Hema Shashtri
CHICAGO: Mandi Theater in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, Chicago, hosted the International Women’s Day celebration at the Prairie Center for the Arts, Schaumburg, a north side suburb of Chicago with a theme of “Break the Bias,” the Mandi Theater. During the evening, the organization also paid a rich tribute to legendary Kathak guru, Padmavibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj who had recently passed away.
The evening started with a stellar Hindustani violin performance by Elizabeth Lucia Thomas in Raga Kafi. A 2019-2022 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, she played the meditative slow tempo Vilambit Gat, followed by a fast tempo composition set in Teentaal, a 16-beat cycle. Elizabeth was accompanied by Mrs. Bindu Pathak, a local Tabla exponent. The violin jugalbandi was followed by a Kathak performance by Mrs. Gauri Jog.
Mrs. Jog initiated her performance with invocation to Lord Ganesha, followed by a dance depicting Shiva – Parvati in the Tandava – Lasya portrayal in a five-and-half beat time cycle. Her performance culminated in a Tarana, composed by the legendary guru, Pt. Birju Maharaj. The Kathak showcase was followed by a 1972 documentary of Pt. Birju Maharaj by the Film Division of India, highlighting his technical and artistic skills par excellence. At the end of the film, the audience observed a minute of silence to mark the passing of the respected iconic legend.
Next, the performance of LakshaDhantran was a powerful reminder of trials and tribulation of the LGBTQIA community. Trapped in a male body, Laksha explored her fears, her truth, and eventually her freedom, to seek her own perfection. Laksha artfully showcased her skills in Bharatnayam, depicting a journey of a poignant torn mind from inhibitions to becoming a liberated bird, ready to break free.
After Laksha’s compelling performance, Mrs. Surabhi Kumar provided her valuable insights and words of inspirations observing the International Women’s Day. “You are the woman you decide to become!” She very eloquently explained her observations on the status of women and their equitable future in the new model of a 21st century family. Consulate General, Mr. Amit Kumar also highlighted how equitable treatment started at home, where all children were given chores, not determined by genders.
The next performance was a sitar solo from Shanta Nurullah. An authentic storyteller, Shanta shared her experiences of new diversity at Carthage College in Minnesota, which eventually took her to Pune, India, where she learned the basics of the stringed instrument, the Sitar. Weaving in stories of old plantations, and hopeful songs of escape, she soulfully provided vocal and sitar rendition of, “Sometimes, I feel like a motherless child.”
The evening culminated with a short 35-minute play, KhanditYakshani written and directed by Ms. Alka Sharma, founder of the Mandi Theater, a non-for-profit organization. The play was dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer. The actors of the play provided a surreal story of a protagonist, who loves to dance Kathak, however, gives up the art once she marries. Expectations of her as a spouse prevents her from pursuing her passion. A turn of negative events and diagnosis of breast cancer, however, provides her the inspiration to break-free from a one-sided marriage, and pursue her dream of living on beyond the diagnosis of cancer.
Finally, the evening of performances ended with bright colors of “SindurKhela,” a celebration of spring, womanhood and a sisterhood.
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