Savithri - Narratives of the Heart

Sunday I got lucky enough to attend this surreally beautiful dance performance by Janani Murali.

It was titled 'Savithri - Narratives of the Heart', in Dance, Theatre and Poetry. It was an individual performance through bharatanatyam, with an ongoing beautifully scripted narration of the story, also weaving in Tagore and Aurobindo's perspectives on Savithri.

Savithri is a story from the Mahabharatha. Story goes that when Yudhishthira asks Markandeya, 'is there a woman more righteous than Draupadi....who surpasses her in beauty, grace, power and intellect, Markandeya talks of the princess Savithri. And when he asks, if she will then rule the lands, Markandeya says, 'no, Savithri is born to chart her own destiny'

Savithri falls in love with Satyavan, and though she knows that he is destined to die in a year, she still wants to marry him. And when an year later Yama (the god of death) comes to take Satyavan, Savithri talks him into giving her a boon. 

Yama says, 'ask for anything you want, except for the life of Satyavan'. And the story goes that Savithri then asks that she have a hundred children by Satyavan, and thus yet gets the life of Satyavan.

This is a story that was one of my childhood favorites from the Amar Chitra Kathas, I still remember the cover page.......and strangely enough, it's because I happened to mention that it's a favorite in a blog post last week, that I got an invite to this dance program :)

Here are a few pictures from the event.

Janani is a professional dancer with a strong lineage of dance. She has several performances to her credit, with even having danced at the Hampi Cultural Festival a couple of months back.

And playing Savithri, I'd say she was beauty, grace and intellect personified. Wonderful performance Janani, and hoping to see more !!