#chandralekha

[evaporizzo]

Preserving tradition is fine. But we need to pause periodically to pull it off the shelf, dust it vigorously, and hold it against the sun to see if it still reflects light.

Chandralekha, aphorism, n.d.

[vintageindianclothing]

Happy New Year all!

[infantisimo]

[ferociouspompom]

Chandralekha | A Gentleman - Sundar, Susheel, Risky | Sidharth | Jacqueline | Sachin-Jigar | Raj&DK

[isaluciole]

Chandralekha Indian artist, dancer, choreographer, feminist ( 1928-2006)

[vintageindianclothing]

However, the recalling of this image of female power without any direct reference to the goddess figures is significant: the strong traditions of goddess worship in contemporary India coexist with patriarchal systems that attempt to restrict, in particular, their sexual and sensual powers, besides other aspects. In the naravahana image onstage, on the other hand, conceptions of the goddess resonate but are not directly represented. In Chandralekha' s choreography this goddess-like woman, as she sits atop her human carrier, uses hand gestures to symbolize the weapons she wields  tigernails that rip apart, a spear, a bow and arrow, a sword. She also wields objects more related to cultivation than sophisticated warfare, a scythe and a chopper. All of this links her to agricultural traditions and fertility cults as well as to martial traditions, in which she reclaims her active participation and her central role. [Butting Out: Reading Resistive Choreographies Through Works by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Chandralekha, Ananya Chatterjea]

Chandralekha* in the Naravahana** sequence from her path-breaking production Angika Madara, 1985. Photo credit: Sadanand Menon

*along with Nandakumar. **naravahana: nara=man, vahana=a deity’s carrier/mount

[ferociouspompom]

I think I’ve listened to Chandralekha about 200 times this morning *blush* Phata-Kurta is already sick of it ;)

[kurunthokai]

Ever hissed your mystery class?

I have! I used to hiss my mystery class often, especially when trying to talk as fast as my thoughts. These days, I’ve slowed down a lot, and I don’t hiss my mystery lectures when I want to miss my history lectures. That, dear readers, is an example of Spoonerism. A spoonerism is a linguistic phenomenon where the initial consonants or sounds of two or more words are swapped. This results in a…

Ever hissed your mystery class?