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a million SITA-s - Critics Speak / Responses
a Neo Bharatam presentation










Suggestion elevates A Milllion Sitas to a high aesthetic level
- Dr. S D Desai, narthaki.com, 2 Feb 2020







A Million Sitas... and more
- Archna Asthana, India Post, 28 Nov 2019
A revered, treasured epic poem, "Ramayana" compellingly retold by Dr. Anita Ratnam through a modern lens transcends from traditional to contemporary, while remaining timeless.
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Making Sita come alive
- Nirupama V, India Currents, 8 Nov 2019
Enacte's Vinita Sud posed a 1-minute challenge to Drs. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Anita Ratnam to speak phrases and words that brought Sita alive for them.
Link



A review of Anita Ratnam's performance 'A Million Sitas'
- Pankaja Srinivasan, The Hindu, 7 Jun 2019



"It is a performance that keeps giving": Anita Ratnam on A Million Sitas (Preview)
- Pankaja Srinivasan, The Hindu, 28 May 2019



A Million Sitas: Dextrous storytelling
- Chitra Mahesh, narthaki.com, 22 Mar 2019



Jomba! @20! Memorable legacy
- Prof. Ketu H.Katrak




Fresh touches to established form
- Yogin Devan



Love, Betrayal, Hope, Surrender, Power and Ego
'A Million Sitas' by Anita Ratnam

- Saranya Devan, narthaki.com



'A Million Sitas' challenges us to think differently about an age-old story, and the nature of dance
- Nkanyiso N. Mazibuko




Legends and Legacy
Anita Ratnam’s take on a Hindu goddess locates women here and now



Say her name: 21st century gaze at Sita gives voice to the voiceless
- Sanam Sitaram, medium.com/jomba-khuluma-blog, Aug 2018



A million Sitas in the forest
- Sharon Lowen, The Asian Age, Mar 21, 2017
It was such a joy to see Anita Ratnam’s charmingly choreographed story-theatre performance, which was pulled off brilliantly.



Dance for a cause
Rashmi vasudeva, Deccan Herald, Apr 23, 2017




Curating art and fashion
- Deccan Chronicle, July 13, 2015

When Tarun Dressed Sita
- Chandni U, The New Indian Express, July 11, 2015
Presenting fashion through art, Anita wore the clothes designed by Tarun Tahiliani at her performance.

Reviving Tradition of Dhotis and Drapes
- Naveena Vijayan, The New Indian Express, July 11, 2015

Where Dance Meets Fashion (Preview)
- Naveena Vijayan, The New Indian Express, July 9, 2015
(on A Million Sitas performance at Collage Store, Greams Road)



Aesthetic narrations
- Nita Vidyarthi, The Hindu, 18 Jun 2015



Tales of two wmen
- New Straits Times, April 28, 2015



Seamless dance-theatre
- The Statesman, April 11, 2015

The thought-provoking exploration of relationships with Sita seamlessly encompassed dance-theatre, mime, storytelling, conversation and movement and emerged as an exceptional study of mythology’s most misunderstood protagonist. As the story unfolded, the audience was awestuck by the visual character of the ambivalence between dramaturgy and theatre.



Beautiful movements
- Sharmila Basu Thakur, The Telegraph, April 4, 2015
Against the simple but significant stage set, Anita kept on changing from one character to the other with an intelligent use of props and costume.



Sita's sojourn in Malaysia (Preview)
- Naveena Vijayani, The New Indian Express, March 28, 2015



More power to you
- Abhiraj Ganguli, The Statesman, Kolkatta, March 21, 2015
Drawing from oral traditions of women, A MILLION SITAs brilliantly rendered King Janak's daughter as the central link between four other women - Mandodari, Ahalya, Manthara and Surpanakha. The lighting, minimalist use of props and stage design was in perfect coherence with the tone and tenor of the work. As the sole actor on stage throughout, Ratnam was the undisputed standout performance of the PRATIBIMBH festival. Infusing mime, conversation, storytelling and movements from her self styled combination of contemporary dance and Bharatanatyam christened NEO BHARATAM, Anita Ratnam stole the show. Where A MILLION SITAs proved to be a rousing success was in the way it put forth a radically alternate view of events, far removed from the master narrative of the RAMAYANA.



In a series of profoundly beautiful dance scenes, allowing the characters to shine in a new light, Anita dismantles the centuries-old patriarchal cast that has grown up around the Ramayana story, showing us the women in the story as they may originally have lived—and revealing the shining hero and Goddess Sita in her myriad forms of "a million Sitas.
Read the review
- Sharon St Joan, an American writer, February 27, 2013



The highlight (of A MILLION SITAs) was Surpanakha, because this segment showcased how movement could be used figuratively in choreography. Armed with only dance movements and minimal facial expressions, Anita was able to capture the essence of Surpanakha's character without having to incorporate sanchari-s.This contemporary approach to characterization was refreshing.
- Kiran Rajagopalan, Sruti magazine, March 2011



Anita's art captures the many avatars of Sita
- Sharada Ramanathan, DC Correspondent, February 5, 2011
There have been a million depictions of Ramayana's Sita over decades of Indian performance even as most of them have conformed to the traditional texts of Valmiki and Kamban. But this one was unique. Anita Ratnam's "A million SITA-S" in the evocative ambience of Amethyst spoke to the multiple dimensions of Sita, creating a profound connect between Sita the protagonist and Anita, her contemporary manifestation
Read the review



When Sita truly arrived
- Shankaran Malini, Express News Service, February 2, 2011
At times we get so used to things, be it mundane assumptions or mythological tales, that when we get a fresh perspective on them, we are left wondering in awe. In other words, it gives us a different approach to the truth by applying lateral thinking. 'A Million Sita-s' by Anita Ratnam, in Neo Bharatam style was one such eye-opener.
Read the review



Anita Ratnam performed in the city as a part of the Airtel Bengaluru Habba on Tuesday and the venue at Malleswaram saw more people turn out than expected.While the performance was projected onto a screen outside the venue,surprisingly enough the crowd stayed on and watched the whole performance.Anita Ratnams Sitaayana was an experience worth experiencing indeed and most people left the event quite artistically satiated.
- Times of India, Bangalore, January 27, 2011



From Sita's perspective
There is always considerable anticipation from a multi-layered production as this one and on the subject, 'Million Sitas' delivered. Not surprising when one sees a convergence of so many thoughts.

The Fan dance, the tranquillity of the Zen garden and the lovely water filled vases were some fascinating bits of artistry that Anita drew from her association with the Far East and nimbly transplanted them into the fabric of the production.

Contrasting body language as in the deliberate over the top sketch of Manthara or in Sabari's single minded regard for Rama, Anita pooled her skills in parody and mime.
- Vidya Saranyan, The Hindu, Arts - Dance, Jan 6, 2011



Aesthetic Delight
Anita in and as- a million Sitas, a thematic Dance and concept based performace was very creative. Anita brought out the most outstanding female Charecters like Ahalya, Manthara, Soorpanakha and Sita in her performance today. The idea is such a innovative thought. The Costume, Stage, Lights and Sound all well balenced. idea of Musicians directly facing the audience was such a welcoming idea.The songs like Seetmamma Mayamma in Vasantha and Janaki Ramana all added more taste to the production.The stage was well done and good vocal support by Lakshmi and Subhiksha Rangarajan, Violin by Viji Krishnan and Priya Murli added strength to the concept. The hall was full with and rasikas enjoying the cool evening.
- Kausalya Srinivasan, www.kartikfinearts.com, Dec 2010



Sita: a soul who binds the world together
- Ipsitaa Panigrahi, Dec 23, 2010, The Asian Age



Re-visiting Sita
Harini Sriram, Economic Times Madras Plus – Friday December 17, 2010



Anita Ratnam celebrates the Ramayana's progressive women in her latest production
- Aishhwariya Subramanian, Expressbuzz, Dec 2010



The unseen story of Sita
- Deccan Chronicle - dc-epaper.com, Dec 2010



Review of Anita Ratnam's performance at Pluralism and Performance : The Many Voices in Ramayana for Adishakti's Ramayana Festival.
A Modern Presentation of Ramayana - Dance in three parts and comments By Anita Ratnam
- Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, March 30, 2009



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