"After Death" The spiritual Journey

by Vikram Mohan
(New Delhi , India)

"After Death" The spiritual Journey, Concept, Directed and Choreography by Vikram Mohan. This was held 13th August 2015 in New Delhi, India. About the concept :- “After Death” The Spiritual Journey

“After death is a contemporary dance theater project .This project is based on Indian Bhil tribe’s traditional rituals, faith in spiritual powers and folk stories inspired by their ancestral rituals. After travelling to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, I have dealt with a concept based on these rituals, developed into a folk story inspired by the Bhil tribe rituals related to death. In my story one Bhil man meets with an accident, after which his mother, wife and friends pay their homage to Dungerdeo and perform rituals to save his life. But, after his death, his wife was engaged with another man. Due to this the soul of the first husband got disturbed which led to disturbance in villager’s life too. For his peaceful journey rituals of gatla (ancestor stele) erection were performed which is a traditional practice prevalent among the Bhil tribe of India”...Vikram Mohan

After Death- Concept Brief : The ancestral beliefs of Bhil tribe and its varying visual culture. As a universal phenomenon, the beliefs related with ancestors and fulfillment of their wishes after death forms an integral part of ancestral beliefs. The retaliation of the wishes of the dead ancestors form core of a rich repository of intangible heritage which is realised in tangible structure by tribes throughout the geographical domains of the world. The documentation of the beliefs associated with ancestors and the approach adopted by the Bhil tribe in Madhya Pradesh, for its realisation in tangible aspects, forms focus here. An analysis of visual culture of ancestral steles of Bhil tribe in India forms core of the rediscovery and renewal of our rich tangible heritage.

The journey of the departed soul is believed to travel in unknown domains. To ensure their peaceful journey and to garner their blessings for succeeding generations, they are acknowledged through steles along with dedicated rituals. These ritual practices have woven a rich fabric of intangible practices, furthermore representing it in its tangible presence, spanning across generations.

Have a look at our website and performance video:- www.voxpop590.wix.com/after

We would like to put this in a contemporary dance festival.