchester of Bihar' for its textile industry, now produces dozens of engineers every year. Most families are still dependent on weaving, but their children are reaching new heights through WHO MADE IT THIS YEAR Among this year's top JEE Main scorers from the village are:Sharanya: 99.64 percentileAlok: 97.7 percentileShaurya: 97.53 percentileYash Raj: 97.38 percentileShubham: 96.7 percentilePratik: 96.35 percentileKetan: 96.00 percentileNivas: 95.7 percentileGaurika Yadav: 95.1 percentileSagar Kumar: 94.8 percentileMost of them studied at Vriksha Sansthan, which has been offering free coaching and study materials funded by IIT graduates since 2013. Classes are conducted online by IIT graduates living in cities like Delhi and VRIKSHA IS CHANGING LIVES"There are some families who cannot send their children out of the village for studies. They are not financially capable. That is why we started Vriksh Veda Chain and created a library model, in which financially weaker children are taught," Dubeshwar Prasad, President Vriksh Veda Chain, told ANI in an interview last classes are run in our library. Our seniors who teach in Delhi, and Mumbai teach our children (students) free of cost. This village was earlier called the city of weavers, but today every year students qualify in IIT, so it is called the village of IItians," he after Class 10 used to be tough for children from this village but the scene changed after Vriksha Sansthan started to provide free education for students there. Students could study to become engineers for free which resulted in every other house in the village getting an engineer or an students from this village also prepare for NEET. The overall change in the higher education opportunities has opened the doors for girls working on a better future for themselves and being allowed to step outside the by IIT alumni, Vriksha Sansthan provides free JEE coaching, books, and access to expert teachers through a unique library model. Its mission is to make quality education accessible to students who can't afford private coaching or move to cities.
