Dear Colleagues, 

We are just three days away from the “Reading Body Language” online symposium on Kutiyattam and the Translation of Sanskrit theatre (May 17-18), in which we are bringing together experts of Kutiyattam, Kerala history, and Sanskrit literature to explore how the ‘body language’ of  Kutiyattam might be leveraged to enhance the translation of Sanskrit bhāṇa plays—and in so doing, to better grasp the value of these works in early modern Kerala. 

NOTE: due to challenges of travel from India to Canada—(or perhaps due to karmic bondage or a rishi’s curse?)—we unfortunately have been forced to move the Symposium entirely ONLINE. 

ALSO: Please note that schedule timings have been changed in order to accommodate our participants from India.

All are welcome to attend online through Zoom ( https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Alfu6hrTopGNLJtdkwBVQs5KxmSeXtvi9G) or Youtube livestream (Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ubcsanskrit).We would love to see you! 

Recordings of talks/discussions/performances will not be available online; we are however planning on creating and releasing edited excerpts at a later date. 
Please distribute to any colleagues, students, or friends who might be interested in Kutiyattam, Sanskrit drama, performance and translation! 

With all best wishes,

—
Adheesh Sathaye
University of British Columbia

——

The Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia is pleased to present:

READING BODY LANGUAGE
A Symposium on the Traditional Performance of Sanskrit Theatre and Its Translation

MAY 17-18, 2024

Location: Online (Zoom & Youtube Livestream) 
Event website: nepathya.arts.ubc.ca
Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Alfu6hrTopGNLJtdkwBVQs5KxmSeXtvi9G
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ubcsanskrit

This in-person/online symposium brings together leading scholars of Kutiyattam and translators of Sanskrit drama to explore how performance as manifest within the traditional Sanskrit theatre of Kerala might be mobilized to translate Sanskrit bhanas (urban comedic plays) for global audiences. Featuring live demos and backstage experiments by the Nepathya Ensemble from Kerala!

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

May 17] Kutiyattam & Performance
• Kesavan Veluthat (Delhi) | “The Evolution of Kutiyattam”
                  7AM Pacific | 10AM Eastern | 3PM UK | 4PM CEST | 7.30PM IST

• Sudha Gopalakrishnan (Delhi) | “Performing Intertextuality”
                  8.30AM Pacific | 11.30AM Eastern | 4.30PM UK | 5.30PM CEST | 9PM IST

• Leah Lowthorp (Oregon) | 9AM | “Embodied Cosmopolitanism in Kutiyattam”
                  10AM Pacific | 1PM Eastern | 6PM UK | 7PM CEST | 10.30PM IST

• Nepathya Ensemble (Kerala) | “Nepathye: Traditional Kerala Performing Arts”
                  11.30AM Pacific | 2.30PM Eastern | 7.30PM UK | 8.30PM CEST | 12AM IST

May 18] Translating Sanskrit Bhana Plays
• Fabrizia Baldissera (Firenze) | “The Experience of Translating Bhanas”
                  8AM Pacific | 11AM Eastern | 4PM UK | 5PM CEST | 8.30PM IST

• Elena Mucciarelli (Groningen) & Adheesh Sathaye (UBC), with the Nepathya Ensemble (Kerala) |  Roundtable: “On Transcreating Bhanas”
                  9.30AM Pacific | 12.30PM Eastern | 5.30PM UK | 6.30PM CEST | 10PM IST
> A discussion of: Mucciarelli & Sathaye, "Transcreating Sanskrit Humor: The Translation and Performance of the Rasasadana Bhāṇa." Asian Literature and Translation 11.1 (2024): 16-51. Available at: DOI: 10.18573/alt.66 

For all queries, please contact the organizing team at: ubcsanskrit@gmail.com.

This event is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada.