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The Hindu
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Viewing Shoorpanakha from beyond the myth and its margins
Rejected and reviled — a deadly combination in a woman scorned and an encapsulation of how Shoorpanakha from The Ramayana has been viewed down the ages. Well, every villain has an origin story and Shoorpanakha: A Search is hers. Presented by Parshathy J Nath, this piece not only looks at the woman within the demon princess, but also sheds light on the fiends and divas that dwell within each of us. There is scant mention of Shoorpanakha in mythology and the ones that occur, show her in a most unflattering light, which makes the choice of her as a central character in any performance an interesting one. Parshathy says Shoorpanakha's story stayed with her because it was a traumatic experience. 'I realised that men treating her with triviality was something most women, myself included, have undergone. More than her nose being mutilated, I believe it would have been far more humiliating to have her emotions made light of and be subject to suggestions that she offer her love to others.' Parshathy emphasises that Shoorpanakha is 'not a rant against men', though it happens to women in India more often than not given the patriarchy and dating culture prevalent here. 'I wanted to explore this binary of Shoorpanakha and Sita, and how societal standards for beauty seem to follow a stereotype.' At home on stage Parshathy's love story with the theatre began with her first school audition at the age of 10. 'I was instinctively drawn to theatre; it was not a class or discipline my parents foisted on me — perhaps that is why I was able to explore it to my heart's content,' says the artiste, who began training in classical dance and vocals at the age of six. 'I can still recall the wonder I felt at the transformation that unfolded on stage.' Though she continued to script and direct plays while in college, her passion took a step back as life and a career got in the way, says Parshathy. As a journalist, she would write about others' plays debuting in the city, all the while yearning for the stage lights herself. 'In 2017, I participated in a play after a gap of six years and realised how much I had missed it,' she says, adding it was the trigger that brought her back to the theatre. 'I was 27 years old at the time and I remember thinking, 'If not now, then when?' I knew I had to make a choice and that if I waited longer, I might lose the drive to act.' Parshathy quit her job as a journalist and went into theatre full time — working with various directors and enrolling at the Ninasam Theatre School in Karnataka in 2019. 'Studying at Ninasam was life changing; I got to live and interact with theatre practitioners from rural Karnataka. We would heat water on wood, I picked up Kannada there and I ended up training for a Yakshagana performance.' Germ of an idea The seeds for Parshathy's piece on Shoorpanakha were sown while studying at Ninasam Theatre School in Karnataka and she says the feedback from her mentors gave the play its present shape. 'Around that time I attended a Yakshagana performance by Sharanya Ramprakash titled Akshayatra that intersected gender and class, and was multi-layered in depth. It opened my eyes to the many possibilities of this art form.' 'When we think of a play, it is usually the imagery that first comes to mind and I initially envisioned Shoorpanakha as a classical piece with Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music, especially as the protagonist is a mythological character.' However, since 2021, Parshathy says her depiction of this characterhas been evolving along two lines — of delving deeper into Shoorpanakha's psyche and of unlearning her body language as a classical dancer in order to fully embody the part she has to play. 'My stint at Adishakthi opened new ideas of crafting a performance piece with my entire body language responding to my training in koodiyattam, kattaikkuttu and other art forms.' 'If I didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to do justice to the role since Shoorpanakha was a free-spirited, forest dweller. My experiences in life are vastly different and limited to a classical body language,' she says. In order to reimagine the character, Parshathy researched Malayalam and Kannada literature only to find minimal references. 'Yet, performative traditions such as koodiyattam, had an entire episode detailing Shoorpanakha's life.' Parshathy undertook koodiyattam training under Aparna Nangiar as well kattaikkuttu with P Rajagopal and Hanne M de Bruin. She also learnt to play the mizhavu (a percussion instrument) with Kalamandalam Rajeevan and Harihara Guptan. 'Its sound played a crucial role in the performance, figuring as almost as another character'. Additionally, she learnt to sing oppari and how to play the parai with Gangai Master and Manimaran. With light music inspired by folk traditions, Shoorpanakha: A Search which is an hour-long performance includes an original oppari composition by Pa Thriuvenkatachami, crafted specially for this piece produced by The India Foundation For Arts under their Arts Practice programme Shoorpanakha: A Search will be presented at the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi in Thrissur on June 6, at Ranga Shankara in Bengaluru on June 11, and at the Medai in Chennai on June 22. Information on the tickets priced at ₹299 are available online.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Minister assures funds to Ninasam for renovations at Heggodu
Heggodu (Shivamogga) Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi has promised funds to renovate Shivarama Karantha Rangamandira and other infrastructure development works of Ninasam in Heggodu, in Karnataka. He made the announcement after inaugurating Ninasam theatre festival at Heggodu on May 11. Ninasam, which runs a theatre institute, has completed 75 years and has sought funds from the government of Karnataka to renovate its infrastructure in the village. Mr. Tangadai appreciated the achievements of Ninasam over the decades. The organisation had produced talented artists. With minimum expenses, the institute has recorded impressive achievements. 'The State Government is committed to encouraging cultural activities. I will ensure the organisation gets sufficient funds in the current financial year,' he said. K.V. Akshara, who runs activities at the institute, narrated the history of the institute and its activities. He said that the government of Karnataka had provided altogether ₹8.5 crore for its activities between 1980 and March 2025. The amount provided over 45 years was approximately one-third of the amount spent on the annual Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. 'Besides the State Government, the Central Government provided ₹5 crore so far. A few private foundations have contributed funds for the activities. So far, the theatre institute has trained more than 650 students, who have been active in different fields, including cinema and television media,' he said. Mr. Akshara said the Shivarama Karnath Ranga Mandira was built in 1978 at a cost of ₹85,000. 'The time has come to renovate the structure. To change the roof alone, ₹75 lakh is required. We submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2024, the year when Ninansam completed 75 years. We are requesting funds to continue the activities,' he said. Sagar MLA Belur Gopala Krishna said that the contribution of K.V. Subbanna, the founder of Ninasam, to Kannthe Kannada literary world and theatre had been immense. He founded the organisation in a village, and brought intellectuals and theatre personalities from different parts of the world. The institute requires funds to continue its activities. 'I will ensure the institute gets sufficient funds from the government,' he added. Ninasam executive committee president Siddhartha Bhat and Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation president Ravikumar were present. Show delayed A play based on Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and her Children was staged on the first day of the five-day festival on May 11. The play has been directed by M. Ganesh. But, the show was delayed. The show, as part of the Ninasam theatre festival, was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but was delayed by more than one hour and 15 minutes. Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi was scheduled to inaugurate the festival at 5 p.m. However, he reached the venue at 7 p.m. The inaugural ceremony ended at 8.15 p.m., delaying the show. The institute is known to follow a strict time schedule while organising theatre events. Theatre-lovers from many distant places, including Shivamogga, Sagar and many nearby villages, visit Heggodu to watch the plays. Some of them were seen expressing their disappointment at the delay. They said a delay was seldom experienced at Heggodu.
