‘Bound by Soil: A Requiem for the Forgotten’ by Anuradha Venkataraman is a poignant piece on this constant tug of war between development and our environment

When Bharatanatyam dancer Anuradha Venkataraman conceived Bound by Soil: A Requiem for the Forgotten, it was not born of abstract ideas but rather a deeply unsettling newspaper article she read in 2016, one that described how a marginalised community struggled to find a burial ground for their dead. In vivid, haunting detail, the article recounts how a body, buried near a riverbed, was washed away in a rainstorm, an image that disturbed Anuradha so deeply she felt compelled to respond. “The central theme,” she says, “is this constant tug of war between development and our environment, and in that process, how some people are affected much more than others.” In the face of such violence against the earth and its people, she saw an opportunity to explore a much larger narrative about loss, neglect, and the struggle for survival.

The word ‘requiem,’ in the context of Anuradha’s performance, conveys not only the mourning of lives lost but also the mourning of Mother Earth herself, a symbol of the desecration of her resources. “It’s the mourning of a woman from the marginalised community who cannot find a place to bury her child,” she explains. In her view, both the woman and the earth are metaphors for each other, both grieving the destruction and dispossession that development wreaks upon them, the land and its people intertwined in their shared suffering.

Bharatanatyam, with its ancient traditions, has long been rooted in a vocabulary of sacred expression, but here Anuradha faces the challenge of translating contemporary concerns into a classical idiom. “The beauty of Bharatanatyam is in its deep rootedness in tradition, which provides a rich vocabulary,” she notes, one that she used as a powerful tool to bring the modern themes of Bound by Soil to life. While she acknowledges that there were initial struggles, Anuradha drew from ONV Kurup’s poem Bhoomikaorru Charamageetham, which opened her vision for the choreography and offered a bridge between classical and modern forms. “I don’t think there were any particular concerns,” she adds, “because archetypes have always helped bridge classical and modern.”

In terms of the narrative, Anuradha intentionally refrains from imposing a fixed story upon her audience. Though the performance was inspired by that 2016 article and Kurup’s poetry, she insists that the audience’s engagement with the piece should be fluid, experiential rather than intellectual. “A performance should first be an experience, then an intellectual engagement,” she explains. “I don’t want to confine the viewers to my perspective. I want them to enter into the work and have their own personal reflections.” For Anuradha, the piece is not meant to tell a singular story but to evoke a broader, symbolic message, one that invites multiple interpretations.

Music and rhythm, which Anuradha describes as the backbone of the production, play a central role in Bound by Soil. The music, composed by DS Srivatsa from Bengaluru, and rhythm, arranged by R Sriganesh from Chennai, were developed through a series of drafts and discussions between the collaborators. “The way I’ve worked around the rhythms is different,” she notes, emphasising how the emotional depth of both the music and rhythm carry the weight of the performance’s themes. For Anuradha, the music is not just an accompaniment but a powerful force that underscores the emotional and intellectual undercurrents of the piece.

When it comes to audience engagement, Anuradha has no interest in setting preconceived notions. “I invite the audience to watch it with an open mind as an experience,” she says, stressing the importance of breaking down the barriers that often prevent people from fully engaging with art. “Art should not be intimidating but fluid, accessible to all. People should not feel they have to understand every aspect to engage with it.”

She hopes that the performance will inspire reflection on history, identity, and cultural memory, and encourages open discussion afterward, fostering a space for deeper connection. “I would love to engage in discussions post-performance,” she says, “so I invite people to come and experience the performance first.”

Tickets at INR 250. Available online.

November 22,7 pm.

At Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam.

Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com

X: @rupsjain