Equality through a feminine lens

Art and theatre festival at Ranga Shankara focuses on the idea of equality in various forms; it will also feature music and talks on the subject
Equality through a feminine lens

BENGALURU: The second edition of Equal – Voices For A Common Humanity is back in the city, with a theme that focuses on equality. Presented by Ranga Shankara in association with Accenture, the festival will feature panel discussions on various topics, including ‘The Censored Body’, which will discuss faith, identity and desire; and ‘The Poetry Panel’, which will look at poems of love and war. It has directed its sole focus towards depicting the idea of equality by communicating and expressing them in a clear and concise manner.

The event’s list of speakers includes social activist Aruna Roy, transgender rights activist Kalki Subramaniam, performer Zeeshan Hasan Akhtar, writer and activist Du Saraswati, poets Manjula Hullikunte, Tenzin Tsundue and H S Shivaprakash, and authors Sumana Roy and Ayaz Rasool Nazki.
“I would like to see more platforms like this and on a bigger scale. Equality in today’s time is tricky; just look at the eight million people who are under lockdown in Kashmir. Are they not equal? So many people are doing good work for the festival. Let us hope there are platforms dedicated towards similar causes in the future too,” said Nazki.

The festival will also showcase a set of plays, including Naseeruddin Shah’s directorial, Aurat! Aurat!! Aurat!!! Further, each day will sign off with musical performances by renowned artists, such as the likes of T M Krishna. “I have been working towards breaking the image of dhrupad being a masculine art form. The initiative taken by the festival organisers to solely dedicate a platform to explain equality through different forms is much needed in today’s time,” says Pelva Naik, a dhrupad practitioner and performer.
Keeping in line with the theme, the biannual festival will also feature performances that portray masculine and feminine impressions emerging from memory, violence and lived experiences. In times where equality is viewed through a foggy lens, the festival hopes to clear the confusion by putting forward the idea in its most natural sense.

“The festival communicates the idea of equality through theatre, music and talks. Theatre has to move beyond the barriers of entertainment. If you come and watch this festival, you will be well informed on what it means to be equal and unequal,” says Arundhati Nag, founder of the theatre space.

EQUAL – Voices for a Common Humanity is scheduled to take place from Sept 13 to September 15 at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.

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