And the few people still active in the neglected sphere speak of an atmosphere of gross inactivity and an absolute lack of interest. Says Meena Naik who acted in Ratnakar Matkari's Marathi children's plays as a schoolgirl and now writes and directs her own, "There is very little commitment to this theatre. Most productions are restricted to vacations. Thus the entire movement is fractured."

Yatri's Om Katare who has written and directed Laddoo Gopal believes the onus lies on theatre managements. "Prithvi theatre is trying to create an atmosphere conducive to such activities with summer workshops that not justpromote theatre but also initiate children into the art. Even theatre managements don't do anything beyond letting out the premises," he says.

And even there, the economics of the situation are so precarious that only those firmly driven by the cause would care to go on. Says Naik, "While we get a mere 25 per cent concession on theatre rentals, it is difficult to charge exorbitant ticket prices. I don't like to waste money on publicity, which definitely affects the turnout." Instead, she has taken plays like Makda Makda Hup with live characters and puppets, and Chamatkar Zalach Pahije loosely based on Roald Dahl's Makda to various schools and children's welfare organisations. "We have travelled extensively to various remote village schools. I believe it serves a dual purpose - education through entertainment," she says.

But Ramanathan believes, there is a commercial market for children's theatre that hasn't been tapped in the right manner. "As a child, I found a lot of children's plays obnoxious,patronising and totally indifferent to my own expectation of the world around me. There was very little theatrical representation of stories one had heard and read," he says. He believes that while there is a lot of song, dance and entertainment, the element of identification with a child's world is missing. "Writing a children's play is far more difficult than an adult play. Children don't come to theatre for polite reasons and hence aren't afraid to voice their displeasure at what they're watching. Yet they do have sophisticated minds and can pick up signals from the play," he says.

Both Ramanathan and Katare have cast professional actors in their plays. "It is difficult to get work done from children. Moreover the shows become restricted to holidays,''says Katare. Naik, on the other hand, draws her cast from school children.

But whatever their approach, all three believe that the key to the future of this theatre lies with professionals from the mainstream. "If we had simultaneous workshops by varioustheatre outfits across the city, it could widen our base," says Katare. "Right now, I'm virtually working all by myself to co-ordinate with schools. There's no reason by the education ministry cannot pitch in and help us organise shows in various schools," says Naik. Is anyone listening?