Mar 30 2025 to Mar 30 2025 11 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

English and Hindi | 30 minutes

Du. Saraswathi is a prominent Kannada writer, translator, activist, and thespian. A close friend of Uma Chakravarti, she is a significant voice in both the women’s movement and the Dalit movement.

In Pakshi Purana, Du. Saraswathi immerses us in the life-world of Santhimmi, a woman from rural Karnataka with a mischievous and inquisitive way of engaging with the world around her. Observing the behaviour of male birds—their capacity to nurture, care, and express love—Santhimmi poses a poignant question: What happened to the lost birds in our hearts before we sent them into exile? Her reflection opens a space for speculation, prompting us to consider the parts of ourselves we hide away and the aspects we censor.

The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the artist.

For more information on her work see: here and here. 

This performance is part of the Maps of Memory exhibition by the NLS Archives. The exhibition displays archival fragments and glimpses of personal memory to reconstruct joyful utopian worlds that feminists began building across South Asia in the mid-20th century. It invites us to reflect on key questions: How do we remember social movements? How do we archive friendships, solidarities, and resistance?

Performer

Du Saraswathi
Theatre Artiste & Writer
Dr. Du. Saraswathi is a renowned theatre artiste and writer who has been deeply involved in the feminist and Dalit movements in Karnataka for over five decades. She was a core member and editor of Manasa, one of the earliest Kannada feminist magazines, published in the 1980s. Manasa played a pivotal role in shaping young sensibilities on feminism and gender justice.

Apart from her short stories, poetry and numerous columns in Kannada dailies, she has also translated  Aamhihi Itihaas Ghadavlaa (We Also Made History, Zubaan) by Urmila Pawar and Meenakshi Moon as Naavu Itihasa Kattidevu in Kannada. The book documents the participation of women in the Dalit movement led by Ambedkar and highlights other significant Dalit struggles of the early 20th century.