[Along The Ganga River] [Shikandi, the story of the in-between]

To immerse ourselves in the Indian culture we decided to go to the theater. Before explaining the subject of the drama and our feelings, we will start with the context. We went to the Kamani Auditorium, one of the most famous theater in Delhi. Even though the tickets were very cheap (only 100 Rps which is equivalent to one fine meal), the audience seemed mostly composed of privileged social classes of Delhi.

Let's talk about the play« Shikhandi, The story of the in-betweens. » Director : Faezeh Jalali Productor : NCPA in association with Fat TheArts. The drama narrates the story of Shikhandi. Shikhandi, a character from the Mahabharata, is perhaps one of the earliest trans-genders known in mythology. Shikhandi was meant to be born male to avenge an insult in her past life as Amba. But she was reborn female while raised male. On her wedding night, a sex change occurs. Shikandi eventually fulfills his/her destiny – to be the cause of Bhishma’s death.

The story of Shikhandi is one that is important to tell in this day and age. It reminds us that transgenders have always been a part of our society, our history and mythology. Yet today transgender people struggle to be accepted in society for who they are. Shikhandi is a retelling of a myth, using traditional forms but with a very contemporary text. The idea is to challenge and question our current stereotypes around gender and sexuality: to ask of ourselves who we really are. Perhaps we can then realize we are all in-between: not only in gender and sexual preference, but comprising both good and bad, tradition and modernity, here and there, East and West, black and white: perhaps everything. The sooner we accept this fluidity within us, the easier it will be to accept people for who they are.

As the play says: “I’m the sublime, I’m the timeless, I’m all the universe encompassed.”