An immaculately dressed Sreedevi Unni welcomes us into her home, with a smiling countenance that can lift the spirts of even the most worn-down Bengaluru commuter! "I love people, there's something to learn from each one," she said, when this was pointed out. Beneath the cheerful visage, however, is a woman who has known almost immeasurable suffering and has worked to rise above it.
Sreedevi's daughter Monisha was only 21 when she died in a tragic accident. Sreedevi, who was in the same car, survived. "When I recovered, I turned to dance once more," she said, her eyes glistening. "I had suppressed so much emotion because I knew my family couldn't deal with it either."
It was at this point that dance, her first love, truly returned to her. She took to the stage as Gandhari, the tragic mother of the Kauravas, who removes her blindfold for the first time after the battle of Kurukshetra, to look upon the faces of her dead sons. "That was the character I chose to play and everytime Gandhari let out a wail of despair, I was crying too. When you're crying on stage, you know, people don't try to stop you."
Sreedevi and her Monisha had performed together on many an occasion, but never had the chance to play a mother-daughter duo. "Many people have asked me to join them, but not anybody will do," she said. It was her sister's daughter Aishwarya, an accomplished dancer herself, who finally changed her mind.
Mandodari / Sita, a Mohiniattam presentation, tells the story of Ravana's favourite wife. When Mandodari was a young woman, she drank, in a moment of mischief, what appeared to be a bottle of wine. "It turned out to be life-blood, taken from a sage, which Ravana had been planning to use to achieve immortal life," Sreedevi explained. "There are many versions of the epics to choose from and this one claims Sita is the daughter of Ravana himself."
Mandodari found herself pregnant and fearing her husband's wrath, gave the baby away to Vayu (air), who gave it to Samudra (the sea). "Samudra gave her to Bhoomi, Mother Earth, who I like to believe kept the baby on her lap," Sreedevi remarked. Fate saw the baby girl grow up to marry Prince Ram of Ayodhya.
King Ravana approaches Sita with expensive gifts, which she refused, saying all she had to offer was her body, made up of five elements. Her heart belonged only to her husband. "Mandodari is struck by her daughter's courage and virtue," said Sreedevi, smiling.
Mandodari / Sita is her annual tribute to her beloved Monisha. All proceeds will go to Organisation of Rare Diseases India (ORDI). "I meet these children, all of them with rare diseases, discussing their problems on whatsapp," Sreedevi said. It was her next remark, however, that proved she is a woman of immense strength and wisdom - "What is my suffering in the face of such courage?"
What: Mandodari / Sita, a Mohiniattam presentation
When: Dec 2, 6.30 pm
Where: Dhwani Auditorium, CMR Institute of Technology, 132, AECS Layout, ITPL Main Road, Kundalahalli
