Indian Newslink May 15, 2016 Digital Edition

MAY 15, 2016
COMMUNITYLINK 25
Bold women throw light on their darkest hour
Maiden venture in Auckland blazes a trail
Ratna Venkat
ratna@indiannewslink. co. nz
is a man’s
world” – the first
line of James
“This
Brown’s famous
1966 song, seems irrelevant now
in 2016.
For, so much has changed in
the past fifty years for the liberated
woman.
Their roles are more demanding
today, juggling home, work
and extra-curricular activities,
and yet as a society, we take
pride in continuing to promote
gender equality by encouraging
the modern woman to think
for herself and live the way she
wants.
This is what I expected at the
event, ‘I am Woman’, would be
about, gender equality, feminism
and women emancipation,
but later realised how wrong
I would be after attending this
highly inspiring High Tea and
networking rendezvous.
Launched on April 30, 2016 by
its Founder and Chief Executive
Anuradha Sharma, more than
200 women (and men) of varied
ethnicities and backgrounds
came together to become
‘change-makers’ for their
futures.
The Dignitaries
Among those who attended
the event held at Langham
Hotel were Race Relations
Commissioner Dame Susan
Devoy, Members of Parliament
Dr Parmjeet Parmar (National),
Jenny Salesa, Jacinda Arden
(Labour), David Seymour
(Act), Labour Party Policy
Council Member Priyanca
Radhakrishnan, Korean Consul-
General Chan Sun Cha, Saudi
Arabia Consular Official Laila
Fayden, Police Inspector Rakesh
Naidoo, Auckland City District
Police Asian Liaison Officer
Gina and Ina sharing the story of their lives with Annah Stretton
Master of Ceremonies
Mary Haddock-Staniland
Jessica Phuang and India Trade
Alliance Chairman Giri Gupta.
Conceptualised two years ago
in Italy and later in New York,
‘I am Woman’ made its way to
New Zealand in 2014. With the
support of professionals and
entrepreneurs, it was officially
launched this year with ‘Live
life in Colour’ series – inspirational
talks and life-changing
personal stories presented
by NZ based fashion designer
Annah Stretton and two female
guest speakers from her organisation
‘Reclaim A Woman’
(RAW).
Honest speakers
The guest speakers were Ina
and Gina who boldly shared to
the public their similar histories
of crime, domestic violence,
drug abuse and the difficulties
in re-assimilating into society.
‘I am Woman’ say these models
Their pasts were not something
to be ashamed of, because
as Annah indicated, it is such
depressing moments that motivate
us to ‘step up’ and finally
take charge of our lives, transforming
our black and white
moments into bursts of colour.
‘Live life in Colour,’ was the
apt title for the event.
Annah and her team behind
RAW believe that sharing personal
stories that reflect hurt
and neglect is one of the best
ways to help women regain
self-esteem, and in Gina’s words,
‘encourages former criminals
to become contributors to their
communities.’
Terrifying experience
Capturing our attentions and
our hearts, Ina and Gina described
how difficult and terrifying
it was to embark on a path
More than 200 women and men attended the event
unfamiliar to them, especially
after being raised in environments
where love was hardly
ever present. With time and patience
on their sides however,
their wounds showed signs of
heal.
A fashion show displaying
some of Annah’s dresses marked
the culmination of the event,
with women from professional
fields chosen to walk down the
runway instead of professional
models.
Vicious Circle
As a woman, going to this
event was not only educational
but enlightening, as it brought
out past issues I could relate
it to my recent dance concert
‘Life in a Full Circle,’ held on
April 9 (Indian Newslink, April
15, 2016). Some people who I
thought would help me with the
Apathy strikes a superlative dance recital
Daughter and disciple of
Madurai R Muralidharan, Kavya
proved that she was a chip of
Krishna’s Ras Lila (the Divine
Love of Lord Krishna) composed
in the North Indian Hindustani classical
tradition. But for me, the
Ratna Venkat
the old block and has over the
ratna@indiannewslink.co.nz
years, created a landmark of her
highlight of the evening was a
own, presenting a total of eight
composition on the stages of
unique dance items that showcased
good partnership between
trials and tribulations that a
a woman’s life. Describing the
After a long time,
Auckland audience
was treated to a Mr Muralidharan coming
through mixed emotions in
father and daughter.
woman has to endure, from go-
Bharata Natyam performance
posed all the songs while Kavya
her youth to experiencing the
at a professional levposed
el on Saturday, April 30 at the
Auckland Normal Intermediate
School auditorium in Mt Eden.
A solo recital by Chennaibased
visiting artiste
Kavyalakshmi (Kavya)
Muralidharan, this was a
fundraising event for Thiru
Subramaniyar Aalayam in
Mangere and Sri Balaji Temple
in Hamilton.
The programme was organised
by Renuka Katheesan,
Principal and Director of
Auckland based dance school,
Sai Natyalaya.
breathed life into his compositions
with her dancing.
Strong footwork
A few glitches in sound and
lighting at the beginning did
not hinder her performance.
Kavya’s facial expressions and
execution of dance movements
captivated our attention as we
listened and witnessed the song
and dance transcending into
one divine entity.
Her strong footwork in particular
takes special admiration.
In true Muralidharan style,
the programme consisted of
songs that exuberated the beauty
of Tamil language and were
both religious and non-religious.
Religious dance pieces
included Varnam on Shiva
Thiruvilayadal (the Divine
Deeds of Lord Shiva), and
first flush of love, this performance
mirrored the essence of
the ‘I am Woman’ event that I
attended earlier on the same
day, and it was a delight to see
this as a part of the programme
(please read related story under
Communitylink).
From a serious composition
to a light-hearted one, another
unique item was on ‘Sirippu’
(laughter). Influenced by Tamil
film actor N S Krishnan’s promotion
of comedy in films, Kavya
enacted how laughter can solve
many of life’s problems.
At the end, her performance
Project, did not.
And there were those who almost
walked out of my Project,
leaving me in jeopardy.
For a young woman with ambitions,
such drama can be overwhelming,
especially when she
puts on a brave face for the success
of her maiden venture.
But listening to Annah, I realised
that setbacks are an inevitable
part of life and therefore it
is important to remain calm and
just move on by placing “one
foot in front of the other.”
This was when I realised that
the purpose of being a woman
was above all, being human.
Going back to complete James
Brown’s 1966 classic song, “This
is a man’s world, but it would
be nothing, nothing without a
woman or a girl.”
did not make us laugh, rather it
made us smile.
Disappointing attendance
Besides the students of Sai
Natyalaya attending Kavya’s
Bharata Natyam concert, it
was disappointing to see that
not many students from other
dance schools turned up to witness
the programme.
It is rare to see a performer of
this calibre and being a visiting
artiste from India, students who
are aspiring to be proficient
could have taken this opportunity
to learn by witnessing her
performance and being introduced
to new themes penned by
Mr Muralidharan.
Hopefully, this will not be the
case for the upcoming Dance
Musical ‘Avadhara Purushan’,
produced by Mr Muralidharan
and presented by Sai Natyalaya
on Sunday May 22 at Dorothy
Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls’
Grammar School at 430 pm.