Menakaa - a dance ballet I attended on 2d May.  It was the premiere show and the hall was packed! The chief guest gracing the occasion was the yesteryear’s reigning queen of bollowood – Vyjantimala!

The dancers were exquisite in all their finery and such graceful movements.  The music given by the famous Guru Kaarikkudi Mani was mesmerising….. .  The effect was seen in the pin drop silence in the hall. 

The dancing troupe was again that of another popular dancer Rajeswari Sainath who played the main character ‘Menakaa’. 

B.V. Balasai – another distinguished flautist added to the magic of the musical charm.

And the director was N.S.Yamuna who has directed popular plays of Girish Karnad and Tendulkar.  She is also among the founder members of ‘The Madras Players’ – a theatre group.

With all these stalwarts from the music and theatre world, there was a surety of a great evening ahead. 

And lastly – the ballet was written by Vasanth Kannabiran – a poet, writer and translator.  Also one of the thousand women world wide nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

And now the play which, is a narration by Menaka – the celestial dancer.  She takes us through her journey with her tryst with the sage Vishwamitra.  She narrates us her version of the entire story.  Not only her story but also that of her daughter Shakuntala, Rambha, and Mamta. 

The ballet focuses on the story of these women from the view of a feminist drawing parallel to the lives of women all over.

Now, the story of Menaka – she tells us that hers was not a story of seduction or love as we are made to believe.  Instead she was a mere instrument sent to distract the sage who was on the verge of attaining the highest level of brahma rishi and, the gods feared competition. 

Menaka candidly tells us that she had nothing to fear, it did not matter to her whether one god was less or more, one man less or man.  It was the gods who trafficked boons and curses had much to fear.  And she narrates that the sage was enraged for having given in to the charms of Menakaa.  It was his own failure at not being able to restrain himself that made him plant his seed in the womb of Menaka. 

And like many men who plant their seed in a woman’s womb and then go away never to return, leaving the woman lonely and desolated sage Vishwamitra did the same. He went away to resume his penance.  Earlier too, when he could not stick to his mediation and was enticed with Rambha, he turned her into a stone in fury. 

Men whether they are sages or mere mortals find it easy to vent their anger on women.

Menaka not bound by the duties of an earthling gave birth to a daughter and went back to resume her duties in the heavens.

And she narrates the story of Shakuntala whom she sees from a distance.  Shakuntala whose story we know to be a love story again finds a different version here.  Shakuntala who has never seen a man in her life gives in to Dushyant’s lust.  And the king leaves her to go back to his kingdom with innumerable promises of a reunion.  Shakuntala waits and waits…. The destiny of so many women.  To wait for the men who in the name of love use the women and go back leaving behind only memories and false promises of a reunion.  Similar is the fate of Shakuntala – whose wait seems endless.  And all the while the great king has conveniently forgotten the maid he left in the forests.  The curse that makes him forget Shakuntala is only a pretext.

And again conveniently he remembers Shakuntala when he wants an heir to the throne!! So the son born to Shakuntala ‘Bharat’ is crowned king, who is said to have ruled for 27000 years.  But unfortunately none of his sons were alive because they were killed due to their wicked ways.

Yet again the need for an heir rises.  Ha, so much similar to our times.  The male progeny – much sought after.  Women are subjected to violence for want of a male heir! 

And for that much needed heir – Mamta is the target of violence this time.

Mamta who is already pregnant is forcibly taken by Brahspati.  What would we call this in our times? Rape - perhaps.

And Mamta gives birth to two sons.  She abandons the one she thinks she knows is not her child (?).  (Without a DNA test). 

This child is adopted by the king as his heir.

All in the interest of men. 

It was thought provoking.  All these stories we hear from the male perspective and don’t care to think otherwise.  When put forth in this version, it made me also sit back and realize.  That the violence against women is not of recent times.  It is not a modern day phenomenon… but pictures even in the mythology. 

Only people wish to tell these stories in a different form. One that suits them.