Sakshi - Her Story

Sakshi - Her Story Written and directed by : Gowri Ramnarayan Performed by : Akhila Ramnarayan Presented by : JustUs Repertory, Chennai Synopsis of the play A Mogiya tribal in present-day Rajasthan. A temple dancer from Tamilnad during the reign of the Pallava dynasty, A Naga woman in the Mahabharata. Sakshi-Her Story interweaves the testimonies of three dispossessed protagonists— Jaratkaru, Sivakami, and Chandni—who bear witness from the margin to war. As each character tells her story, she expresses her innermost quandaries and questions even as the actions of mightier others impinge upon hers. The fate of an individual, a way of life, a community, and an entire eco-system hang in the balance. Invoking a diverse range of poets from Veda Vyasa and Appar to Kalki Krishnamurti and Arun Kolatkar, Sakshi-Her Story forms a stark counter-narrative of resilience and love in the face of violence and loss. It explores the themes of abandonment and responsibility as they are experienced by women caught in complex socio-political webs as they struggle to survive. Sakshi-Her Story is adapted from three plays by Gowri Ramnarayan (Night’s End, Flame of the Forest, and Sarpa Sutra) by the dramatist herself. Duration: 60 minutes Director’s note Are our forests safe? Can loneliness be overcome? Can tribal and other marginalised communities sustain their way of life in the modern world? How can the oppressed assert their rights? With Sakshi - Her Story, I am trying to get through the tangles of these questions as they haunt me today. All three characters—Chandni, Sivakami, and Jaratkaru—are lonely women, outlawed and oppressed by society and the state. But when they speak, their voices hold up a mirror to the rest of us. Directing and performing Sakshi is an act of bearing witness to our times. I really want to know why we should live in a world where everything living or nonliving doesn’t have the right to exist as much as anything else. What is my duty as a human being first, as a feeling person or sahrdaya next, and finally, as an artist? About JustUs Repertory Chennai-based JustUs Repertory was launched in 2005 when a group of actors, writers, dancers, and musicians (Gowri and V Ramnarayan, Dhritiman Chaterji, Savita Narasimhan) came together to produce contemporary, multi-genre work in theatre that combines elements from different performance arts. Our productions explore the inescapable, staggering weight of historical, political and literary pasts which theatre must engage in order to represent the complexities of life in presentday India. About the Director Playwright-director Dr Gowri Ramnarayan is a veteran writer and journalist with a lifetime’s contribution to Indian performing arts, literature, and culture. She worked for the national newspaper The Hindu (1989-2010), and served as vocal accompanist to legendary Carnatic vocalist MS Subbulakshmi (1982-97). Dr. Ramnarayan has a PhD in comparative aesthetics from the University of Madras, has translated plays by eminent Marathi dramatist Vijay Tendulkar, and been a member of the Fipresci Jury of critics at international film festivals (London, Venice, Valladolid, Oslo, Mumbai). Her play Dark Horse won two national-level Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards in 2007. She has lectured and toured the United States with her multi-genre works. Dr. Ramnarayan founded JustUs Repertory, whose productions have been staged at significant venues and performance festivals in major Indian cities. Her productions have featured leading artistes of India - Bombay Jayashri, Priyadarsini Govind, TM Krishna and Vijay Siva. About the Performer Akhila Ramnarayan is a scholar, theatre actor, writer, and trained Carnatic vocalist with a PhD in postcolonial and English studies from The Ohio State University (2006). Currently Learning and Development Manager at Pramati Technologies, Chennai, she has taught at the University of Dayton, Ohio (2006- 2011) and the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai (2012-present). A core member of Chennai’s globally touring JustUs Theatre Repertory and founder member of Sahrdaya Foundation, she performs a variety of roles in both: acting, writing, dramaturgy, research, singing, music composition, and production management.