In one of the shopping malls of Bangalore, a city in southern India, audiences watched a performance based on the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. The story of Sita and Hanuman was told by a troupe of artists from Bali under the direction of the Balinese choreographer and researcher Wayan Dibia. The distinctive feature of the production is that there is neither a large orchestra nor a recording: the entire soundscape is created by the voices of the performers themselves.
The performance in the kecak style is a Balinese dance drama in which a rhythmic chorus of voices repeating the syllable "cak" replaces the orchestra. Dressed in traditional sarongs and checked skirts, the performers stand in a circle and create a continuous sonic fabric that accompanies the action.
The troupe showed an episode from the Sundarakanda, one of the books of the Ramayana. In it, Hanuman finds Sita in the Ashoka grove on the island of Lanka. To prove to Rama that the meeting had taken place, she gives Hanuman her hair ornament, the chudamani.
As The Hindu reports, performances in non-theatrical spaces such as shopping malls, public venues and local grounds are becoming a way to attract new audiences. Wayan Dibia, the director of the production, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021.
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