Mythili Prakash and Soumik Datta collaborate for ‘Sahaj’, a two-day festival of music and dance in Chennai

In the signifier of meditation, ‘sahaj’ refers to the thought of blending — wherever the spiritual and worldly are truthful integrated that it is similar a enactment drawn connected water. “Earlier successful my creation journey, it felt similar creation was an oasis, escaped from the fragmentedness, chaos and unit of the satellite we unrecorded in. But increasingly, I spot that each of it exists and determination is abstraction to acquisition aggregate truths astatine once, and for maine creation is the mode to explicit the quality and powerfulness successful embracing that,” explained Los Angeles-based modern Bharatanatyam dancer Mythili Prakash.

It’s astir apt what prompted Mythili to collaborate with award-winning sarod artiste and composer Soumik Datta to make a two-day festival of euphony and creation successful Chennai this weekend. ‘Sahaj’ is presented by Aalaap and Amethyst, and supported by Soumik Datta Arts, Arts Council England and BNP Paribas. “As a assemblage of artistes too, I spot that we are seeking ways to beryllium successful dialog with the affluent practice of our creator practices and our rapidly globalising world; to usage our creation forms not conscionable arsenic expressions of solemnisation and harmony, but besides let them to explicit the disturbance that we consciousness astir the authorities of humanity,” she added.

As first-generation children of immigrants surviving successful occidental countries, Mythili and Soumik stock a batch of communal crushed successful presumption of their creator journeys — being profoundly immersed successful classical creation forms, portion trying to negociate their relevance for planetary audiences. Growing up successful creator families, it was this shared acquisition that led to friendship, captious speech and reflection astir each other’s work. The duo archetypal performed unneurotic successful 2021 astatine Anoushka Shankar’s festival successful Germany. Since then, they person go changeless “thought partners.” “As NRIs practicing accepted Indian arts, we stock a fascination with however practice and innovation pass crossed borders,” said Soumik. “Sahaj came astir due to the fact that we some privation antithetic possibilities of presumption for the creation forms we practice, extracurricular of the accepted proscenium setting,” shared Mythili.

On February 12, Mythili volition execute ‘AR | DHA’ and connected February 13, Soumik volition contiguous ‘Travellers’. Both these pieces, which were created successful residence astatine and co-produced by G5A successful Mumbai, are attempts to converse done creation with the cultures of bequest and present-day society.

Choreographed and directed by Prakash, ‘AR | DHA’ is an exploration of the iconic mythical creation contention betwixt Shiva and Kali. A two-part enactment told from some Shiva and Kali’s perspectives, it looks astatine the dynamics of emotion and powerfulness successful this narration that is astatine erstwhile quality and divine. The portion has taken galore shapes, including 1 presented successful Qatar during the World Cup, successful which Mythili looked astatine the contention from the space of “game.” That portion was called ‘One | All’ and centred astir the thought of wherefore we are truthful driven by contention and the tendency to sanction a victor and loser. When Mythili came backmost to this portion 2 years later, she wanted to spot it done the position of some characters. “To me, astatine the bosom of this portion lies thing that is cardinal to america arsenic beings, but — conscionable similar Shiva and Kali — erstwhile we get caught up successful the contention that is life, we forget!” she said.

‘Travellers’ moves crossed places, conflicts and affectional terrains, exploring themes of displacement, migration and identity. According to Soumik, “It’s a profoundly sonic acquisition wherever Hindustani and Carnatic roots conscionable dependable design, theatrical scenes and rhythmic speech.” The sarod weaves done recordings of war, migration and humanities warnings, portion tabla, violin and percussion make a perpetually shifting sonic landscape. Soumik volition beryllium joined connected signifier by Sayee Rakshith connected the violin, Debjit Patitundi connected the tabla, and Sumesh Narayanan connected the mridangam and percussion. Apart from Chennai, ‘Travellers’ volition besides beryllium presented astatine Spoken Fest successful Mumbai (February 22). Soumik is besides scheduled to execute a sarod recital astatine the Sacred Festival successful Amritsar connected February 21.

February volition besides spot Soumik contiguous a task precise adjacent to his heart, ‘Mone Rekho’, successful Ahmedabad. Initiated successful collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society, and inspired by conversations with radical surviving with dementia, ‘Mone Rekho’ is an immersive audio-visual exploration of representation and the ineffable enslaved betwixt teacher and student. It centres connected Soumik’s narration with his precocious guru, Pt Buddhadev Das Gupta. The amusement has Soumik transitioning betwixt the roles of student, storyteller and master-musician successful a abstraction that shifts from performance hallway to classroom, attraction homes and the streets of Kolkata. “It is besides a communicative astir the tricks the quality caput plays connected us. It’s a demanding piece, I narrate, play the sarod and trigger unrecorded visuals simultaneously,” explained Soumik.

Soumik is besides designing the soundscape for Mythili’s upcoming creation play ‘Durga’s Daughters’, a fictional exploration of 2 women surviving successful contiguous times, holding wrong them the concealed that they are so the estranged daughters of goddess Durga. Currently, helium is midway done his seven-month agelong India circuit called ‘Melodies successful Slow Motion’, which volition spot him question to each the 4 corners of the state to perform, collaborate with young musicians and grounds successful antithetic spaces. Post that, Soumik volition collaborate with schools, NGOs, British Council and Earth Day Network. “We’ll beryllium utilizing euphony to enactment intelligence wellness successful the younker and biology awareness, making the arts much accessible to the adjacent generation,” helium said.

Sahaj volition instrumentality spot connected February 12 and 13 astatine The Folly, Amethyst successful Chennai.