At only 18 and 20, Akanksha Wakde and Komal Patil have been meticulously training in the ancient sport of mallakhamb for ten long years. The girls have been dedicated to their passion without letting their visual impairment hold them back. So much so that they competed in the first edition of the Mallakhamb World Championship earlier this year. Both Wakde and Patil will be the highlight of a unique performance this evening, Mallakhamb Mumbai: An Evening Of Acrobatics And New Age Music. Presented by Australian Consulate General, Avid Learning and the Royal Opera House, the show will also include a musical performance by Donn Bhatt and a pole mallakhamb presentation by artistes from the troupe Mallakhamb India directed by Australian Benjamin Knapton.
Patil and Wakde, students of the Kamla Mehta School For The Blind, both credit their success to the expert guidance of their coaches Uday Deshpande and Dr. Neeta Tatke at Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir, a sports institution in Dadar. “Even with their limitations, they are graceful performers and are very enthusiastic about teaching other students as well,” says a proud Dr. Tatke whose students will join the girls onstage in a presentation after their solos.
The aim of the event, according to Sagar Bhagat, one of the organisers, is to make mallakhamb more accessible. Plus, to dust off the misconception that the sport has no space in our prevailing cultural tapestry. To that effect, electronic producer and songwriter, Bhatt has been roped in for a performance. The musician has also designed the soundscape for the mallakhamb presentations of the evening. “[We want] to showcase the ancient, indigenous practice of mallakhamb with a contemporary twist,” explains Bhagat. Finally, Mallakhamb India concludes the evening with a set that was originally created for a demonstration at the Commonwealth Games 2018, at Gold Coast, Australia. Stretching a usually short mallakhamb routine, the troupe will perform for 25 straight minutes. “As performers, it was scary for us,” explains Rajesh Mudki, co-founder of Mallakhamb India, who was also a part of the 2018 Australian show who has assisted the choreography of the troupe. “[Knapton] gave us the confidence that we never had to perform for such a long time.” Hopefully, efforts like Mallakhamb Mumbai might just be what the performative sport needs to storm mainstream culture.
Mallakhamb Mumbai: An Evening Of Acrobatics And New Age Musicwill be performed tonight at The Royal Opera House,Girgaum at 7 p.m;see insider.in
