Bahrain musical gains appreciation at Indian festival

Bahrain produced dance drama ‘Kamala’ was selected by the renowned cultural society Soorya for presenting in many art festivals organized by Soorya, across India. The inaugural show which was staged at Tagore Theatre Trivandrum, on 10 March 2019 as part of the 111 days long Soorya Festival. Kamala, the art form has multifaceted dimensions as it portrays the loneliness of woman and her sufferings in a male-dominated society.

The dance drama has been conceived and choreographed by Vidya Sreekumar, with music composed by Palakkad Sreeram and the Sanskrit lyrics by the famous poet Dr L Sampath. The script has been adapted by scriptwriter Sreekumar Ramakrishnan. Sneha Ajith who had elevated Kamala with her dedicated artistic talent and proficiency in dance forms was the lead among the other Bahrain artists as it was staged at Soorya Festival in Trivandrum.

Kamala is set to be televised as the musical has secured a rare distinction of this kind to stage a Bahrain produced programme at this prestigious setting in India. “Inspired by Herman Hesse’s Novel Sidhardha, we have decided to develop the same from a women perspective. It was made possible by our vision to see it staged. It was always my dream to be part of a Dance Drama and to have everything play out at the right time with the right team. To me, Kamala is a dream come true,” Sneha Ajith who takes the centre stage as Kamala told tribune.

“Playing Kamala not only meant that I will be present on stage for the most duration of the drama, but also that I had to instil a level of confidence and conviction in my teammates. I believe that each character and dancer in the drama was a vital asset and for them to feel important, I had to play a connecting force that held them together. All of Kamala team is now a family and through our journey of staging it, we definitely felt the connection.” “Moreover, I take inspiration from people I see doing great work.

The desire to do more in my field of interest keeps me motivated. Besides being an entertaining dance drama, Kamala had a very contemporary story at its core that every woman of today can relate to. Therefore, I have experienced how I can combine my passion for dance with something so profound as creating awareness with a social message. I wish to carry that forward with my future works. As a dancer, I know that there is always room for improvement, and I aspire to be the best version of myself.” Since childhood, Sneha would never leave an opportunity to perform, regardless of whether it was just an impromptu performance in front of guests that came home or a competition she had worked hard for.

“There never had to be a turning point for when I got into dancing, it was just in my DNA. Everything I do is with a passion which is the driving force for me to take challenging tasks like Kamala. The things I do, be it my job as a Legal Officer or my performance as dancer, keeps me surrounded by positive thoughts that help me grow. I believe, whatever you do, it is the most important to stay away from any negativity and have a peaceful mind,” she added. “Every day is a new challenge, what felt like a challenge in Law School, feels like a walk in the park in my working life now. I have been blessed to be born to parents who love me unconditionally.

They have protected me and my sister from all the struggles they have encountered while raising us. Therefore, all my struggles have been personal, to be in peace with my body, my mind and my thoughts.” Dance is the most therapeutic feeling for Sneha since she was very young. “I began dancing at the age of 3 to songs that played on TV, after which my mother put me to Bharatanatyam classes. Her constant support and encouragement made me able to find my passion and interest in dancing. Even today when I have a tough day, I turn to dance to calm me down and bring me back. It is like meditation. You know as they say, when you do what you love, you won’t have to work a single day.

In short, Dance is my escape,” she said. “As an artist, I need to have the opportunity to portray different characters and tell different stories. Novelty and variety excite me. Being able to voice our thoughts and portray our emotions through art is an exuberant feeling. There is no sense of being stuck in a monotony, there are no bars to the imagination and no boundaries to possibilities.”

“There is some quality in every artist that will inspire you. I choose to imbibe selective qualities from people without letting one person influence me entirely. But there is one person whose greatness I will never be able to match and that is my Father. The times he has seen and composure he has constantly maintained has always left me in awe. Him, along with my Mother, are my biggest teachers as well. So undoubtedly, they have had the most influence on me,” Sneha added.