Goddess Dances: Mythology Retold

[Guest guest]

Goddess dances: dance-drama explores feminine energy in

mythology.

 

Business Line: The Hindu

Jan. 4, 2008

 

" It is almost as if the power of creation, which is so

quintessentially female, has been subsumed by a male

culture. " - Sandhya Raman

 

 

It was Sandhya Raman's chance finding of a wealth of

paintings at The Rasaja Foundation that sparked her interest

in discovering the role of feminine energy in Indian

mythology. The artworks, nearly 1,500 of them that were in

a dilapidated condition, had been collected by the late artist,

historian and critic Jaya Appasamy.

 

The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (creator, preserver

and destroyer) dominate Hindu discourse. But where are the

women, wonders Sandhya. " It is almost as if the power of

creation, which is so quintessentially female, has been

subsumed by a male culture, " says this 40-year-old Delhi-

based costume and apparel designer. " It is Ammavara, the

goddess who gave birth to the three, who is central to the

evolution story. " Her questions led her and research partner

Ratna Raman to revisit the Upanishads, Vedas and other

texts to discover the latent feminine forces present in them.

For instance, says Sandhya, " Everyone only eulogises [sic;

worships] Agni as the god of fire. But it is only after

chanting 'Swaha', the name of Agni's wife, that the

offerings will be accepted. "

 

She draws parallels with the subjugation of women in

contemporary times and says her effort has been to

rediscover the origin and power of feminine forces in the

mythologies.

 

The result: 'Mythologies Retold' - a 60-minute dance-

drama conceptualised, produced and designed by Sandhya

and featuring Bharatnatyam dancer Geeta Chandran.

 

Having designed costumes for famous dancers such as Anita

Ratnam and Sonal Mansingh, Sandhya was completely

familiar with the art form of dance. " Dance is a very

communicative art and inspires me. You can say so many

things so effectively, " she says.

 

Sandhya also runs a Rs 2.5-crore design company called

Desmania, which she jointly set up with her husband.

 

Mythologies Retold, her first such [dance] venture, also

includes theatrical aspects, influences of Kuchipudi, slide

shows and improvisations in costumes, sets, and lights.

 

The paintings, currently in the custody of National Gallery

of Modern Art in Delhi, also form the backdrop for several

scenes.

 

Produced at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, the show celebrates the

goddesses of earth, air, fire, space and water as the

manifestations of feminine energies. The binding intellect,

Buddhi, which guides the five senses, is represented as a

female. The production then questions what happens when

women are removed from society and the feminine energy is

alienated through acts like female foeticide, infanticide etc.

 

The one-hour show opened in Delhi in September and is

currently touring other parts of the country including Jaipur,

Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

 

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2008/01/04/stories/2008010450

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