Centuries ago, the Durbar Hall of the
British Residency
, used to be the creative playground of Urdu poet
Mah Laqa Bai
. It was here that the 18th century courtesan used to recite her poems, effortlessly wrapping them around the classical style of thumri singing, to the delight of her royal patrons. And this weekend, Hyderabadis of today got a glimpse of the glory days of yore, when abstract artist
Sravanthi Juluri
staged her performance art show
Tvamevaham
.
The chandelier-lit Durbar Hall echoed with applause as Sravanthi, along with Kuchipudi dancer
Lanka Viashnavi
— who plays her alter ego — took to the stage and transported the audience into the “mind of an abstract artist.”
Though Tvamevaham was staged in Hyderabad before, this show was all the more special because of the venue, says Sravanthi. “I have had a long-standing relationship with the British Residency. Many of my canvases that are part of this show were conceptualised here. So this time around, the space definitely had a bigger role to play in my performance. I felt like I was transported to a durbar some two centuries ago... I imagined what Mah Laqa Bai would have felt at this place. And that made all the difference when it came to our expressions.”
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