Churning Waters: A play that depicts elements from a feminine perspective

India and Australia have a connection that is not a recent phenomenon of migration post-1973, but one of over 4,000 years. Southern kingdoms like that of the Cholas sent explorers to Australian shores centuries ago and traces of this can be found to date in indigenous languages that contain Tamil words and coinage from the ancient kingdoms that was discovered there.

On February 3, the city will get to see a bond between the two nations in a presentation titled Churning Waters, a research-based project that investigates Australia and India’s engagement from a feminist, post-colonial perspective. Alternatively, it will also portray the ways in which water has been depicted in the past, present and future in mythological stories, song lines, and movement. This is to bring about a better understanding of climate change and the future of water, according to the show’s artistic directorDr Priya Srinivasan.

“There are a lot of connections between India and Australia. The more research I did, I felt that the engagement between countries goes beyond the colonial or immigrant narratives. This was one of the reasons why Churning Waters developed,” she says.

Along with Carnatic musician Uthra Vijay who also forms part of the production, Priya realised that art is a means to enable people in both nations to perceive each other differently. “I work with indigenous women in Australia and Uthra and I began analysing who we are as Indian-Australians. Since both cultures have strong ideas of the feminine qualities of Earth and water, we have adapted this as a theme to understand connections, relationships with other species and ourselves,” adds Dr Srinivasan.

Churning Waters aims to make a contemporary statement by keeping folk and classical arts alive through experts in field like Bharatanatyam danseuse Priyadarshini Govind. She reveals that being a part of the project has been a humbling experience for her. “We’ve engaged with various artistes to look at caste, race and gender differences through performing arts. The diversity of people working together with each other to find common ground has been remarkable,” she tells us.

Audiences can get to experience interdisciplinary art practices that are a blend of contemporary, classical, folk, rural and urban practices and aesthetics of both countries. For instance, Gina Maree Bundle, a Yuin/Monero cultural leader from Australia working towards the reclamation of her traditional art and dance, is one of the artistes. “One of the things we found when developing and rehearsing Churning Waters was the similarities in words and stories of both our cultures, which made the learning together even more special. When I started this journey, I never dreamed it would lead me to be travelling to India, I still can’t quite believe it,” she says.

Some of the other artistes who will be performing are Green Kumar, Loganathan, Nadine Lee, Sonal Jain, Sylvia Nulpinditj and Thilagavathi. To watch the performance, visit DakshinaChitra, Muttukadu, East Coast Road, on February 3, at 4.30 pm.