Yagneseni is another name for Draupadi, the central female character and wife of the Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata. A name that comes from her birth in the sacrificial fire. Throughout the story, she is portrayed as a woman of strength and resolve, with a fierce spirit that allows her to face every trial placed before her.
However, when violence took away her dignity, she wavered and called out for help. No one answered. In that heavy silence, she turned inward, finding strength within herself, remembering that she was fire-born, unbroken and powerful in her own right.
Recently, a project titled Draupadi was launched by the Femella Foundation, an NGO formed by a group of students in Thiruvananthapuram working towards women’s empowerment, taking forward the story of Draupadi’s resilience into the present day. Through the initiative, the collective has stepped into the fight against domestic violence, not only against women but across genders.
To reach a wider audience and communicate their core ideas, the group turned to theatre, staging the play Yagneseni at Bharath Bhavan.
“Draupadi’s trauma and her resurgence symbolise a woman’s journey towards finding herself. Through the performance, we sought to portray Draupadi as someone who stands up for herself, representing everyone who faces violence and abuse,” says joint director of the play Amrita Lakshmi R. The idea came from Femella’s founder, Alu Krishna, a final year UG student of Mar Ivanios. Inspired by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s ‘The Palace of Illusions’, the skit also shares its title with the acclaimed novel by Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray. Both books describe the Mahabharata from Darupadi’s perspective.
Set in the present day, the skit follows a woman subjected to domestic violence as she finds her voice and stands up against abuse that has long been normalised.
“The project will focus on creating awareness about domestic violence and will be implemented through three key programmes: a digital campaign; public outreach activities including wall paintings and discussions; and community engagement programmes that provide awareness sessions in schools and colleges,” Amrita says.
Formed four years ago, the Femella Foundation began with a focus on menstrual health in rural areas. Over the years, the group has widened its lens, expanding its work to address issues such as cyber security, financial literacy, and youth leadership, and has now taken on the issue of domestic violence.
Highlighting the importance of Project Draupadi, Amrita notes: “Domestic violence is often treated as a private matter, but it is actually a social issue. The normalisation of violence is alarming, and we want to break this cycle before it reaches the next generation. That is why we are focusing on schools and colleges.”
The work continues off stage in the coming days. In collaboration with Femella’s reading community, Verses of Valour, the foundation plans to explore domestic violence through literature in reading sessions on Saturday. In February, during the first and second weeks, awareness classes will be held at Mar Ivanios College and CET College as part of the project.