As this series draws to a close, Yashoda looks at why the story of the devadasi is relevant even today. Prof. Sarkar takes us through the emergence of different Classical dances in India and how the undercurrents of devadasi tradition run through them. Yashoda reflects on her own attitude to 'her story' and what she sees as the way forward Voices: Dr. Yashoda, Sampreeti Malladi Guest: Dr. Rumya Putcha and Prof. Urmimala Sarkar This podcast series is a collaborative effort of Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, Bol Hyderabad and Suno India.

As  “Her story of dance’ moves to the 19th century, Yashoda discusses how devadasis and their aesthetic representations were central to the National debate during India’s struggle for Independence.  We see how people, reform movements, acts, Christian missionaries and marriage all come play around what became the identity of the devadasi.  In her conversations with her Guru we see how the hereditary community viewed themselves and the ‘others’ who came to represent them. Prof. Suneeta Rani and Vidya Natarajan  take us through interesting figures like Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, Rukmini Devi Arundale and others who  participated in this debate and the role they had to play in making the dance and dancing not of the devadasi Voices : Dr. Yashoda, Sampreeti Malladi Guest: Annabattula Mangatayaru, Prof. Suneeta Rani, Sri Vidya Natarajan.

In this episode, Host Yashoda looks back at the how Imperial influences of the Islamic dynasties and colonisers found their way into the aesthetic representations of the Devadasis. It looks at the javali as an outcome of the zamindari patronage, a system that was established during the British rule. Yashoda’s interaction with Rumya Putcha navigates the contested terrain of the history of Kuchipudi and how devadasi art may have had a role in the construction of other performance traditions. VOICES: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti Malladi GUEST: Dr. Rumya Putcha

In this episode, Yashoda takes us through some of Devadasi repertoire, its aesthetic representation and how that differs from that of Kuchipudi. It examines how the devadasi repertoire reflects the multiple contexts it traversed noting the influence of the Maratha courts of Tanjore, the English and the Zamindars who prevailed as patrons. The episode is interspersed with  Yashoda’s interaction with Mrdangist,  Sri Yendamuri Subbarao brings in the voices, opinions and experiences of one who has lived, performed and continues in the real and the aesthetic world of the devadasi. That interaction being in Telugu, the rest of the episode continues with Yashoda reflecting on her own experiences with the devadasis,  what it taught her about herself and more importantly about how these women understood and viewed their world and the world outside. Voices : Dr. Yashoda Thakore,  Sampreeti Malladi Guest : Sri Yendamuri Subba Rao

In this episode, Host Yashoda Thakore takes us through the Devadasi history in the Telugu speaking areas. Reflecting on the Kakatiya, and Nayaka times the questions of who the patrons for the art were, what were the different contexts in which the devadasi performed, the idea of devadasi as a caste is discussed.  This episode also features her conversation with Dr. Saskia (author of Nityasumangali) takes one through the temple practices of the devadasi and what it represented. Voices: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti Malladi Guest: Dr. Saskia Kersenboom

The first episode is the story of discovery, of reaching out, and the story of learning. Dancer, research, and a voice from the Kalvantulu community (hereditary dancer families from the Godavari region) Dr. Yashoda takes us through the idea of lineage and practice in the life of a devadasi weaving her personal journey with the voices of scholars. This episode like the blossom of a bud reveals the story before the flowering that follows. The figure of who the devadasi was, what she did, and where she was. Her conversation with Dr. Saskia (author of Nityasumangali) takes one through the temple practices of the devadasi and what it represented.Voices: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti MalladiGuest: Dr. Saskia Kersenboom

The Kalavantulu community women were the guardians of an art that has since been appropriated into what is today seen as mainstream classical dance in South India. In this podcast series, Yashoda Thakore, a dancer and a member of the Kalavantulu community, will be taking us on a voyage of discovery, of the roots of her art. Together, the podcast will shine light on the stories of the long line of women who held the tradition, nurtured it, and embellished it with their devotion. There will be twists and turns in this journey. We will encounter issues of caste, regionality, language hegemony, and the attempts to appropriate and even alienate the art from the artistes who originally practiced it. This podcast series is a collaborative effort of Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, Bol Hyderabad and Suno India.