Start from the beginning: “Mahabharata” is the longest and longest of the oldest recorded epic cycle in human history, with 1.8 million words collected in caplets.
One of the two main Sanskrit epics of ancient India is God, man and intermediate being. Weapons, fights, slippery honor, vengeful massacre. Sex, love, family feelings. Theology, philosophy, hazy history. Trickstar, Changeling, Storyteller. Tyrants, rebels, heroes, innocent bystanders.
However, for many readers of this column, the “Mahabharata” is likely to remain a mystery.
It is a central Hindu Bible, but the closest analogy in Western Canon is not the Bible, but rather a comedy of stage tragedy and classic grease, combined with or without the help of Dante, Blake and Milton, rather with Greek mythology and the Trojan horse saga.
Of course, encompassing the inclusive world of William Shakespeare was sometimes dependent on these Western sources, making the “Mahabharata” a natural choice for Austin Shakespeare to retell in the “Mahabharata Tales.”
Luckily, several members of Austin Shakespeare’s large and incredibly diverse cast grew up in a familiarity with the story of “Mahabharata”. I asked them about epic childhood memories as South Asian communities were increasingly exercising their influence on Texan culture.
Case No. 1: Chance to play heroic Arjuna
“As a child, I was introduced to the epic poem “Mahabharata,” said Ai Oza, who plays the hero Arjuna. “I was born to an Indian immigrant in the southern part of Illinois. As such, I was far from the culture in which India and my parents grew up. All my relatives lived in different states. It was a badge of honor. Simply put, in a community where you know you are different, you knew better who you were. With that spirit, my family introduced us to the grand poems of our culture: “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata.” For a country boy like me, it was filled with stories of heroic acts of Bima and Arjuna. It was filled with magic and mystery, romance and villains, morality and virtue.
“We remember assembling props and flipping the house! The Wiffle Ball Bat became our fight mace, the foot ruler became our sword, and the hockey stick was the perfect size and shape for the longbow!
“Family reunions gave me the opportunity to celebrate these stories together with many cousins. This means a cast of larger characters, and recreating summer days together from the poem.” I grew up, became interested in yoga and philosophy, and “Mahaharata” had a more spiritual and ethical meaning. I have begun studying “Bagavad Gita”. The “Bhagavad Gita,” often referred to as “gita,” forms part of the epic “Mahabharata.” In this scene, Krishna, the living embodiment of God, has a discourse with Arjuna, the hero who gives him great wisdom.
“The “Gita”, and the discourse of Krishna is the integration of various chains of religious thinking (in Hinduism) that includes the Vedic concept of Dharma. Samkiya-based yoga and bhakti. It develops a sense of distant from obligations and expectations, and overcomes self-doubt. “The epic is still a big part of my life. I have a three-year-old son and enjoys teaching him about our culture and the wonderful stories of Arjuna. It’s a great honor to pass this knowledge on the same level as my ancestors and it’s a lot of fun to play again.
“When I was cast as Arjuna, the hero, I was really honored. Can I say that I can bring my childhood hero back to life? The ‘Mahabharata’ gift my ancestors gave me is now 2025, my sisters and my sisters and I are giving me a step-by-step expression as American-born Indians. A lifelong dream. ”
Case 2-4: “Mahabharata” casts chimes
Summit Puri, who plays Panu and the Warrior, was 40 years old and was born and raised in Chandigarh, a city in northern India. At age 23, he moved to the United States to earn his master’s degree from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Since then, he has been working as an IT consultant at IBM.
“In India, education is emphasized from an early age due to the intense competition for entry to good universities,” Puri says. “I vividly remember that I prepared for a competitive exam in high school when my family was attending the wedding for three days. I asked if I would like to go. In response, I was told the story of Arjuna from the ‘Mahabharata’. When Dronacharya asked his disciples what they saw while they were targeting the birds, everyone explained the trees, leaves, birds.
“The ‘Mahabharata’ often found a way into our daily lives as children. Bishma never vowed to never marry. We take our “Bishma’s vows.” Refusing to talk to friends after a stupid argument.
Amurta Ponkshe, 39, grew up in Mumbai, India. She plays Ganga and Abhimanyu.
“There were only two TV channels with very limited programming,” Ponkshe said of the late 1980s. “This was in front of globalization, in front of a computer. This was a version of Br Chopra’s “Mahabharata” aired on national television as a two-year (94 episodes) weekly episode series.
“I was too young to understand the philosophical nuances of the story, but the costumes, music and acting on this show have been with me for many years. I am 39 years old and I recently insisted that my 7-year-old son listens to the “Mahabharata” podcast while listening to the “Mahabharata” podcast.
In “Mahabharata Tales,” Sugavan Maligarjunan, 45, plays King Doritarastra, who is blind in a physical sense and blinded by love for his son.
“I was born in Chennai, India, and grew up listening to ‘The Mahabharata’ and watching it on TV,” says Malligarjunan. “Many of my inspiration comes from the ’90s’ Mahabharata (for) the character (for) aired on Indian channels. I grew up watching epics that are also played in films. As a way to set goals in life and advance towards them.
“I auditioned for this role. In many ways, King Doritarastra is very challenging. I’m very mature, sad and have to act as a politician. I’m in real life I’m very active and full of humor and optimism.
What do you see or hear in Austin?
If you were able to catch the breathtaking nine-hour staging of British director Peter Brook’s breathtaking nine-hour “Mahabharata” in a three-month run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1987, you know that the epic can destroy live theaters. Brook’s company lived with the text for years, first translated into French and then into English, drawing out the most theatrical threads for the final performance script.
Austin Shakespeare’s artistic director Anne Siccholera adapted and directed the staging seen at Long Center. Scenic designer Patrick Anthony laid out the almost ideal blank slate for “The Mahabharata Tale.” Sometimes predicted images of the forest, explosions or fragments from a random game add singularity to the pale background.
A classic Indian dancer (Neha deosthali) appears at the top of the show, then sets the tone and style. The musician (Venkata Shashidhar Surampudi) shapes many scenes and adds tension, romance, or elevated drama.
There is no problem with this eclectic interpretation strategy. “The Mahabharata” is a spectacular and spectacular thing that has been brought together over the centuries by many storytellers and writers. Brook’s 1987 staging sought to maintain a unified performance style, but Ciccorella allows the actors to personally deal with the gorgeous multiplicity inherent in the material, and unite in such a way.
A tentatively consistent storyline appears during the opening sequence as storytellers (silver ev running) frame a big story for a wide-eyed child (the charming menaha clana). The storyline has become more and more mazes, and more stage time would have been welcomed for this distinct duo.
Much of the action dramatizes a blindly complicated civil war that attacks each other and involves at least one long exile in the forest. In the most cohesive suspense scene, Yudhishthira (Amanidrun among the strongest actors of the company) gambles on property, land, livestock, kingdoms, brothers, himself, and finally his wife, but the final bet is challenged correctly.
With so many actors playing so many parts over two hours, Sarita Ocón and Ay Oza proved among those who stood out in their well-defined performances.
Despite uneven results, the Mahabharata Tales represents a breakthrough in Austin culture. This is a South Asian classic that is authentic and accessible simultaneously from start to finish.
This was necessary.
“The Story of Mahabharata”
When: 7:30pm, Thursday to Saturday. 2pm, Sunday. Until February 23rd
Location: Rollins Studio Theater, Long Center for the Performing Arts, Dr. 701 W. Riverside
Information: www.austinshakespeare.org
