‘MEERA’, ‘KARNA’ and ‘SHREE DURGA’
May 25th, 27th and 28th, 2023 at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra brings to the capital’s cultural aficionados the much anticipated annual event to witness the fervour of the mythical characters of Indian mythology, Meera, Karna and Shree Durga, who never fail to endear. This dance drama is directed by Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh (Vice Chairperson and Director, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra). Shashidharan Nair’s choreography, Shubha Mudgal’s melodic music, exquisite costumes and the immaculate, deft and perfect usage of special effects in three different performances are seamlessly woven together with the same essence.
As India’s premier institution, promoting and nurturing India’s enriched cultural heritage, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra enjoys immense respect amongst the country’s concerned nurtures and propagators of the cultural archives, whose mantra of responsibility is borne laudably by (Padmashri) Shobha Deepak Singh, of the illustrious Shriram family. Her hallmark has been her passionate support to encouraging young talent, while appropriately felicitating the old guard. In its magnificent productions, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra has identified and harboured as aesthetically as possible, the most poignant sections from our religious, mythological and folklore archives.
In this year’s chapter of Kendra Dance Festival, Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh says, “The characters Meera, Karna and Shree Durga are so endearing and alive in everyone’s heart, because they relate to an emotional chord in souls modernised over time, even today. Subtly contemporising them through choreography, music, special effects etc. The idea is to convey the relevance of the sentiments of yesteryears to the existing generation in the most subtle and easy way. Each year has helped to nurture tradition while retaining the interest of the modern mindset.”
The three sequences are scheduled as under:
Thursday, May 25th, 2023 : MEERA’s glory lay in her ability to articulate through poetry, the turbulence that transpired in her life. Her life seems to be a metaphor for most women, where centuries later, Meera’s name lives on. Wherever Meera went, she spread the message of liberation and urged an inner awakening, through the effervescence of her poetry.
Saturday, May 27th, 2023: KARNA portrays a persona of the epic of Mahabharata whose circumstances remained consistently hostile. Karna’s life and times were frozen in their entirety and his misfortunes suspended into a perpetual predicament. This ballet is dedicated to all the Karnas, who are denied the rightful place in the social milieu, seen in its correct perspective. Karna’s life was repetitively unfair, eliciting sympathy. His life in the epic is resplendent with magnificent misadventures and acts of valour.
Sunday, May 28th, 2023: SHREE DURGA, whose persona resonates even in today’s context, where there is daily exposure to the atrocities on women. When the Gods give boons they themselves become victims of these boons and it is then that they invoke SHREE SHAKTI; FEMININE POWER, to vanquish demons in society, demonstrating that female power conquers over the several mindless demons of society.