KĀNHOPATRĀ
A forgotten voice from medieval Maharashtra, Kānhopatrā was a courtesan’s daughter, a poet, a musician and an enchanting dancer. Refusing to live a life of luxury amidst patriarchy, she subversively chose a life of piety, immersing herself in a spiritual quest towards Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur, in central peninsular India.
Navigating persistent vulnerability from her desirable physicality, Kānhopatrā braved various odds including a final summon by a King to be his concubine. At this sensitive zenith, she demands an equal footing with her God, leaving her mortal coils to merge with His divinity.
A symbol of resistance, resilience and unabashed faith, to this day, she remains enshrined in the precincts of the temple. Kānhopatrā’s poweful feministic voice is largely reconstructed by lore and shrouded by subjective opinions from varying socio-politico-economic contexts. This artistic exploration, traces her emotional progression, evidently subsumed in her own evocative poetry – Abhangas and Ovis in the Marathi vernacular.
“If this doesn’t melt your heart, I don’t know what will. A must watch for all those craving a cathartic experience.”
Harinie Jeevitha, Dance Artiste
“Divya re-creates the mystic and magic, the enigma and the experience of this saint-poet and she inhabits Kānhopatrās skin, feeling the agony of her humiliation, the ecstasy of her union with the divine…”
Akhila Krishnamurthy, Aalap Concepts
“At some points, I froze, at some others, I cried with Kānhopatrā, for Kānhopatrā.”
Upasana Govindarajan, Digital Illustrator
“An inspired piece of performance with an
illuminating dedication and narrative skill…”
Dr. Utpal Bannerjee (narthaki.com)
Shveta Arora interviews Divya Ravi about Kānhopatrā
CREDITS
Concept, Choreography, Performance Divya Ravi
Music Composition, Vocals Sharan Subramanian
Mridangam Manohar Balatchandirane
Tabla Gurumurthy Vaidya
Flute Mahesha Swamy
Sitar Suma Rani
Sound Engineer Umesh Minnanda
Resource Scholar Pradnya Agasthi
Duration – 60 minutes
Performed to recorded music
DIGITAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS COMMISSIONED BY
Geeva Arts, Kentucky USA
PAST PRESENTERS
Norwich Arts Centre
Nrithya Upahaar Dance Festival, UK
Omkara Space, Geneva
Ananya Nruthya Neerajana
Ananya Samarpana
Nruthyantharanga
Gaana Nritya Academy
Nritya Yatri
G5A
