Vanita Mundhra - Interview w/ Artists of 'Invoking the River'

Vanita Mundhra is a CDI Kathak Fellow and a dancer in CDI’s dance company Chitresh Das Dance. She currently lives in San Francisco and performed in the premiere of “Invoking the River” on October 14-16 at ODC Theater in San Francisco.

Shreya: What does “Invoking the River” mean to you?

Vanita: We had a lot of conversations between the four of us dancers and Charlotte Didi, and when I took a step back, I realized Invoking the River was about everything washing through me, and everything from the past being within me, as well. It’s super cool to think, “This water may have been in me previously.” So Invoking the River for me was more about the water than the river itself. 

Shreya: Can you tell me more about the river you choose and why?

Vanita: Originally, I didn't choose a river, I chose a ghat on the banks of the river Ganga. I chose Manikarnika Ghat, which is also known as the burning ghat, because a lot of bodies are cremated there. Last year, I lost both of my grandparents, and this year, my dad went to Varanasi and spread my grandparents ashes across the river. This also happens on the Ganga, so I wanted to examine this tradition of souls departing through the river. Ganga and Manikarnika Ghat take these souls and either put them to rest or give them a second chance. Even though I wasn’t able to be with my grandparents, this piece has given me a very unique form of closure. And this piece isn’t just for me – so many people lost loved ones because of COVID, and even before. This piece is for anyone and everyone who didn’t get the chance to see their loved ones go. 

Shreya: It’s amazing that you were able to get that closure through this piece. It seems so uniquely intense compared to the gat bhao’s that we’ve learned together. 

Vanita: It’s been a very interesting and soulful process for me. All of us kids began by learning Kaliya Daman, and then went on to experiencing different gat bhao’s as we got older, like Holi Tarana and various stories for our solos. With each piece, I’ve gotten the unique opportunity to show a little bit more about myself and bring my own story. I have never been one to be good with choreography if it’s just given to me, but this has been a very different process – choreographing a bit, getting Charlotte Didi’s help, and getting input from the other dancers. It was definitely a completely new realm.  

Shreya: Was there anything that really surprised you in your research?

Vanita: In mythology, Ganga decides where the soul goes, which is why people empty ashes in the Ganga. When I read about the origin of Ganga and watched a few videos on Manikarnika Ghat, I saw the sadhus invoking and conducting their rituals. I expected it to be scary, but all the sadhus were very present in the moment. I expected “The Burning Ghat” to have bodies everywhere, and even skeletons, but it’s mostly ash, which the sadhus actually also wear as part of their rituals. Seeing that visual was really striking.

Ganga’s story was also something I learned recently – she would have children, and immediately drown them, and her husband, the king, was never allowed to ask her why. One day, he caved and asked her, and she said, “Now, our children will have to pay for the sins of the living.” It’s where the whole philosophy of rebirth comes from; because her children never lived, they never sinned, and their souls would never have to go back and relive in order to repent for those sins. The moment her husband asked about their children, she was forced to let them live so he could see their fates. 

Shreya: Tell me more about the story you chose to portray through your performance. 

Vanita: Because I was focusing on the Ghat rather than Ganga, I stuck to the story of a son conducting the funeral rites. Traditionally in the Hindu faith, a son conducts the poojas and spreads the ashes. In the beginning, it’s very literal, with the funeral pyre, the ashes, the sadhu, and the son. After that, it’s less literal, and you see Ganga overseeing him and consoling him, saying, “Even though your father is gone, I’m going to take care of him – you don’t worry.” You see the son cry and grieve, because reaching a state of happiness and acceptance is what takes the longest. The second half is full of emotions, and it’s up to the audience to interpret what they see.

Shreya: How have you leaned on your Guru sisters throughout this process?

Vanita: I’ve never felt as close to Kritika, Shruti, and Mayuka as I do now. In the beginning of this process, I remember seeing Mayuka’s almost complete piece, and at that time, I didn’t have much. That was a huge motivation for me, and I remember thinking, “What am I doing? I need to get it together.” Since she’s the oldest, Mayuka was definitely a big role model for me and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. 

Shruti and I were together in the Bay, so I was constantly asking her for help. Both of our pieces have a deep connection to our backgrounds, so it’s been great to have one person to go back and forth with. With Kritika, we were chatting a lot about taals and footwork and how we could incorporate those pieces into our performances. And finally, with those group pieces we’re doing – when you get to look at someone in a piece, and catch their smile for one second – that experience is just so heartwarming to me.

Shreya: What are you most excited about in the lead up to the performance?

Vanita: I’m excited to work on the final touches for my solo, since I'm finally out of that creating phase. Practicing with Utsav and Nilan on stage is also so exciting – listening to a recording is incredibly different than performing with live music. I’m both excited and nervous for what’s to come, but I can't wait for the four of dancers to be reunited, as well. Because it’s live, and anything can happen on stage, there’s a chance that each performance will come out differently. I can’t wait to have the chance to see the final version of Kritika, Mayuka, and Shruti’s pieces come together! 

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Featuring choreography by Charlotte Moraga, music by Utsav Lal, multimedia & poetry by Alka Raghuram. Performances by Chitresh Das Dance Vanita Mundhra, Shruti Pai, Mayuka Sarukkai & Kritika Sharma and live music by Utsav Lal (piano) and Nilan Chaudhuri (tabla).

Shreya Khandewale is a Chitresh Das Youth Company alumni. She started studying Kathak at Pandit Chitresh Das’ institution as a child and continued to study for over a decade. She performed her graduating Youth Company Showcase in 2018 and is now a CDI Community Communications Contributor.

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