Finding Shakti in the women around us

CHENNAI: What if Shakti is not only the goddess we worship, but a force that lives in the women around us and within ourselves?

This is the idea at the heart of ‘Shaktis of India’, a Lil Navaratri presentation by Lil Trails in collaboration with Aalap. The 90-minute performance brings together storyteller Janaki Sabesh, singer Madhuvanthi Badri and young storyteller Dira Paavai Rajavel, weaving stories of these women with the spirit of Devi and the many qualities associated with Shakti.

For Akhila Krishnamurthy of Aalap, the idea was to create a Navaratri experience that children could absorb in an accessible and engaging way.

Aalap, she says, uses “the power of the performing arts, storytelling, dance, music” to make classical arts “accessible, impactful and meaningful” even to audiences unfamiliar with them. The partnership with Lil Trails also offers an opportunity to introduce children to the arts at an early age.

The starting point for this edition was to move beyond conventional mythological narratives. “The idea is to celebrate Shakti and Shaktis that really make our lives better and who inspire us to continue to pursue and become better versions of ourselves,” Akhila says, pointing to everyday women, including those who cook meals or keep homes, as “goddesses in their own right.”

Janaki Sabesh sees this as a way of making the stories more human. “We’ve heard stories of the Devi again and again, but what if we looked at them through the lives of real women, women who lived before us and women among us today?” she asks. “Perhaps Devi is not just someone we worship, but a Shakti that lives in every woman.”

Rather than prescribing lessons, Janaki wants children to discover their own meanings. “I don't believe in telling children what they should learn from a story,” she says. “Let them laugh, wonder, feel and ask questions, and the values will find their own way in. For me, the story must come first; the learning can quietly follow.”

Her research brought unexpected discoveries. “We may know the name, but do we know the person?” she asks, recalling how she was struck by the ordinary beginnings behind some extraordinary journeys and the determination of these women to pursue their goals.

Sharing the stage with Janaki is young storyteller Dira Paavai Rajavel, whose presence brings another dimension to the performance. Janaki describes her as approaching the stories “with so much wonder and curiosity,” adding that seeing a child discover these stories alongside the audience can make the experience particularly relatable for young viewers.

Music, meanwhile, is not treated as a separate concert but as part of the narrative. Singer Madhuvanthi Badri says this is rooted in India’s storytelling traditions. “Music has always been an indispensable part of storytelling and they have been intertwined since days of yore in every part of our country,” she says, citing Harikatha, Bhagavatha Mela, Yakshaganam and Villupattu. “Children are naturally attracted to music and giving them apt music for the situation helps them imbibe the narrative in a way they’ll never forget.”

She also believes the classical and devotional traditions bring an emotional depth that words alone cannot. “Our literature is vast!” she says, adding, “The magnitude of the emotional and spiritual dimension of these can only be experienced. We all try our best as artists to pass on this experience to my audience.”

The collaboration, she says, comes naturally. “Iyal, Isai and Natakam are always a team. They always travel together and can co-exist beautifully. With Janaki and Dira, things just flow naturally amongst us. Music effortlessly fits in like a glove.”

Her understanding of Shakti is personal too. “Shakti is not just an external cosmic force, but the very essence residing within every human being,” she says. “Every time you exhibit resilience (Durga), creativity (Saraswati), abundance/generosity (Lakshmi), or the courage to let go of what limits you (Kali), you are actively embodying Shakti.”

For Lil Trails’ Avanti Natarajan, the performance is also about what happens after the curtain falls. “Creating a shared experience that opens up more conversations and keeps stories travelling within families” is central to the idea, she says.

And perhaps that is the larger invitation of Shaktis of India: not simply to remember the women whose stories are told, but to recognise the qualities they represent closer to home and within ourselves.

For Janaki, the quality she most hopes children carry away is “curiosity, the desire to ask questions, to explore, and perhaps even discover a little bit of their own Shakti along the way.” Shaktis of India will be presented on October 10 at 10 am at Medai, The Stage, Alwarpet, as part of Lil Navaratri 2026.