Danseuse Sumita Bhattacharya stars in Srijak Chatterjee's next theatrical dance drama

A theatrical dance drama titled Rukmini... A Woman of Inspiration directed by the thespian Srijak Chatterjee stars danseuse Sumita Bhattacharya in the lead role.
Playwright Shibashis Bandopadhyay, along with Piyali Das Chowdhury, has written this experimental play based on the life of Padma Bhushan Rukmini Devi Arundale, the first doyenne of the Indian classical dance form Bharatnatyam. She liberated the dance from being confined to the sanctum of countless temples in South India, where it was dominated by the Devdasis and their protectors, the priests. At the time, this dance form was known as Sadir Attam. Rukmini Devi fought a monumental battle to free the art form from the grip of religiosity, bigotry, and superstition, despite being a devout atheist, herself mentored by Annie Besant, a prominent atheist and Theosophist in India.

In addition to her contributions to dance, Rukmini Devi had a distinguished political career. A former member of the Upper House of Indian Parliament, she tabled the first paper to prevent cruelty against both domesticated and wild animals, which led to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in India. She was twice offered the position of President of India by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, but she humbly declined both offers.
“As an ardent admirer of hers, I began studying the fascinating life of Arundale and visited her world-renowned institute, 'Kalakshetra,' at Adyar, near Chennai. This drama is the final outcome of that journey,” said Shibashis.