Yoni Ki Kahaniya (#YKK): Vagina Stories

What a wonderful celebration of female power! “Yoni Ki Kahaniya” or “Vagina Stories” is a collection of experiences and anecdotes from the minds and hearts of five extraordinary and beautiful Asian women.

[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of “Yoni Ki Kahaniya (#YKK): Vagina Stories” written and performed by Sharmita Bhattacharya, Chhaya Nene, Sapna Kumar, Vee Kumari and Tanya Thomas, presented by Vee Kumari and Jessica Lynn Johnson and directed by Marianne Davis at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023.

What a wonderful celebration of female power! “Yoni Ki Kahaniya” or “Vagina Stories” is a collection of experiences and anecdotes from the minds and hearts of five extraordinary and beautiful Asian women. Although their culture casts a large shadow on their individual stories, as any woman would know, being female is in and of itself a lens through which the world is seen, sometimes with little glory.  But these particular stories are theirs, and so it goes that because of their places of birth, or family origins, these stories are cast with the color of their skin and the traditions of their worlds fully in mind.

But the stories alone are not the only link between them. And the play is performed as a united affair. Each act given to each performer, but intermixed with that, very cleverly I may add, is a series of sojourns, routines, or transitions that entertain with hilarious reenactments of birth, or the huge variety of vagina rituals such as waxing or shaving or early attempts at masturbation.  It’s all very funny and coy and so sweetly done that we forget for a while about the seriousness of being a person with a vagina.  The darkness that envelopes when abuse begins. The shame that is worn veil like throughout our lives, eroding our self confidence and our personhood. And how society and politics and religion are so often the abusers instead of the protectors of us.

All these subjects are touched upon and it reminds us just how many of us have been a victim at one time or another. Although, with that reminder comes the comfort of sorts that we are not alone.  Being female, or a person with a vagina comes with benefits too. Frankly, I would always choose to be a woman. Even as a child climbing trees and sailing boats and fishing with my father I never once even pretended to be male. Perhaps that says more about my father than myself.  But I do love having a vagina! And all these fascinating, intelligent and gorgeous women make me all the more sure I am right.

I loved this play. And sitting in amongst a very mixed audience of men and women and most definitely everything in between and beyond, I can tell you I was far from alone. Applause for days is I think the phrase. And we all stood in human unison to award these wonderful women our thanks for their stories and their honesty and their love.

I hope “Yoni Ki Kahaniya (#YKK): Vagina Stories” gets an extension! I know so many people who would love this show!!!

And my “Yoni” thanks Sharmita Bhattacharya, Chhaya Nene, Sapna Kumar, Vee Kumari and Tanya Thomas, Vee Kumari, Jessica Lynn Johnson and Marianne Davis for their wisdom, their art, and their glorious voices in our world. Bravo!!