Set Design
I chose set design as my priority because I love working with my hands and have always been fascinated by theater sets. In my view, they set the mood for the entire performance. I thought working on the sets would be easy since I enjoy crafting, but I was wrong. We had less than a month to work on them, all while balancing school, and there were times when I felt like giving up.
It wasn't just about creating a structure that enhanced the performance—it was also about gathering materials, which was the hardest part for me. We hunted for materials from different departments to build the props and set. For the "Earth" element, we had to make ropes from scratch using old bedsheets. We approached 4-5 people to collect 13 bedsheets, which we then cut up and braided. To increase the length, we needed to stitch them together. This led us to visit different departments, asking how to sew and trying to borrow a machine. We talked to several heads and faced rejections, which was a new and challenging experience for me.
Dyeing the ropes was another hurdle. We consulted Habul da to learn how to dye, got the materials from Praful Bhai’s department, and needed a place to work. Reba di, from the handmade paper department, kindly let us use the terrace. We experimented with various quantities of dye to achieve the right color. By the time we finished, it hit me that we had just 15 days left to create all the sets for the remaining elements.
Fortunately, we managed to finish the ropes early. There were some errors, but they weren't significant. This allowed the dancers to practice with the ropes, which helped speed things up. Working on the Earth element set was the highlight of the entire month. I learned so much during that time, and working with my friends outside of school hours in the theater felt like pure harmony.
We also collaborated with the lighting team, experimenting with different setups. One of our additional experiments for the Earth element involved using eco-friendly wrapping paper as a backdrop, which turned out to be stunning. This opened my eyes to a new way of using materials and sparked a lot of discovery throughout the set-making process.
Through this experience, I bonded with the set team more and more each day. It was so different from how I saw them in school—they became almost different people when we worked together. This was a kind of self-discovery for me. I realized that my friends had always been there, but I’d never seen them in this light before. That was the most beautiful part of the entire experience—getting to know my friends better through teamwork.
