Vārkari - Chamber Concert

Chamber concert by Divya Ravi In 14th century CE, one of the most iconic social movements – the Vārkari tradition was born in Maharashtra, Central India. This ‘pilgrimage’ critiques social inequalities through a liberal, inclusive, approach to spirituality, subverting power, patriarchy, and caste-based hegemony. The Vārkaris were farmers, tailors, goldsmiths, potters, barbers, courtesans, housemaids - and they were all poets and social activists who used their voices to create oral literature in the local vernacular, Marathi. Many were not permitted inside temples, so they brought their beloved God outside temples, into the streets and the homes of people and the deity ‘Vitthal’ became the friend, the co-worker, the lover. Divya Ravi takes you on a Vāri (pilgrimage) with evocative, interconnected Abhangas and Ovis (poems in Marathi) that elucidate the Vārkari experience - traversing emotions of identity, belonging, accessibility, connectedness and contentment. Vārkari is a celebration of song and dance with Maharashtrian folk dance forms – Lavani, Dindi and Kala tactfully into the movement fabric of Bharatanatyam.