Resilience & Survival

Otta – The Resilience for Survival is the first major production of Kochi-based Thudippu dance foundation. This production brings together Kerala’s two art forms, Mohiniyattam and Kalarippayattu to narrate the story of the tribal warrior Hidumbi, her son Ghatotkaja, and Bhima, one of the five pandavas. At first glance, Mohiniyattam and Kalarippayattu are two diverse art forms. Yet, they come together with ease in Otta, seamlessly flowing into the other to narrate a tale of resilience.

The essence of Otta lies in the resilience of a people who had to constantly wage battles for their own survival. It talks about the resilience of those who continue to be deliberately cast aside from social, political and cultural spaces that exist ever so casually for many. This resilience holds in itself the strength of a community deceived by power and power structures, forcing them to bring out their strongest weapon; resistance. The word ‘otta’ signifies solitary – a kind of standing alone in life, having to resist and fight and exist; as one and alone.

Otta is told through the stories of Hidumbi, Bhima and Ghatotkaja, characters from Mahabharata. Hidumbi was time and again dejected by her partner Bhima, yet found strength in those disappointments to raise a son on her own, capable of facing any battle. Yet she stands alone, as she constantly finds herself being overlooked. She parts with her beloved son so he can lead a life he is entitled to, but was denied so far. Despite being one of the Pandava brothers, whose stories of valour are renowned, Bhima too stands alone. He stands alone in his agony, as he is tormented by the unfairness meted out to his partner Hidumbi, his helplessness loud and thick. Bhima stands alone in the midst of the grand war surrounded by troops of raging warriors calling for his victory, yet is the most powerless as he helplessly witnesses his precious son hit the ground lifeless.

While the stories of Hidumbi and Bhima are portrayed through the dance form Mohiniyattam, team Thudippu employs a novel approach of using Kalarippayattu – a martial art – to bring Ghatotkaja to life. The possibilities of using flexible, powerful Kalarippayattu body movements as a vocabulary to depict the character of Ghatotkaja is thoroughly explored, while the team travels through new realms in Mohiniyattam to bring out the characters of Bhima and Hidumbi. Conventionally known as a lasya dance form, Mohiniyattam sees a fresh perspective through its portrayal in Otta. While both Mohiniyattam and Kalarippayattu are distinct art forms that have their own styles that are poles apart from each other, ultimately, the essence of the two forms converges into one. This realization of shared energies is the inspiration to create Otta.