Ganapati

The production Ganapati is an interpretation of the birth stories related to the myths of Ganapati, the elephant headed god from the Puranic cycle and Martanda, from the Vedic cycle. It is structured in a recurring cycle of creation, celebration, destruction and return, which parallel’s the motif of these birth stories.

This production emerged from Adishakti’s research project on  Rhythm as a Text in Koodiyattam and Contemporary Theatre. The research was supported by the India Foundation for the Arts, Bangalore, India.

The return is suggested by a re-telling of the myth repeatedly and from different points of view. The aim is to allow its main concern, that of creations and creativity, to be interpreted at a variety of different levels.

The performance communicates its concerns through different patterns and textures of rhythms. The verbal text is minimal. The rhythms used in this piece have been evolved from the rhythms of Koodiyattam music and folk rhythms from various parts of South Asia.