Life is a theatre, and the theatre has become my life
Sangita’s family calls her Sugiya. Sugiya means parrot. She dreams of flying like a parrot. Theatre has given her wings, allowing her to soar with her dreams.
Sangita was born in Inaruwa, in the Sunsari district of eastern Nepal’s Terai region. The Kuduk community she belongs to is economically exploited, educationally disadvantaged, and politically marginalized. Growing up in this community she realized that despite the constitution promising equal rights and dignity for all, her community was deprived of these rights. Women are especially suppressed. But Sangita, or Sugiya, refused to live in suppression. She wanted to embrace the horizon and fly.
Acting became her horizon, a place where she could be free. She started participating in dance and plays through a children’s club, supported by her mother and received positive feedback for her talent. After a 10-day acting workshop, she performed in street dramas and was introduced to the director of Shilpee Theatre in Kathmandu. He invited her to begin a three-month drama course, where she trained to be an actress. After a 3-month long training, she performed a solo drama called ‘Khet ko Gangataa Bane’, which told the story of her village. Her passion for acting grew, but her family began preparing for her marriage. Unwilling to give up her dreams, she chose theatre over marriage and Shilpee Theatre offered her a scholarship to continue.
Sangita excelled in theatre and completed her master’s degree. She became the first in her family to study and succeed in Kathmandu. Recently, she made her debut as a theatre director with great success. Sangita, who dreams of becoming a great actor, now feels that her life is like a play, and the play has become her life.
