MUMBAI: Presented by the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai and curated by Arundhathi Subramaniam, GODDESS is a celebration of the divine that weaves together a tapestry of Goddess poems from diverse lands and across the ages. The two-day event will take place on the 3rd and 4th of November at Godrej Dance Theatre and Experimental Theatre, NCPA. Day one will witness discussions with noted personalities such as Devdutt Pattanaik, Mani Rao, and Sampurna Chattarji followed by performances by Aditi Bhagwat, Shilpa Mudbi Kothakota & Adithya Kothakota. The second day will begin with discussions with Anitha Santhanam, Annie Finch, Arundhathi SubramaniamwithShernaz PatelandAnahita Uberoi and conclude with power-packed performances by Anol Chatterjee, Manasi Parikh,Parthiv Gohil& Troupe.

The concept of the event is to highlight the plethora of roles that a woman plays in a lifetime in which she is a devotee, who is also a mother and protector in her personal life for centuries. The conversations will also celebrate feminism and the powerful prowess of a new age woman who is a representation of the divine goddess.

Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head of Programming, Indian Music shares, "Goddessis a unique and exuberant celebration of the Sacred Feminine. It brings to the audience various powerful narratives not only from Mesopotamia to Greece, but also from the eighth-century Sanskrit poem, and the'Saundarya Lahari', to the 18th-century Bengali poetry of Ramprasad Sen and 20th-century Tamil poems of Subramania Bharati. The event is dedicated to inspire thoughts and generate conversations around celebration of womanhood."

In honouring the Goddess, this festival hopes to add its voice to the rising chorus across the world that seeks to reclaim a more balanced, less lopsided, inclusive legacy of culture and spirituality.

PROGRAMME

Day 1 - 3rd November

Day 2 – 4th November