Devi Girish

Brief Bio Devi Girish Chandra is a Kuchipudi performer who has an accentuating academic as well as professional record. Devi continues her research along with performances and teaching, she combines artistic presentation with an academic bend. With this combination, she explores the intricacies of Kuchipudi, experiment with the body extensions, by relating it to the theoretical constructs and travel along the ascend as a learning journey. Devi, along with her husband Girish Chandra has created their own niche in the field of Kuchipudi tracing, together, a performing career of more than 11 years and individually for more than 18 years. Currently she is working as an Educator at Department of Kuchipudi, University of Silicon Andhra, California. She has formulated and consolidated inter-disciplinary dance curriculum for National Institute of Fashion Technology-Kerala and International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)-Basara. She is also an Empanelled Artist of Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Abstract "Re-imagining Gollabhama as a woman of resistance" This paper 'reads' Gollakalāpam and its practice as 'social text'. The effect of power relations-exclusion, inclusion and marginalization against women in the society was also mirrored in performing arts tradition. This in turn molded and structured the art forms to illustrate the way these aspects construct, devise and provide insights into the performances as 'social texts. Gollakalāpam is a text of resistance that questions the gender issues, caste-class hierarchies and elevates the suppressed castes as well as women. It appears to have evolved as the result of a popular response to the social problems of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The thrust of Gollakalāpam as a social protest and satire is to serve as the voice of women, through which they