Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Why English?
Vibhinna Ramdev
Genre: Contemporary, Dance and Movement Theatre, Physical Theatre
Venue: Studio Five at Assembly George Square Studios
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Why does a woman from India, a country with multiple indigenous languages, speak English so well? In post-colonial India, why is she and many others like her asked to be fluent in English? Vibhinna Ramdev takes us through her identity crisis, while making us question ours, in an hour long entertaining ride.
Review
Ramdev goes straight to the point in her life that started this research for her. Why is a foreign language so necessary for her to know as an Indian? Why has it been imposed on her? She takes us on a journey of her life growing up in Bangalore, India, her relationship with her parents, her school, her city. There’s 6 pieces of white fabric hanging on the stage that are often manipulated into objects for different scenes. Vibhinna uses text, movement and dance to bring her story to life on stage and creates a very engaging performance that has the audience constantly curious about where it goes next.
At some point in the show I wondered why there was no silence, or a pause. Everything felt too fast paced, too hurried. But very soon, with the reference of my own Indian background, I realised that her hurriedness and constant anxiety of doing things is a part of what it means to grow up in a regular Indian household. There’s always something happening, and often multiple things happening at the same time. Vibhinna embodies this racing Indian heart and doesn’t just tell, but very effectively shows her experience.
Which is why when she asks for a moment for herself towards the end, the audience feels very generous towards her and wants her to live her moment as loudly as she can. She takes us through the multiple layers of being a South Asian woman – the dichotomy of being privileged in their country but not in the West, the constant oppression of women, the contradiction of holding love for your family even when their protection becomes controlling, the ridiculous government and leaders that take away your freedom and the joy of leaving the country and experiencing a more equal world in the west.
Of course the West, specifically the UK, is no ideal country. Vibhinna doesn’t miss a single chance to point out how colonisation has caused many of these problems and how India is still quite colonised – it’s just that the Britishers are now replaced by the multi-national corporations. Calling herself Macaulay’s Child, she tries to decolonise herself through this performance and search for a new identity. Very often she spoke in her Bangalore accent which I’m sure would’ve been quite difficult for a largely western audience to comprehend, but she didn’t seem to care about straight forward comprehension. She made sure the power and confidence with which she stood there did most of the talking. Oh, and it’s always so wonderful to see an indigenous person talk about colonisation to a largely white audience!
Heading towards the end of her run at the Fringe this weekend, I wonder if Vibhinna is heading closer to finding a newer identity. Her show is filled with personal and specific details about her journey, and I’m curious to see if there are elements that can become transpersonal and poetic as well, so that we can experience a more universal identity crisis. Irrespective of that, this show is a must watch for anyone who questions their identity, even if slightly, and suspects that history, geography and world politics might’ve contributed to that feeling. Why English? is on until 16th August.
