A journey into the Agamic world of devadasis. Their function and purpose will be discussed and supported by ritual repertoire, sung by former devadasi Smt.P.Ranganayaki (1914-2005) as recorded during fieldwork between 1977-88.
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8Nov
31st Gonda Lecture by Saskia Kersenboom: Bhoga Shakti - The Silent Witness to the Life of Devadasis
Smt.P.Ranganayaki was dedicated to the Shri Subrahmanya Svami temple in Tiruttani (Tamilnadu) aged of seventeen. She succeeded her grandmother Smt.Subburatnamma (1871-1950) who noted down her entire repertoire in Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil. Smt.P.Ranganayaki donated this manuscript to the speaker during her fieldwork and apprenticeship. Fragments of the Subburatnamma-Ranganayaki Intangible Cultural Heritage will figure through audiovisuals and dance performed by Smt.Sumati Ram-Mohan.
Bhoga Shakti, photo by Saskia Kersenboom
About Saskia Kersenboom and Sumati Ram-Mohan
Saskia Kersenboom (Legend, Hungary) studied Sanskrit with Prof. Gonda (Utrecht University) and Dr. V.Raghavan (Madras University) in the 1970-ies. She combined Academic curricula with fieldwork and training in Indian Performing Arts. After her PhD (1984) the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences facilitated her continued research through its Fellowship program ‘The Lost Generation’ during the economic crisis and re-organisation of Indological Studies in The Netherlands, as well a one year stay at NIAS (Wassenaar) to manage her international Theme Group ‘Orality vs. Literacy’. As Associate Professor of Lingusitic Anthroplogy and of Theatre Studies at the University of Amsterdam, Saskia transformed her Indological background into new dimensions of interactive Multimedia, Dance Theatre, Museum Exhibitions and Intangible Cultural Heritage and continues to do so as Founder-Director of Paramparai Arts (Hungary/ India).
Sumati Ram-Mohan (Boston, USA) is a senior medical scientist. Since childhood she studies Bharata Natyam in the Valuvur tradition. In 2017 and 2018 Sumati joined the fieldwork residencies in Tamilnadu with Saskia Kersenboom and continues to study Devadasi Heritage at Paramparai Arts.