Mayuri Upadhya’s new production traces the shared human search for meaning

Bhakti comes from a very personal space. In today’s times, I think we are always encouraged to live in a world of binaries; right vs wrong, us vs them, etc. We are always encouraged to choose between dichotomies. I believe that you can stand for what you believe in and yet remain open to different ideas. So this is a question I constantly ask myself: whether we can hold our convictions, our beliefs deeply and still make space for someone else’s truth? And this question began the journey of Bhakti for me. I began reading about Bhakti poets and realised that even though they came from different regions, religions, languages and faith traditions, they were all pointing towards one truth, one direction, which I think is far beyond labels. I think they were trying to remind all of us that there is a deeper consciousness connecting us all. And dance for me is the way that I choose to respond to what’s happening around the world. So it’s a coping mechanism for me. I make sense of the world through dance. Bhakti became my response to all that is happening around us.

For me, it was a very organic process. I never began this journey with the idea of bringing together 13 specific poets. I just followed poetry that resonated with me. When I read all these poems, I think they all pointed towards one direction. And for me, it was about creating one conversation through many voices. When I read about them, it was very inspirational to see that their art wasn’t separate from their spiritual journey, their life and their process of evolution. Their lives gave me a context and the poetry inspired the choreography. And each of the compositions that have come alive is simply because of the struggles, the journeys and the points of awakening within each of these poets. Their stories have helped weave a unique perspective into the compositions.

The entire period of research took about a year and was done by Puja Kaushik and Nandana Kumar. I think during the research process, I kept encouraging them to find me more stories which led to the moment of awakening, the moment of shift within each of these poets when they realised that mundane life cannot give them the answers they’re seeking. So we brought in details of their philosophies, their teachings, their process of evolution, and their struggles. Bhakti is a piece of work that has dialogues, live singing, dance and poetry. So, there is a very strong visual storytelling element coming from multiple mediums. And for me, all these together are telling a story that is deeply human.

I was very clear that the compositions we chose had to be popular ones which exist even today among us. I intentionally chose compositions which are sort of regional anthems accessible to people and have been passed on through generations. And if you listen to this music, it has such a strong presence. The movement, too, had to let the poems breathe and come alive. And to a great extent, I think the music and the poetry have decided the movement language. Because if the poet’s philosophy and the musicality of the song are saying something, that essence and message have to trickle into the work as well. The music is composed by Praveen D Rao, Anjana Raja Gopalan and Chandana Bala. Multiple voices have been lent to different poets in different languages in the recorded score: Chandana Bala Kalyan, Priyanka Barve, Harpreet Singh, Anjana Rajagopalan, Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy, Siddhartha Belmannu, Aashima Mahajan and Paavani Kashinath.

₹499 onwards. August 29, 7.30 pm. At Prestige Centre for Performing Arts

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