Did you know that Shantala Devi wasn’t just a queen of Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala dynasty, but a dancer, musician, artisan and an adept ruler in her own right? Not many do because this history is lost to us. Having worked on it for over five years now, Bengaluru-based dancer and performer, Shraavya S Narayan finally hopes to breathe life into the Queen’s story through her original dance-drama, Natyarani Shantala which debuts at the Artitude Studio next month.
The drama charts the journey and evolution of a woman who goes from being an ordinary dancer to the celebrated Queen of Hoysalas, and eventually to renouncing the worldly pleasures by embracing the Jain way of Sallekhana. “It is a story of grit, determination and strength that serves as an inspiration to not just women but men too,” says the 26-year-old who explores themes like gender equality and discrimination, religion, politics, love and spirituality through this journey which is narrated in first person, from the eyes of the queen.
Shraavya recalls that it was her visit to the Belur and Halebidu temples in 2012 that inspired the performance. “The beautiful Madanikas and other sculptures in both the temples are said to be modelled after Shantala Devi. The locals hold her in very high regard and sing praises of her acumen in art and administration alike. That she was a woman who was so inspiring and powerful that people remember her even after 900 years inspired me to look deeper into history and bring her story to life,” she says. Through this, the graduate from Christ University wants the audiences to look back at our roots and redefine the gender roles of the present day.
This isn’t the first time that Shraavya is attempting something out of history’s pages or tackling strong women from history in her work. In 2014, she staged her first solo dance narrative called Meera – A Love Pilgrim that charted the journey of empowerment and liberation of Sant Meerabai. “I’ve always wanted to be a performer. My parents have always been very supportive and even proud of my career choices,” she says, giving thanks where it’s due to her folks who even renovated a part of their Jayanagar address into a dance studio, where she still teaches. “At the risk of sounding ambitious, I am going to say that the dream is to make Natyarani Shantala into a feature film one day,” says Shraavya. But until then, “If this performance intrigues the audiences to go back and look deeper into the Kannada history, my work would be fruitful,” she smiles in conclusion.
