Kol dancer to perform at House of Commons

KOLKATA: A Kolkata danseuse, Sohini Roychowdhury, has been invited to perform at the House of Commons this month. She will be performing on June 12 with her troupe members from Iraq and Bulgaria to highlight the feminism of goddess Durga and Kali and the power of Shaktism.

Kolkata has had a long cultural association with the House of Commons. On June 30, 1990, sitarist Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee created history by becoming the first-ever musician to perform there. "That's so good to know! I feel very honoured to have been invited to perform now," the danseuse told TOI from London. "It's a legacy of humanism and empathy. That's also what Kolkata is all about for me. I feel privileged that TM Kaysher, who is a poet, fiction-writer, film and literature critic as well as the director of Saudha Society of Poetry and Indian Music, has invited me over to perform at the British Parliament."

According to her, various facets of our ancient texts are globally very relevant and need to be told to the Western audience. "That is why my performance will highlight the ethos of Maa Durga. Through dance, I want to display goddess Kali as the ultimate feminist," she said.

The House of Commons has been witness to many dance performances before. Last year, cancer survivor Thea Wilson pole danced at the British Parliament to a standing ovation. London-based Ragasudha Vinjamuri has performed Bharatnatyam multiple times at the House of Commons and the House of Lords. For her June 12 show, Roychowdhury has choreographed a piece that does not follow the "so-called rules and protocols". The theme for her performance is 'The World is One'. Interestingly, the choice of the members of her troupe - Kristina Veselinova from Bulgaria and Farah Daoud from Iraq performing Bharatanatyam - also reinforces her 'one world' concept. Accompanying them will be her son, Rishi Dasgupta, on acoustic guitar. "I don't know if there is any instance of a performance by a mother-son danseuse-guitarist duo at the House of Commons," she added.


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