Discussions on mythology are fraught with assorted dangers so apologies in advance to anybody who finds this version unacceptable, of course.To start, a broad outline of the Yellamma tale as it appeared in The Hindu newspaper.The story goes that the Goddess was the wife of sage Jamadagni, and had three sons. Renuka earned her husband’s fury for not dutifully filling up water in the clay pot for his rituals, as she was distracted by the sight of Gandharvas, who had taken the form of men, bathing in the river. Being a sage’s wife meant sacrificing her sexual needs, and mythical tales hint at how watching the men made Renuka painfully aware of her own sexually unfulfilled life. Through his powers of intuition, Jamadagni became aware of his wife’s thoughts and ordered his sons to behead her. Of the three sons, only the third son Parashurama agreed to execute the father’s orders, but later, pleased by his obedience, when Jamadagni bestowed a wish for fulfilment upon his son, he prayed to his father to restore his mother back to life. Several such stories of the goddess exist and in one Renuka’s heads split into ten when her son kills her.

And our guest tonight, Shilpa Mudbi, of the amazing Urban Folk Project. From their site, “Yellamma’s story is not a myth but the collective histories of people, especially, women and their trials and tribulations that echo from our past. ‘Yellamma and Other Stories’ is musical storytelling curated to give audiences a glimpse into the mythical world of Goddess Yellamma. In presenting Yellamma’s tale, the performance poses pertinent questions on patriarchy, purity and power structures.”