PREVIEW: Himanshu Srivastava and Deepali Salil+Sayani Chakraborty present a double bill of Bharatanatyam choreographies about looking within

On 12 September 2024, Thursday, at 7pm, ODDBIRD Foundation is presenting a double bill of concept-based choreographies in Bharatanatyam. Dr. Himanshu Srivastava presents ‘The Abandoned Gopi’ and Deepali Salil and Sayani Chakraborty present ‘Breath’, two different works that make us think about how we look at the body, mind and soul.

Himanshu, a skilled soloist whom I have watched, heard and admired for a few years now, uses recorded music for his own presentation but then immediately joins the succeeding two in the orchestra for their performance. He told me more about both choreographies:

‘My presentation is “The Abandoned Gopi”. It’s my own vision and visuals of visiting Vrindavan and watching many thousands of people coming to this sacred spot with absolutely no intention, and yet trying to find the real Vrindavan, which is actually, silently, within us. That is one place within us where we discover the inner voice, which we call Krishna, and the raas which keeps happening within us, that joy. I was always wanting to depict the story of Gopeshwar Mahadev, which is very interesting. Both of these – the two different concepts of how people are in the modern-day context and the real mythological story of Gopeshwar Mahadev – gelled really well.

‘It begins with the sutradhar, Yamuna, who tells the story of how one day, Lord Shiva came from outside Vrindavan and was mesmerized by the song that was playing in the Vanshivat, emanating from the raas leela. He also wanted to enter but as we all know, men were not allowed. He makes all efforts but in the end, he requests Yamuna to explain to him why only women are allowed, and that too only gopi bhava is allowed, inside. That’s when he transforms himself into a gopi from the outside and then from the inside, and in the end, when he reaches Vrindavan, that Vanshivat, he realizes there is nobody there. From there, my story takes a little turn, providing a modern-day parallel.

‘Standing there, at that point, Shiva is like any seeker visiting a holy place or surroundings, especially, in this context, Vrindavan. Are we really able to see that raas? They say sound never dies. Then why are we not able to connect to it? Because we are not listening to the inner silence. In Shiva’s case, he hears the inner sound, he finds Krishna, he finds the ras, the raas, within him. And that’s when he rejoices and is declared by Krishna in his own inner consciousness as Gopeshwar Mahadev. That is how I have discovered and disclosed that secret – it’s all about finding the true Vrindavan within.

‘This was premiered in NMACC in June 2024.

‘“Breath” by Deepali Salil and Sayani Chakraborty is a concept of how wind is a very essential part of us. It is floating freely, it has no direction, it has anywhere and everywhere to go, but once it enters the body, it defines the body as a jeeva. Hence, it is also called prana or pranavayu. From there, one dancer represents the air and the other represents the bodily self. The air enters and the body grows each day, through childhood adolescence etc. It goes through a lot of emotion. What happens to the breathing air or the pranavayu at that time and how we are supposed to be very mindful of our breath is what the whole production is all about.’

Venue: Oddbird Theatre, Dhan Mill, Chhatarpur, Delhi

Date: 12 September 2024, Thursday

Entry by ticket, link: https://www.oddbird.org/event-details/bharatanatyam-double-bill?fbclid=IwY2xjawFHfpJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHesNl8ajT1DKMyj0TvHhHLD2pAeWP0ZsYHgfpGRX9xqbojsQNq1NLvSZvQ_aem_q2u_Tu5wVoiGGILLDs-c6Q