Lal̩itam Varn̩n̩am Asuram undertakes a contemporary reimagination of the tale of Śoorpan̩akha, a mythological figure from Indian epic Rāmāyan̩a, who was portrayed as a demoness for her dark skin, and violently dismembered for professing her love to the upper caste protagonists Rāma and Laks̩man̩a. The music takes three lines from the verse of Kharavadham, a […]

Rāmāyan̩a, magnum opus of Hindu mythology, narrates the story of prince Rāma’s quest to rescue his wife Sīta from the clutches of ‘demon’ king Rāvan̩a. The story, popularly portrayed as the battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’, embodies the Hindu idea of dharma—the duty of behaving according to one’s position and role in the society—and continues […]

Birdsong, a passing car. The movement of water. A great dissonance of sunlight, glaring and sibilant, like a high peal of bells. Scattered fragments of conversation, trickling in and out. A little faded, a little fuzzy. The connection is fragile. And still, we commune.1 The word communication comes to us from the Latin commūnicō—I share, […]