A production by the Padma Menon Dance Company . I remember thinking then that I would like to stage the play myself. Every time I saw the production subsequently, and when I later worked in it with Kuchipudi Art Academy, there was a space within that it managed to awaken. It looks at the nature of marginalisation in any society, and hence its relevance to Australia where some of the reasons may be different but caste is easily replaced by other social and cultural harriers. Those outside India tend to see the caste system as a social evil that is superfuous to any social categorisation.
Caste defines identity, social and religious beliefs, and status.
It is not a simple step to reject this in a process of universal assimilation. The tension in the play comes from RabindranathTagore's brilliance at retaining the complexity of any issue of marginalisation. Prakriti's mother, Maya, is a powerful and proud woman, empowered by her knowledge of witchcraft. In the original play,she is even summoned by the king to save his daughter. To me the end is no real solution to her problems, whether they be of social status or of sexuality.