Last month, actor Kritika Pandey, director Neha Singh and writer Punarvasu travelled to Bhojala, a village that's six kilometres from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. It's the birthplace of Jhalkari, a girl born into the Korin community, who became a commander in Rani Laxmibai's army. Known as the Durga Sena, the band fought British forces during the national uprising of 1857. Pandey recalls, "I felt a shiver down my spine when I entered her home. We walked in the same fields that she would have and heard stories about her valour from the locals. Like the time she killed a tiger using an axe in the jungles near Bhojala." The people of Bundelkhand have also kept her alive in folk songs that hail her as a beacon of courage and strength for the community. The trio recorded several such tracks, and their live renditions, performed on stage with instruments, are part of the play, Jhalkari, which premieres this weekend.