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From Page to Stage: The Magic of Shravana Habba
August 2025, Academy of Theatre Arts', BLT team, had the pleasure of once again being part of Shravana Habba, Saandeepani Academy’s annual literary and arts festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival has become a sort of tradition for me too—I eagerly look forward to it, knowing it will surprise me in the most delightful ways.
This year, the spotlight was on none other than Satyajit Ray. His stories—so imaginative, so deeply human—took centre stage. And what a treat it was to see his works come alive not just as plays, but as full-fledged musicals created and performed by the students themselves.
A Festival with a Soul
What makes Shravana Habba special is that it’s never “just another school event.” Every edition is a full journey through the world of one writer, woven into theatre, music, and dance. Over the years, I’ve travelled through Tagore’s poetry, R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi, Sudha Murty’s gentle wisdom, Ruskin Bond’s hillsides, and even Dickens’ bustling London, all without ever leaving the Saandeepani campus.
This time, stepping into Ray’s world felt magical. His quirky, thoughtful, sometimes whimsical stories—like Bonku Babu’s Friends, The Curious Case of the Pterodactyl’s Egg, and Patol Babu, the Star—were reimagined as dazzling musicals. The students filled the stage with energy, music, colour, and sheer joy. I sat in the audience marveling not just at the final product, but at the journey it took to get there.
The Magic Behind the Scenes
That’s what fascinates me most about Saandeepani. Here, learning doesn’t stay locked up in classrooms or textbooks. The months leading up to Shravana Habba are like a long adventure for the students, a one-year stretch where they wear many hats: writers, actors, musicians, dancers, designers, media coordinators, stage managers, event managers.
The media team creates digital campaigns to promote the festival, while the event management team—supported by the admin staff—works with vendors, discussing requirements, negotiating deals, and keeping the budget in check. What makes it even more special is the inclusive spirit of the program: every child gets to participate, and high schoolers step in as peer supporters for neurodiverse students, ensuring no one is left behind. The scriptwriter and director from BLT bring all the different elements of performance together, shaping them into a seamless act on stage.
The beauty of the process lies in the choice. Each student decides where they want to contribute—whether it’s on stage under the spotlight, or backstage making that spotlight shine. And then, over weeks of rehearsals, brainstorming sessions, costume trials, and last-minute adjustments, something incredible happens: the festival starts to take shape.
Every little task—picking the story, writing the script, building the set, rehearsing the songs, teaches them something bigger. Collaboration. Patience. Creativity. Responsibility. It’s in these behind-the-scenes moments that the true magic of theatre-in-education reveals itself.
More Than a Performance
By the time the final curtain call arrives, what the audience sees is breathtaking. But as someone who has watched Saandeepani’s journey closely over the years, I know the performance is just the tip of the iceberg.
The real story lies in the transformation I see in the students. A shy child who finds her confidence on stage. A boy discovers he has a knack for music or lighting design. Teams of children learning to work together, argue constructively, and create something that belongs to all of them.
For me, that is the essence of Shravana Habba. It goes beyond a celebration of literature or performance—it’s a celebration of growing up, discovering your strengths, and learning how to bring a vision to life with others.
A Legacy of Stories
As I left the festival this year, I felt grateful once again—for the dedication of the teachers and mentors, and for the students who throw their hearts into this journey every single time. Ray’s stories found a new rhythm, a new beat, and most importantly, a new set of young admirers who will carry them forward.
Shravana Habba has become, in many ways, more than a festival. It’s a tradition of learning through art, of community coming together, and of stories finding fresh voices. And for me personally, it’s become a reminder, year after year, of the power of theatre to shape not just performances, but people.
Here’s to the next edition—and to the countless stories still waiting to be told on the Saandeepani stage.
-Vijay Sharma, Academy of Theatre Arts, Bangalore Little Theatre
