Bangalore Literature Festival: Only art can fight voices of prejudice, hatred and exclusion, says actor Mallika Sarabhai

The actor and dancer said people should hold onto their artistic standards

Classical dancer and actor Mallika Sarabhai has turned author with her memoir Free Fall: My experiments with living.

At the Bangalore Literature Festival on Saturday, she took part in a session aptly called 'Experiments with living'.

Stating that people should hold onto their artistic standards, Mallika said: "Amma (Mrinalini Sarabhai) used to use Bharatanatyam to address the issues of Dalit atrocities, talk about dowry deaths in Saurashtra even before the term dowry deaths was coined. I thought all artists did that with their art. There has been in recent years a lot of exploration by writers of suddenly discovering Draupadi or Sita and so forth, and dancers in choreographic styles. But in actual content the work is still very much in the realm of Saugandha Lahiri or Krishna stories interpreted from a different side. I think the need for artists to actually use performance or writing to talk about things that really concern them and that can get them into trouble is still unfortunately very far away. And I strongly believe that in the kind of situation we are in today in India and the world, the arts are among the only forms that can actually reach out against the voices of prejudice, hatred and exclusion that we have built."

Her book details her entire experience, including her smoking addiction and how she was "hypnotised" to stop, as well as her interest in Pranik healing, Ayurveda and colour therapy. The book provides a chronicle of her arduous journey toward realising who she was, including all the diets she tried before discovering what actually worked for her.

"Ultimately we have only one body and we have only one self that we call our own and that is the only thing that you have control over or can try and influence that you can try and make better. So rather than doing anything else, the feeling of good health and getting up and saying 'Hello Day, I'm getting up for you' is worth more than anything else. The relationship with yourself and your body is what sets you to do anything that you do. Give your body the chance to become your friend, your ally because that's one thing that only you can do and no one else," she said.