Prithvi is an oasis in the midst of this crazy city\" : Sanjana

For her, Prithvi Theatre is an oasis in the midst of this crazy city. But Sanjana Kapoor, who has singlehandedly revived its glory, carrying forward the legacy of her parents and grandparents, rues the lack of government support as appalling. We have managed to create this little oasis out of this gem, an oasis in the midst of this crazy city that allows you to breathe, where you can engage in live performance in an intimate surrounding that is magical, Sanjana told in an interview. The sad thing is that any theatre of our kind, anywhere in the world, would ordinarily receive government grants. We, however, do not fall under any government scheme - be it state or central. An appalling state of affairs, said the 43-year-old whose Prithvi Theatre holds about 550 shows every year, of which around 100 are childrens shows. Sanjana, the daughter of Shashi and Jennifer Kapoor, says Prithvi mainly banks on corporate aid. Prithvi Theatre company was launched by Sanjnas grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor in 1944. But in 1960, the company was forced to close down due to Prithvirajs poor health. In the 1940s, Sanjanas maternal grandparents Geoffrey and Laura Kendal too came to India with Shakespeare and contemporary English theatre. In fact, Shashi and Jennifer met during a theatre event in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1956. A few years after Prithviraj Kapoors demise, Shashi set up a trust in his fathers memory and bought land to build a theatre to promote the performing arts. Prithvi Theatre was inaugurated in 1978.