The Upanayana Project

Performance | Qualitative Research | In Progress

The Upanayana is an ancient Vedic ritual. A young person would receive a yajñopavītam, a shawl, to be admitted into gurukula, the schooling system, where they would learn religious chants, arts, science, mathematics, and more. 

The Upanayana is an ancient Vedic, Brahminical ritual. This ritual, in its origin, was not caste or gender exclusionary. But, through time, specifically because of a medieval social code titled the Manusmriti, the upanayana was made exclusive to high-caste men. 

The Upanayana is a Hindu, Brahminical ritual which was done to young people pursuing education. Today, these exclusive practices written onto the ritual, now visualized through three threads draped around the body, have rooted into the observance of patriarchal gender roles and the blind participation in caste-oppressive religious activities.

Sacred Threads explores queer experiences of the Upanayana, struggling through questions about traditions embedded in patriarchy and casteism while being born outside of one’s homeland. 

This work is a plea to heal and liberate how we celebrate the sacred within each other. How will we construct our rituals moving forward?

See the latest evolution of this project on April 17 at the Foundry. Learn more and register here.

Two of the three parts of this project have been presented - first at a work in progress showing facilitated by Modern Connections in June, 2024 at Jackson Dance Lab, Tufts University and the WeCreate Festival organized by Danza Orgánica in April, 2025.