Sutradhar & Trishna Kuchipudi Dance Academy in association with Dept of Language & Culture presents Pritham K. Chakravarthy’s ‘Dushala’, a solo performance in Hindi enacted by Kuchipudi dancer and Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Dr. Alekhya Punjala and directed by Vinay Varma at Ravindra Bharati on 5 November at 7PM.
According to Vinay Varma, the 60-minute solo performance is interspersed with elements of Kuchipudi and Folk dance. All those who are aware of the epic Mahabharata, know the character of Dushala, the only daughter of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. “In this play, Dushala talks about her pain and anguish over the ages and yearns for an identity for herself. The play also touches about the women in general, about all the daughters, sisters, wives and mothers around us,” the director says.
In the play, Dushala talks of how she was neglected by her mother right from the time of her birth, in fact, much before that, describing how and why she was even made to take birth. “How she was betrayed by her own brother, who bartered her to Jayadrath as a consolation for losing at Draupadi’s swayamvar. What made her love the Pandavas and Draupadi more than her own brothers and their wives is depicted in the play,” he says.
According to the director, the high point of the performance is a lesson on how to bring up sons, with Dushala setting an example of going against the grain and spending quality time with the child, much unlike her own mother. “More importantly, she made her son Surath realize the futility of a war. Why and how she eventually breaks her bond with Hastinapur forms the climax of the performance,” Varma says.
Ticket: Rs. 300