The South Asian community at the University presented an alternative to the popular "Vagina Monologues" Friday at the Douglass College Center.
"Yoni Ki Baat," which translates to "Talk of the Vagina," was written to properly convey a multicultural perspective.
The version of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" was partly created in response to a particular monologue, entitled "Under The Burqa."
Inspired by the renowned production of this play in California by a Bay-area organization called the South Asian Sisters, co-producer and co-director Neha Rawal developed a localized rendition of this production.
"The main reason for putting on such a production at this University is simply because our cast and crew wanted to give a space, within the South Asian community here at Rutgers, for a women's perspective," said Rawal, a Rutgers College senior.
The series of monologues presented ranged from comedic to extremely profound and serious.
Co-producer and co-director Suman Sridhar, a Rutgers College senior, said, "Although this play has many reasons for its establishment, including wanting to lessen stereotypes placed on South Asian women in the post Sept. 11 era, the main driving motive for the creation of this production was to open up and address issues concerning sexuality, both negative and positive."
This play included a cast of University students, members of a nonprofit organization that aids South Asian domestic and low-wage workers called Andolan, and Kayhan Irani, a professional actress involved in theatrical productions that depict stories of the oppressed.
The context of this production included works created by University students, many inspired by true confessional and historical references. Some excerpts from this play were taken from the literary sources of prominent South Asian writers.
The monologues ranged from a young Pakistani girl talking about her encounter with an older male family friend to an elderly Indian woman working in a local Indian grocer.
Issues discussed included not only women's sexuality within the South Asian community, but domestic violence, an identity crisis between two cultures and immigration.
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