During my college days, as usual, the study material never really told a story. What it did, instead, was to analyse and dissect the psyche and the socio-political and economic status of life during that time. Draupadi of Mahabharata and Sita of Ramayana standing for the two faces of women and life, as it were in ancient history. So, from day one, since I encountered the great heroines of these Sanskrit epics, living in a patriarchal society, each expressing distinctly different states of womanhood, I wanted to do more than just telling the story.
Sita, the submissive, subservient wife who prioritises her husband above all, as opposed to Draupadi who has more complexities to her character poignantly portrayed by her affiliation to five husbands, have very different insinuations in contemporary society. The modern Draupadi and Sita need not be fanatic feminists. What also strikes me is the fact that every girl is taught to be like Sita, considered the height of morality and righteousness. While no one preaches her kids to be like Draupadi. And that to me is intriguing because Draupadi is the symbol of strength, a unique personality.
To translate this into real-time space, the production, We Draupadi’s and Sitas came into being. In the play, produced by Kali, I paint the female leads as argumentative characters, each one having her own social background and individual way of life. Today’s Draupadi and Sita would not have anything offered on the plate without questioning what’s right or wrong; what’s suitable and what’s not. She is aware about her rights and has a mind of her own.
The play, with three female leads, portray the image of today’s women. It’s no longer about bra-burning feminism, but to ask for respect from a society that lives by age-old stereotypes. The new Draupadis and Sitas are about caring women who deserve to be treated equally. We Draupad’is and Sitas is an attempt to rewrite the epic from a woman’s point of view. The time has come for men to take a back seat and watch the birth of the New Woman!
We Draupadi’s and Sita will be showcased at National Gallery of Modert Art on March 26th and April 1st, 2011. Show timings: 5pm/6.30pm/ 8pm
