Celebrating female bravery and heroism: Pagrav Dance Company’s ROOH: Within Her

Venue MK, Milton Keynes
October 26, 2024

ROOH: Within Her, the latest work from Pagrav Dance Company, is a compelling celebration of female bravery and heroism. As choreographer-performer Urja Desai Thakore, and poet and dramaturg Karthika Nair, focus on stories from literature, folklore and Thakore’s own family history, it’s also a reminder that bravery and heroism are not confined to acts that require courage in the face of great danger. They also exist in the everyday.

‘Rooh’ means ‘essence’ in Gujarati, so perhaps it’s no surprise that the work goes beyond simply illustrating tales, and even how distant and recent history are connected. It also plays on the sensitivity of the text and events. It digs into the them, getting to the heart of matters, provoking reflection and emotion as it does so.

It is a terrific performance from Thakore, on stage for almost all of the work’s seventy minutes.

She first embodies the anguish of the mother figure from Puranaanooru 278, a 2nd-century Tamil poem believed to have been written by Kaakkai Paadinayar Nachellaiyar. Her feelings are there for all to see as she scours the battlefield, simply but effectively created using large pieces of fabric looking for her son. Filled with rage at the rumours that he died fleeing the enemy and sword in hand (represented by a large stick), she takes her anger out on anyone in her way. That stick whooshes dramatically as she wields it in the faces of the musicians, here as elsewhere playing secondary roles as well as providing the fine accompaniment. Her relief, happiness even, was there for all to see when she finally found his body, also represented by a stick, which she cradles gently.

Equally heartfelt is her recreation of Chaaran Kanya, Gujarati author Zaverchand Meghani’s account of the folk heroine Heerbai, a 14-year-old cowherd who drives away a lion who had the temerity to attack a favourite calf while the other villagers hide in fear.

Here, the set of bamboo poles make for a very effective forest while moveable bamboo screens make very effective trees and houses. Willy Cessa’s lighting casts glorious shadows on the latter as Thakore does battle with the animal.

Here, as throughout, the moods and stories of ROOH are enhanced by the evocative, rhythmical, sometimes rousing music of composer Alap Desai (played live by the superb Gurdain Singh Rayatt, Kaviraj Singh, Prathap Ramachandra and Vijay Venkat). There’s also voiceover text in the shape of the poems themselves, and Thakore in conversation with her school-age daughter, Mahika.

The text becomes a little problematic, however. The poetry is almost all in Gujerati, as is much of what Thakore speaks. Perhaps reflecting the times, Mahika almost invariably speaks in English, however. But the words are clearly important, as evidenced by the reactions of those in the audience who understood them.

A synopsis of ROOH, and an English translation of the poetry, is printed in the excellent programme (although only available as a downloadable pdf). It’s a good idea to read it first. But even then, a simultaneous projected translation would probably have been helpful to many. Or would it have distracted and thereby diminished the work’s effect?

Thakore and her daughter’s conversation soon turns to stories from their relatively recent family history. And quite powerful they are too.

We hear how Mahika’s grandmother left home to marry a man from another community, quite a brave thing to do in late-1940s, pre-independence India. Also, how she gave her children, Thakore included, to an aunt to raise so that she could finish her education and, as it turned out, go on to be a noted author and composer.

In response, and in quite a thought-provoking moment, the young Mahika highlights one of the major messages of ROOH: that being brave is not only about meeting and fighting injustice. It can, and is more commonly about things rather closer to home and the everyday, including love. It’s also very much not only about men.

It ends with an extract from Women of Uttarakhand by Karthika Naïr. A list of women’s names is heard, reiterating how heroes don’t need uniforms, medals or weapons. It ends with a single word. In many ways, perhaps the bravest, most heroic person of all for many. “Mother.”

ROOH: Within Her by Pagrav Dance Company is next at Lowry, Salford (January 14, 2025), Cambridge Junction (February 18-19) and Sadler’s Wells, London (April 23-25), with additional dates to be confirmed. Visit www.pagravdance.com for full details.