Did you know
* nearly six millions Indians migrate within the country each year?
* more than 50% of Bangaloreans are migrants?
June and July have been surprisingly pleasant but more importantly it has bean a time of several firsts in mid-year. A collaboration with poet Arundhathi Subramaniam and premiere of my latest production प्रवास | Pravaas – A Migrant’s Tale. This has in turn meant learning not just new songs, working with old and new collaborators and learning a lot about migration.
Pravaas – A Migrant’s Tale
“I’m from Odisha,’ she said. The young woman approached me at the end of the premiere of my production प्रवास – Pravaas – A Migrant’s Tale. “I could relate so strongly to the story of Bijoy that you narrated. It is my story in many ways.’ Her words filled me with gratitude. This young woman’s connection reminded me that music and storytelling can transcend the individual and create a sense of universal belonging.
The evening was already fulfilling, but her words gave me a deep gratitude. None of this would have been possible without the amazing musicians who accompanied me, the team at Bangalore International Centre, the many people who helped me with pronunciation in ten languages, and my friend Ashok Subramaniam, who composed the final tillana based on this theme.
Wild Women – A Jugalbandhi with acclaimed poet Arundhathi Subramaniam was a joyous collaboration. Based on the Penguin anthology of Indian sacred poetry by women, edited by Arundhathi Subramaniam, our jugalbandhi introduced the audience to the poetry of some women mystics of this subcontinent – celebrated and unsung.
Check out the rehearsals, the article in the Hindu where we talk about the motivation behind the jugalbandhi.
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