“Are you Singaporean?”: Pooja Nansi explores the complex question through You Are Here

Pooja Nansi in You Are Here. Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan
Pooja Nansi in You Are Here. Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan

Pooja Nansi was one year old when she came from India to Singapore. Having grown up on the island nation, Pooja has grappled with a simple yet complex question - “Are you Singaporean”?

Photo courtesy: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Photo courtesy: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

This forms the basis for Pooja’s play You Are Here. A mix of poetry and storytelling, You Are Here explores Pooja’s story and her history – from her parents’ decision to settle in another country to her grandparents’ border-crossing romance. 

Photo courtesy: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Photo courtesy: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

You Are Here “transforms faded family photos, snatches of song, hazy childhood memories, and even the tiniest daily microaggressions, into a meditation on migration, love and the pleasures and anxieties of belonging”, says a description of the play as Pooja discovers that a map doesn’t provide answers – it only suggests where to begin.

Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan
Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan

Pooja’s third and latest collection of poetry, We Make Spaces Divine, was published in January 2021. Her key performance work includes Thick Beats for Good Girls, which explored the intersections between feminism, identity and hip hop. She was a recipient of the National Arts Council Young Artist Award in 2016. She is also the co-founder of Other Tongues, a literary festival of minority voices, and is the current festival director of the Singapore Writers Festival.

Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan
Photo courtesy: Crispian Chan

You Are Here will be staged at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice from April 22 till May 2 at the following times: 

Tuesday – Thursday: 7.30pm

Friday: 6pm & 9pm

Saturday & Sunday: 3pm & 6pm

Author
CtoI News Desk
CtoI News Desk – CtoI

Singapore-headquartered online media company targeting Indian Diaspora across Singapore, US, UK, UAE and India. Connected to India covers developments around NRIs. Covers arts, political, sports, finance, entrepreneurship, business, movies, dramas, entertainment and other news for Indians living worldwide.

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