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Trio
2023
Flute
Harp
Soprano
- Program Notes
- Like every Hindu child, I grew up learning the Hindu epic Ramayana. Here is a reductive and simplified synopsis: Ravana, the villainous king of Lanka, abducts Sita, the wife of Rama, who is the crown prince of the powerful kingdom of Ayodhya, while Sita, Rama, and his brother Lakshmana are living out a 14-year exile in the woods. Bhoomija Returns is inspired by the controversial events that occur near the end of the Ramayana, specifically after Sita has been rescued and Ravana has been defeated in war by Rama. Throughout the story, Sita is portrayed as a woman of utmost dignity and virtuous character who must endure numerous injustices, not only by her abductor Ravana but also her own husband Rama and society at large, which cannot accept her as untainted. Even after enduring a test of fire (“agni pariksha”) that proves her fidelity to Rama, she is exiled from the palace, and years later, after raising twin sons, she is asked to demonstrate her faithfulness once more. This time, she calls upon Bhoodevi, the Earth goddess, to prove her innocence by taking her into her bosom. The ground opens, Bhoodevi receives Sita, the ground closes, and the onlookers are left stunned. Sita is also known as “Bhoomija,” which means “sprung from the ground” in Sanskrit because her birth is of mysterious origin. She was found as a baby by a king ploughing a field. Some say that Sita’s descent into the ground was an act of defiance, leaving the world of petty-minded humans behind, and others say that, in the end, she returns home to her mother, the mother of us all, Mother Earth.
- Recording Notes
- Recorded at Lawrence University Memorial Chapel on 3/31/2024
- Performer Credits
- Damselfly Trio
- External Links