The Heroine’s Journey, an arts festival that sought to analyse the representation of women and their roles as heroines in various media, came to a close on the 21st of December. With a day jam-packed full of performances by various talented artists, the festival came to a satisfying end.
The lineup consisted of a Marathi play reading, Kaamwalya Baya, followed by our special Guldasta-e-Urdu programming that showcased the works of the Pakistani poet, Parveen Shakir, a moving performance of Bharatnatyam by Tejaswini Halthore, and Synchron; a multi-media performance by Rishiraj Kulkarni and Megha Thumbunkel.
In addition to these performances, Gyaan Adab opened its doors to SWAP, who hosted an informal Soul Story SWAP.
The first of the performances was Marathi play reading. Adapted by Ashutosh Potdar from Jean Genet’s The Maids (1947), and performed by Tea 4 Theatre, Kaamwalya Baya is the play about three bold and poetic female characters, angry class warfare and radical sexual politics performed in the play within a play form.
This was followed by our recurring Guldasta-e-Urdu program, that celebrated the works of Parveen Shakir through poetry, music and classical dance with Namita Kichlu, Ruksana Jamadar and Priya P.
Next was Sita Says. Tejaswini Halthore presented a Bharatanatyam recital which is an acknowledgement of the agency that Sita created for herself to make a choice.Our concluding performance was that of Synchron. A collaborative performance featuring Megha Thumbunkel (visual artist) and Rishiraj Kulkarni (musician) where music responds to visuals, therefore leading to the heroine being re-imagined.
A day swamped by muggy weather and searing sunlight was exalted by the riveting and heartfelt performances by all of our artists. A constant stream of new visitors made for a brilliant way to gain new perspective, and the Heroine’s Journey was brought to a close with the shared warmth of a participating community.
