He was the ace archer, passionate lover, a grieving father and a pensive and aging man, who reflected on his turbulent past. Arjuna was possibly one of the most complex and deep characters from the great Indian epic, Mahabharata that tells one of the most fascinating stories of war and relationships.
Taking a few leaves from the life of the third Pandava, ‘Texts and Textures’ from Aalaap, an initiative in performing arts brought together renowned story teller V R Devika and Carnatic vocalist Sushma Somasekharan. The 70-minute presentation held at Spaces last week was supported by Hindustan University.
The artistes deftly interspersed excerpts from the epic with songs that captured the moods of the various facets of Arjuna’s personality. They were accompanied by Akshay Ananthapadmanabhan, a well-travelled global percussionist, who plays the mridangam.
With interesting insights and details of incidents presented to elucidate each side of Arjuna, Texts and Textures was in a format that was conceived in March, as an experiment. Following the success of the first event during Mahasivarathiri, another production for Holi followed. The latest production on the life of Arjuna met with great response when it was presented at the Indian International Centre (IIC) in Delhi, earlier this month.
Presenting the same production at Spaces, along the Elliot’s Beach, where the atmosphere seemed to complement the underlying intensity of the stories and highlights of Arjuna’s life, the performance was as insightful as it was melodious and as vivid as it was melancholic. Veering through the multitude of emotions, the production was a musical journey, anchored by a gripping narrative
Strung together adeptly by the performers, Devika and Somasekharan, the production effectively captured the very essence of the central character.
As the lover with a deep passion for Subhadra, as the anguished father who wanted to seek revenge for the death of his young son Abhimanyu and in the end, as the wise man who had seen life, the storytelling and music coupled up beautifully to match the depth of the varied emotions portrayed.