Embracing the masculine with the feminine at Bengaluru’s October Jam

Maraa Collective is back with their October Jam Festival, inviting artistes from all over the country to perform and showcase their work on this year’s theme ‘Stone Flowers,’ which merges the concepts of masculinity and femininity. 

Maraa was founded in 2008 by three friends who wanted to use spaces in Bengaluru for artistic expression as the city was on the cusp of massive infrastructural developments, as a result of which many were getting displaced. Ekta Mittal, one of the co-founders of Maraa says, “We wanted to represent voices that are not dominant, and challenge the status quo.”

This year, Maraa is indeed challenging the status quo with their theme. “Maraa conducted a research study about masculinity over the last two years, and we will showcase our report on November 1,” she says. “In addition to featuring artistes from all over the country, we also launched a Mirrors Fellowship in March, centred around research and projects about challenging fixed ideas about masculinity and selected 12 fellows who will showcase their work between November 1 and 3, at Bangalore International Centre.”

From Maraa’s October Jam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

There will be theatre performances, dance, music, poetry readings, film screenings, and painting exhibitions, not only limited to the city centre, but spread out all over the city. “We decided to take some of the performances as far as Anekal and Kolar,” Ekta says. “Artiste Anushi Agrawal is going to perform Lifafiya, an unsettling, autobiographical narrative in about 50 to 60 locations around Bangalore.”

Maraa is also specifically conducting some performances for the benefit of government college students and residents of rural Karnataka.

“There are so many unresolved fears that arise from our childhood. The Kannada play Kappeya Kanasu, which was staged on October 19 at Samvada, delved into those unresolved fears.” Other theatrical performances include Du Saraswati’s dramatic monologues, advice that she imparts while moving from one corner of Bengaluru to another in her performance Love Purana & Pakshi Purana.

Another upcoming performance to look forward to is Launda Naach, a Bhojpuri folk theatre form that is an amalgamation of drama, dance, music, and dialogues. This year, one of the performers is Raju Kumar Ranjan, a prolific dancer from Bihar who has toured all over India.

“Masculinity and femininity exist in each one of us, although it is not visible to the eye due to societal expectations,” says Raju over phone from Bihar. “We, as a community, want this to be recognised,” He will perform on November 3 at BIC, and will later be in conversation with author Brahma Prakash. 

From Maraa’s October Jam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Rumi Harish, a trans musician and painter, and one of the mentors for the Mirrors Fellowship, is also performing and showcasing his paintings at an exhibition for October Jam. “I started painting in November 2021, to battle depression, and have been painting every evening since then between 5pm and 11pm, in the manner a singer practises riyaz,” says Rumi.

“My voice transitioned from a female voice to a male voice, so I will be showcasing that in my performance,” he says, talking about his show scheduled at CIEDS Collective on October 27. He also exhibited his paintings from October 18-22 at Shanthi Road Studio Gallery, as part of October Jam.

Dadapeer Jyman, a Kannadiga poet who wrote Rumi’s biography in close collaboration with him, is a Mirrors fellow this year, and is being mentored by Rumi. He will be reciting poetry in a session facilitated by the Queer Poets Collective, co-founded by him and Rumi, and the Razaai Collective on October 26. “Each poet will recite two of their own poems as well as two poems from other renowned queer poets,” says Dadapeer.   

“Artistic expressions always surmounts that which is finite,” says Ekta. “We keep changing the quotients of masculinity and femininity in ourselves, and this year, we are displaying that through our art.” 

For details on October Jam events log on to maraa.in or their Instagram handle @maraacollective

From Maraa’s October Jam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement