Classical meets contemporary: Ashtanayikas retold in a feminist narrative

Sometimes it is the simplest question that can reveal the fundamental insight For this writer it arrives in the middle of a cross examination ldquoYou realise that the Natyashastra was written from the male perspectiverdquo asks Deepa D producer and creator of the production 8 The number represents the title of the multilingual performance that is travelling across 10 cities this month Their show at an Andheri venue tomorrow is part of the penultimate legA miniature depicting the kalahantrita nayikaldquoSince childhood my performance has been rooted in the classical idiomrdquo shares Deepa who learnt Bharatanatyam with icon Geeta Chandran and performed alongside her Yet as a queer feminist she refused to adhere to the traditional orthodoxy that often rules the classical stage ldquoBut as a classical dancer I was always fascinated by the Ashtanayikas This idea fermented within me for over a decaderdquo she sharesNayika reduxFrom left Deepika Karthik Kumar Charu Hariharan Bindhumalini and Gurupriya Atreya discuss during a compositional sessionGrowing up in Delhi Deepa moved to Minnesota in the early 2000s to study contemporary dance and lighting design at the University of Minneapolis On her return she began assisting and working with Sanjukta Wagh but found a professional footing with lighting design ldquoI am known in the industry film and theatre as a lighting designer It is a comparatively easier way to make a livingrdquo she laughsIt was not till her move to Pune and an application to the Adishakti Theatrical Fellowship in 2023 that her journey began ldquoIt was for a oneperson showcase and I sent it in It was accepted and awarded a scholarshiprdquo the 46yearold shares It won the fellowship that funded its experimentations further and premiered in 2024Bindhumalini at a recording session and A view of the interactive projections that will accompany the performances Pic CourtesyParas TilakThe performance is a complex one that uses cultural idioms to raise questions with Deepa performing the stories of eight characters across eight languages ldquoI am speaking in dialogue with the idea of the Ashtanayikas but also pushing back against itrdquo she explainsThough established in the Indian classical idiom the nayikas are classified by a male perspective Deepa adds ldquoFor instance take the Kalahantrita mdash the squabbling lover She is commonly portrayed as someone who quarrels over the suspicion of her loverrsquos infidelity and repents To me she is a woman acting in her best interests against a man who might not be entirely innocent yet she carries a selfregret that stems from her knowledge of societyrsquos judgement and biasrdquoDiverse voicesThe performative aspect apart the show also brings to the fore music and songs as a key form of expression With singers Bindhumalini Charu Hariharan Deepika Karthik Kumar and Gurupriya Atreya forming the quartet Naal Per Naal Vidam Tamil for Four people Four Styles the compositions were plentiful Mumbaibased producer Vinayak Netke provided the layering to bring it all together ldquoI sourced and focussed on female lyricists because we have a long tradition of women performing in traditional arts but few female composersrdquo the producer addsThese lyricists came from across time history and languages The works of poets Kamala Das the 18th Century Tanjore poet and courtesan Muddupalani the Malayalam trans poet Vijayaraja Mallika and the contemporary English verses of Minal Hajratwala were added to the expressionsldquoI am not a professional musician and was approaching it from the perspective of expression One fabulous piece is the use of Ovis in Marathi set to the background score of kitchen instruments grindmills by Charu Hariharan It is for Khandita the enraged heroine They are such hilarious and furious verses of women sharing their ire about their male partnerrsquos failings in the kitchenrdquo Deepa reveals To push the envelope further these ovis are set to a hiphop rhythm to sync with the movement of the grinding millIn the week of Navratri when the goddesses take over from the usual male pantheon of divinity it seems only appropriate ldquoI am not negating them the Ashtanayikas but reinterpreting their definitionrdquo Deepa concludesON September 25 830 pmAT Rangshila Theatre Aram Nagar Part 1 Versova Andheri WestLOG ON TO inbookmyshowcomCOST R450 onwards