This church in Matunga will host its first-ever poetry recital in its underground crypt this weekend

Omkar Bhatkar (centre) rehearses with his troupe at the crypt

If you've ever walked the leafy lanes of Matunga near King's Circle, there's a good chance you've slowed down to admire the stained-glass windows of the Shrine of Don Bosco's Madonna, or the gold-plated statue of Mother Mary (which was cast in Turin, Italy) that stands even higher atop its dome. These towering spectacles, however, tell only one part of the story.

An underground marvel - the crypt - is home to hundreds of tiny relics from ancient and modern saints along with five intricate mosaic panels depicting the life of Christ and Don Bosco. For the first time in its history, the church will open the doors to this crypt for a stage performance - Omkar Bhatkar's Sacred Voices from the West.

The troupe at a reading

"I was at the crypt nearly two years ago when I saw the relics of Thomas Aquinas, St John of the Cross and St Catherine of Siena. At the time, I was already working on my production that draws inspiration from their writings. I couldn't think of a better venue to stage it," Bhatkar shares about the poetic piece comprising handpicked verses of saints, martyrs and modern poets that still ring true in recent times. "These are not verses coloured in rituals. They are personal voices that shed light on the relationship between man and a higher power," he adds. Bhatkar would go on to approach Fr Leon Cruz, director of youth services at the church, with his peculiar request.

"When I heard what Bhatkar had in the works, I agreed that such a recital was best fit for the crypt. It's an ethereal space with beautiful visual backdrops. It will help enhance the team's recitals that explore the relationship between the personal and the divine," shares Fr Leon, adding that in view of maintaining its sanctity, the venue will consider hosting any future performances only after due assessment by the church.

The walls of the crypt are adorned with arched mosaic panels

For the theatremaker, it's not only the visual imagery that sets the venue apart. When Bhatkar's troupe recites Aramaic, Hebrew, and Gregorian chants tomorrow, the words of the saints will echo in the 2,756 sq ft space, quite literally. "The crypt's architecture lends it a natural reverb - the sound effect that adds the quintessential dreamy touch to the vocals. The initial idea was to ditch microphones and perform unplugged. But my sound engineer, who understands our vocal limitations a tad better, advised against such an audacious experiment," he laughs. (Bhatkar's other ideas included switching the fans off, and making the 100-member audience sweat it out to achieve lower sonic disturbance).

As divinely serendipitous the events leading up to the event seem, we must address the elephant in the room. At a time when artistes are retreating into their own echo chambers, Bhatkar, an outsider to the faith, is treading into the very heart of a historic church to stage a recital. "This is where the pluralism of the city and the country shine through. We [Metamorphosis] have performed pieces in the past where the actor playing Jesus was a Parsi, Mary a Hindu, and Joseph a Muslim. I can't think of any other country where this could be possible. At the end of the day, if your heart is in the right place, people tend to appreciate the effort," he reminds us.

ON October 26, 7 pm
AT The Crypt, Shrine of Don Bosco's Madonna, Matunga East.
LOG ON TO @omkar_arte on Instagram to register
ENTRY RSVP mandatory