Phoolan Devi gets mythologised in a chamber opera Sometime in 2006,Shirish Korde,a composer of Indian origin,was browsing a library near his home in Cambridge,Massachusetts,when he chanced upon Phoolan Devis biography,Indias Bandit Queen. Within weeks of finishing the book written by Mala Sen,he packed his bags for India. Her story shocked and amazed me at the same time. I just had to come to India and get more information about her, says the 64-year-old. A week ago,his new chamber opera,Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen,opened at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,where he is the Chair of the Music Department. It is about Phoolans life,but the larger message concerns violence against women and the plight of South Asian women in general, says Korde. As far as the opera is concerned,Phoolan is mythologised,like a goddesss avatar. Why mythologise Phoolan? She considered herself Durga killing the rich and the mighty. When she surrendered her weapons,she did that at the feet of the goddess. I picked a clue from there and thought it would be the best way to present her, he says. The opera is directed by Kordes colleague Lynn Kramer. Korde has written the libretto and composed the music. There are two acts,each an hour-long. The music is a blend of Indian classical,with the sitar,the tabla and vocals,and western classical,with an ensemble of the cello,piano,clarinet and the guitar. Even the background to the soprano is drawn principally from Indian classical music.This is thanks to my training in both the genres, says Korde,who was born in Uganda and learnt Indian classical music there. The opera opens with Phoolans childhood. Then she is a child bride,an abused girl and a runaway wife who becomes part of a Chambal gang. In the second act,she surrenders her weapons,serves an 11-year jail term and embraces Buddhism,then becomes a politician and is killed at the age of 37. Kordes opera is a multimedia performance. When Zorana Sadiq,who plays Phoolan,looks back at her life,she dances to Kathak beats,which look like tandav,while excerpts from interviews and photos are shown in the background. I hope we are able to give the right tribute to this crusading,cruel queen of bandits, says Korde,who plans to bring his Phoolan Devi to India.
