Carnatic vocalist Chitra Srikrishna
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Abhaya- Women Who Dared is a celebration of women where verses from the past meet voices of the present. Renowned Carnatic vocalist Chitra Srikrishna has curated the event, which will feature poetry by 8th Century women poets of India. It will be presented in the form of recitation and music. Presented by an all-women ensemble, Abhaya features Chitra on vocals with Prema Vivek (violin) and Deepika Srinivasan (mridangam).An educator and writer, Chitra works to make Indian music accessible through workshops and collaborating with diverse artistes. “For the past few years I have been presenting thematic productions, where I have looked at the intersection of music and society to create theme-based programmes.” The singer, who teaches music appreciation, has earlier done Udan (a musical exploration of birds in Indian poetry) and Pravas (about migrants and the journey that they undergo, their hopes and challenges).
Prema Vivek
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Abhaya, Chitra says, looks at women’s issues and challenges. “I was looking at poetry written by women poets across India from the sixth century onwards. I was inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s quote, ‘The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete’.”The quote, Chitra says, made her think about single-story narratives. “The vachanas of Akka Mahadevi, Andal, or Meera Bai’s bhajans, are celebrated for their poetry. When you look at their lives alongside their works, however, it is rendered monochromatically as a single story, mainly talking of devotion.”There is another story, Chitra says. “They faced caste discrimination, the trauma of child marriage, widowhood or what society expected them to be. Despite all this, they questioned patriarchy, orthodoxy and the stereotypes of the time and lived a life of valour and resilience.” Chitra set some of the poems to music while others were already set to tune.Poets who will be a part of Abhaya include Andal and Karaikkal Ammaiyar from Tamil Nadu, Lal Ded from Kashmir, Janabai and Soyarabai from Maharashtra, and Ambabai and Akka Mahadevi from Karnataka.Chitra premiered a concise version of Abhaya at the Indian Music Experience in 2024. “The positive feedback I got pushed me to dive deeper into this subject and we are returning with Abhaya featuring more women poets.”
Deepika Srinivasan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The month of March was chosen to present Abhaya to celebrate women across ages, Chitra says. “The poetry is as relevant today as it was centuries ago. The verses speak to women across ages. There are women who have spent a lifetime following patriarchal norms. Many seek a change, which never comes.” Even though the times have changed, Chitra says, the need for courage, support and solidarity among women, remains constant. “One can embrace new perspectives, without discarding the past. The past can be used as a foundation to better conditions. While younger women face challenges, older women can be powerful allies in this fight for progress.”Abhaya, Chitra says, is not just for the young. “It is for every woman who wants to question, grow and inspire. We want women of every generation to stand together and be unafraid of change. When change comes, the world moves ahead in the right direction.”Abhaya- Women Who Dared, is on March 14 at NGMA, 5pm. It is open to all. Published – March 13, 2025 09:05 am IST
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