Coming up in Pune, a reinterpretation of Ramayana through female gaze on Sita’s story

“It is not just a feminist urge to tell Sita’s story, but also an acknowledgment of the ancient nature of this mythology. I understand that I may not have the authority to comment on it, yet I still wish to take creative liberties with it. I come from a culture that continually tells and celebrates this story. We often forget that mythologies are crafted by people and change every time they are told. Each retelling transforms them into something new, which is notable in our culture of oral storytelling,” Zaveri explains.

The performance begins with familiar characters and situations—the audience meets Sita, portrayed as a young woman, accompanied by her sakhi, a musician. As Sita reflects on her childhood in Mithila, the narrative reveals aspects of her upbringing that are seldom discussed.

“Typically, we hardly hear about her father or her relationship with him; we only know that she emerged from the earth,” Zaveri notes. The story unfolds to cover Sita’s marriage and experiences in Ayodhya, providing her opportunities as well as challenges.

Ultimately, an alternative storyline emerges. This shadow narrative centres around forces that seek to liberate her—a secret organisation called the Sisterhood of the Forest, comprising women from great texts such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as Panchatantra fables. Their goal is to subtly shift and improve the familiar trajectory of the story.

In this retelling, Surpanakha meets Sita before her encounter with Ram, engaging in a lively conversation. Surpanakha serves as the executive director of the Sisterhood, while Mandodari holds the position of managing director.

Sita undergoes an initiation into sisterhood but frequently experiences glitches, akin to a character in a video game that is malfunctioning. These glitches manifest as difficulties in speech, stammering, or an inability to move freely. Throughout the play, Sita comes to realise she is trapped in the narrative and strives to reclaim her own story.

Zaveri plays all the characters, while Maahi Zaveri, a classical musician, serves as the sakhi. It is intriguing that Zaveri employs the traditional and structured art form of Bharatanatyam to subvert the rigid narrative of the Ramayana.

“The various forms the play incorporates also interact with each other, contributing to the breaking of conventional molds,” Zaveri states.

“Glitch in the Myth” is minimalistic in its design, featuring only four saris belonging to Sita, a stick, a platform, and some rope, among other elements.

“We experiment with shadows, lights, space, body, and voice,” Zaveri explains. The costume mixes traditional and modern elements, featuring a blouse with a Chinese collar—uncommon for Bharatanatyam performers—while the lower half consists of a traditional Bharatanatyam costume complete with ghungroos.

The language used in the performance includes “lots of cool hip-hop elements, rap, and urban slang.” At one point, she humorously remarks about receiving a “DM” from Lord Ganesha.

“No, not an Instagram DM, but a Divine Message,” Zaveri clarifies.

Her central question is, “What if? What if there is an alternative narrative?”

“I aim to create work that not only entertains but also prompts questions. I am deeply concerned about the need to resist submission and to express my resistance through performance,” she concludes.