New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- One can see many decision makers in the rehearsal room, where Kavan is being practiced. Playwright-director Abhishek Majumdar, who is closely observing these interactions, calls himself no more than a conduit for the group's explorations. "My job is to stitch it all together," he says. "The text was written by Sudesh Jadhav, the songs have been composed by Pallavi MD and Yalgaar together. My role has been to arrange the text, fill in the gaps and write parts of the libretto."

A collaboration between Mumbai-based Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch and the Nalanda Arts Studio from Bengaluru, Kavan translates to poetry. It draws from Lok Shahiri, a form of protest poetry that the music and street theatre group, Yalgaar, practices...