Ep 48 - Kirtana Kumar | Bangalore Theatre, Cantonment, Soul of Bengaluru | Jimmy Jimmy the Show

What does it mean to give your entire life to theatre in Bangalore? In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation on Jimmy Jimmy the Show aka Jimmy da jimmy we sit down with Kirtana Kumar — playwright, dramaturg, director, educator, and one of Bengaluru's most fearless creative voices. From cycling the lanes of Benson Town as a child to performing street theatre on Brigade Road, from college days at FAPS and Sophia's to building a farm-based artist sanctuary called Infinite Soul Artists Retreat — this is a life lived fully, loudly, and beautifully in the service of theatre. Kirtana traces her roots through Bengaluru's most iconic spaces — the old houses of Nandi Durg Road, the beloved tables of Koshy's, the rehearsal halls she found by accident, and the stages she built with intention. She talks about her early years with Gnatak, the politically charged theatre company born out of Christ College that took street plays to union offices, telecom buildings, and the island on Brigade Road. She recalls working alongside legends, including Prasad Bidappa, in one of MG Road's most storied office spaces when the city still had that unhurried magic. At the heart of the conversation is a profound exploration of dramaturgy — what it really means, why it matters, and why Kirthana believes that to truly make it in Bangalore theatre, you must stop thinking of yourself as just an actor. Be a playwright. Be a designer. Be a pedagogue. Be curious. She speaks candidly about how one can actually build a sustainable life in the arts in Bengaluru, and why the journey of falling in love with the craft of making plays is the only map worth following. We also explore Little Jasmine Productions — the theatre project she named after her daughter Zui (French for "little jasmine") — and the deeply moving story of how her book Bangalore Blues gets its name: a childhood memory of a red bathtub, Doddaballapur, and grapes turned into Christmas wine. Published under the Little Jasmine imprint, it's a wink, a poem, and a love letter rolled into one. Then there's Infinite Soul Artists Retreat — a working farm outside Bengaluru that functions purely as a haven for artists. No corporate offsites, no tourist homestays. Only resident artists, residencies, and retreats. Groups like the New York-based One Year Lease Theatre Company come every year, living and working there for two weeks. The most recent residency had a Karnataka focus — weaving together stories of food, caste, agriculture, and culture through Yakshagana, Tamte, original scripts, and raw documentary film. This is one of those conversations that makes you fall in love with Bangalore all over again. ⭐ PEAK BENGALURU MOMENTS 🍇 The Red Bathtub & the Grapes — Kirtana's parents driving toward Doddaballapur with a child's red bathtub to buy Bangalore Blues grapes for homemade Christmas wine. Pure old Bengaluru. 🚴 The BSA Cycle & the City — Cycling to school, hockey practice, theatre rehearsals, and everywhere in between on a maroon BSA SLR. Nandi Durg Road, Benson Town, Museum Road — all on two wheels. 🍽️ Zui Paneer at Koshy's — Baby Zui, barely two, discovers sausages come from pigs, goes vegetarian overnight, and Prem Koshy invents a dish just for her. The whole Koshy's staff knows her name. 🎭 Street Theatre on Brigade Road — Performing Athol Fugard's The Island on the actual island on Brigade Road, before the Metro arcade, before everything changed. 🌿 The Infinite Soul Dream — A farm where only artists are ever allowed. All-night Yakshagana, intercaste love stories set in Kannada folk tradition, and 30 drama students from New York sleeping under Karnataka skies. Timestamps : 00:00 – Intro: Kirtana Kumar, Bangalore Theatre & 150 Years of Bengaluru Roots 00:50 – Growing Up in Cantonment Bengaluru: Diversity, Openness & the Cantonment Mindset 05:00 – Childhood in Benson Town: Fields, Imagination & the Magic of Old Bangalore 09:38 – Gnatak & the Birth of Political Theatre in Bengaluru | Street Plays, Christ College & Bangalore Theatre History 13:42 – The BSA Cycle, Eve Teasing & Cycling Through Old Bangalore | FAPS, Sophia's & College Life 15:00 – Returning From America & Making Political Theatre in Bengaluru | Art, Activism & the Theatre Lab 18:12 – Shakespeare, Guides, Bulbuls & the Teachers Who Changed Everything | Bengaluru School Culture 28:42 – Fashion, DIY Style & Rock & Roll in 1970s Bengaluru | Brigade Road, 3K & the Free-Spirit Era 32:00 – Prasad Bidappa, Kevin Oliver & Rehearsing at the Legendary DNPJ Office on MG Road, Bangalore 34:50 – Infinite Soul Artists Retreat: A Farm Space Only for Artists | Yakshagana, New York Theatre & Karnataka Culture 36:25 – How to Make a Living in Bangalore Theatre | Dramaturgy, Playwriting & Being More Than Just an Actor 38:42 – Bangalore Blues, Little Jasmine Productions, Zui Paneer at Koshy's & A Postcard to Bengaluru