Bengaluru-based bharatanatyam dancer and actor, Anuradha Venkataraman, is back on the stage with yet another production — Bound by Soil, this weekend. Being an ‘A’ graded artiste of Doordarshan and an empanelled artiste of ICCR, she is the founder of Ahum (Art Heart U & Mind), a trust founded in 2015, aiming to connect her art with the community. Her latest production delves into the enduring struggle faced by marginalised communities seeking burial grounds, highlighting societal disparities and a widening wealth gap. We get into a quick conversation with Anuradha to discover more about the production.
“The seed of the production was sown when I read some newspaper articles regarding the marginalised communities not finding spaces for burials. I started researching on that and came across many more such incidents and it made me very uncomfortable. But, even to empathise with them didn’t seem right at that point, because I came from a very urban setup, living a privileged life in all aspects. I started reading from books like Gift in Green by Sarah Joseph and Everybody Loves a Good Drought by Palagummi Sainath. But the real inspiration came from the poem by ONV Kurup titled Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham. The production traces Mother Earth’s lament on the death of her own progeny and the desecration of all her resources,” begins Anuradha.
Anuradha has not used any text except for some translations of Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham and some shlokas from bhumi suktam in this piece. When asked about how this production is different from her previous works, the dancer says, “I have progressed with my productions. I started with mythological narrative-based work but slightly different offbeat narratives. With this particular production, I have tried to keep the linear narrative completely away.”
“Since this is my latest work, I am currently not working on any new production. I am thinking of doing something with the idea of dreams but that would only be next year. Also, I plan on taking the production to other cities like Chennai and Mumbai soon,” she says, signing off.
INR 300. August 14, 7 pm. At Seva Sadan, Malleswaram.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
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