Exhibition opens with Plunge, a compelling performance on the suffocation of India’s rivers.

New Delhi: Hyderabad-based performance artist Ramani Mylavarapu opened her solo exhibition Roots to Rivers at Kalamkaar, Bikaner House, New Delhi, today. The retrospective spans over eight years of her socially engaged and feminist photo-performance works, revisiting projects such as Voices of Waves with the Uppada fishing community, Invisible Roots with the Araku tribes, Panchkanyas, and Mona Lisa with Mask. The show culminates in her latest works from Assam’s Manas region, exploring layered narratives of resilience, memory, and ecological consciousness.

The inauguration featured Mylavarapu’s live performance Plunge, which drew attention to the urgent crisis of water pollution. Embodying a pilgrim burdened with a Bundle (Muta), she enacted a ritual at a symbolic river, where participants dropped waste that eventually suffocated her—an evocative metaphor for the choking of India’s rivers. By cleansing herself of the waste, she reclaimed the role of guardian of the river, underscoring the need for citizens, industries, and institutions to act collectively in protecting water.

Guests of Honour included Sri Sanjay Roy and Sri Niren Sengupta, both stalwarts of the Indian art world.

“Ramani’s art has a rare ability to connect the personal with the collective. In her performances, you don’t just see an artist at work—you feel society’s concerns reflected back at you,” said Sanjay Roy, curator and mentor at Triveni Kala Sangam.

“Her work carries a spiritual intensity that resonates with the human condition. In Plunge, I see both pain and hope, reminding us that art is not only about beauty but also about responsibility,” added Niren Sengupta, eminent painter and former Principal of the College of Art, New Delhi.

Speaking about her performance, Ramani Mylavarapu said, “Plunge is my way of voicing what our rivers go through every day. The suffocation I experienced in the performance is nothing compared to what the rivers endure. Through my art, I wish to remind people that protecting water is not an option—it is a duty.”

The exhibition is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will be on view from 19th to 23rd September 2025 at Kalamkaar, Bikaner House, New Delhi.