Bangalore artist Vibhinna Ramdev’s Why English? Layers Beneath the Language, currently playing at the Adelaide Fringe, is a close look at the complex relationship between language and identity.
Set in post-colonial India, it looks at the impact exerted on Indians by the language of the coloniser, English.
Given the show was promoted as a solo act, one envisioned the protagonist exploring her relationship with the English language by talking, or through interactions with the audience.
Well, the artist did both – and with aplomb, the classy play of humour in her words and actions shining through. She impressed even more, however, with her ability to weave a tapestry of acrobatics on stage to flesh out her story.
This was physical theatre, after all!
Imagine this young woman on the stage – acting, speaking, dancing, mimicking, doing gymnastics, and many other amazing things, like changing her attire on stage every few minutes! Changing her outer garb from skirt to shorts to trousers to sari,was a creative way to present multiple characters from real life – whether teachers, pupils, parents, auto drivers, or house help. Vibhinna Ramdev’s “Why English?”
Even Lord Macaulay from our history books manifested himself, walking stick in hand. (A brilliant touch to highlight the seeding of English in India in 1835, following Macaulay’s advocation that the language of instruction would be English, as opposed to the existing Sanskrit and Persian for Hindu and Muslim education respectively, and that English would be the language of administration and of the courts.)
How well the artist lived up to her name Vibhinna – Sanskrit for variety or various, or, diverse.
Vibhinna was a bundle of energy, traversing every nook and corner of the stage, contorting her body into poses that would have been unthinkable for most in the audience. One wondered whether the tiny stage space at The Lark at Gluttony, would withstand the vigour of it all!
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The set itself was minimalistic, including half a dozen strategically-placed white diaphanous curtains flowing down from the ceiling, and an open suitcase stuffed with clothing that reflected the process of journeying. The tiny stool on one end was for sitting on and for soliloquizing, even for falling off it! Lying around were yards of bands created out of fabric with printed messages on them. The artist used these, to robe herself regally, and to tie up her body and limbs in knots at times. It was a compelling illustration of the power of language.
Through the physicality of it all, the artist shared the challenges she faced when seeking a career in the vernacular film industries of India. Her well-heeled family had secured her a first-class education in English-medium institutions, so that, while she is fluent and well-versed in English, she lacks proficiency in her native Indian tongue.
It’s a theme that is bound to echo in the lives of many Indians with similar backgrounds.
English proficiency is seen as a mark of superiority, the richness of our own languages notwithstanding. Vibhinna Ramdev’s “Why English?”
The wounds of colonisation continue to fester – drawing us away from our own selves, into something we are not.
And so, we ask ourselves, where do we go from here? Perhaps there is some solace in the intersectional approach to language – which sees it as a dynamic process shaped by local as well as global contexts.
Vibhinna Ramdev’s show is receiving rave reviews. Being a trained dancer and yoga practitioner – as well as a consummate performer – has helped her deliver this mind-boggling show, which is equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining.
The performance premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 before making it to the Adelaide Fringe Festival this year. The actor, creator, writer and producer is also a Fringe Fund Grant recipient this year.
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