See woke women take the stage to discuss patriarchy, body shaming

Devi, a series of monologues, is being staged in Mumbai this weekend.

DEVI

When: May 6, 7 pm

Where: Studio Tamasha, 76, Bungalow Road, Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova.

Cost: ₹400, tickets are available online

Legend has it that the 16th century Rajput princess Meerabai refused to perform sati after her husband died in battle. She chose to live, and survived for several decades singing mystic songs in praise of Krishna. Inspired by her courage to say no, playwright Zubin Driver created Striptease - The Gender Dialogues, a series of monologues in English about the issues that make women uncomfortable and the ways they break free of them.

Since July, Striptease has been staged more than 20 times. Earlier this year, the team decided a Hindi adaptation would take the story to more people. Devi, the translated work by actor Prachi Chaube, is divided into four parts, body shaming, patriarchy, sexual harassment and gender inequality.

BoobyTrapped, one of the monologues, is on puberty. Wings is a philosophical, poetic piece on finding the wind beneath your wings and working towards what you want.

“It’s not just about performances, we encourage discussions with attendees after the show to share insights and experiences,” says Driver.

Odissi dancer and storyteller, Lopamudra Mohanty, 47, says the change of language has made the message somehow more impactful.

“Though the monologues throw light on very pertinent issues, it’s the discussion that makes you feel that you’re not alone in your battles,” she says. “This is a platform that is otherwise so difficult to find, where else would you talk about body parts so openly.”

Dimple Wagle, 45, an art therapist and counsellor, says, “Devi stirred me up. The mother in me was angry, I feel like we all have a Devi inside of us which is unaffected by patriarchy and it is important that we discover it soon.”