EMBRACE, Then & Now (Episode 6) – Sutra remembers significant Moments from its Archival Videos & Photographs

Dear Friends of Sutra,

Many a time, especially during these times of the MCO/Lockdown, when our freedom of movement is drastically curtailed, we remember the good days of easy connection with our fellow artists. A major event which manifested this spirit in a huge scale was the Stirring Odissi 2008 in Kuala Lumpur. This 6-week festival spanning performances, exhibitions and seminars, was clearly the most extensive and comprehensive encounter of Odissi dancers, visual artists, scholars and writers, in this part of the world.

The Stirring Odissi 2008 commemorated the 50th year of India-Malaysia Diplomatic Relations and simultaneously celebrated the 25th anniversary of Sutra Dance Theatre. Looking back at this event 12 years later, we simply cannot imagine that we had successfully undertaken this massive project which in the present global constrictive time and atmosphere of the Covid pandemic, is simply unthinkable. I thank WeiJun and Geethika Sree for delving into our archives to resurrect this miracle festival. ​​We must also acknowledge Vimala Sundaram & Ayesha Harban from Capital Corporate Communications for their role as Producer and Public Relations for this Festival.

Ramli