This dance-drama depicts Krishna’s life from his birth to his liberation.

For over three thousand years, Krishna’s fascinating personality, which is visible in the original Mahabharat, has been enveloped in tales, myths, miracles, and love. He was wise and heroic, loving and loved, foresightful yet present, blessed with sage-like detachment yet deeply human, the diplomat, the sage, and the man of action with a personality as dazzling as that of the Divine.

Because findings show that Mahabharat’s Krishna and the butter-stealing Krishna are two different characters who have blended over time, the ballet presents Krishna’s two different personalities in completely opposite ways. The play’s first half is devoted to famous stories like ‘Makhan Chori’, ‘Govardhan’, ‘Kaliya Raas’, and others. In this production, the status of women has been given a new meaning. ‘Krishna’ raises the position of ‘Radha’ from that of a lover to being his “divine consort”. The story of the Yadavas is linked with that of Krishna Vasudeva, whose uncle Kansa tries to kill him but he overcomes and the lengthy fight with Magadha’s Jarasandha pushes Krishna and the Yadavas to leave Mathura and go to Dwarka.

The ‘Chakradhari Krishna’ of the second half has been described as the one who despite having leadership skills, becomes subject to divine foolishness. This act is based on lesser-known Mahabharat stories. There has been a single-minded effort to break out from the rut of mindless faith and raise concerns of importance. With this clear aim, the plot’s second half deals with situations that bring up several timeless and everlasting topics for dialogue.

The tales in the dance-drama describe a folk hero who was extremely impressive and courageous in confronting the crisis faced by a rural community. This includes threats from the animals of the forest to the herds and shepherds. Krishna was looked up to as a leader in his lifetime and later worshipped as God. Yet, in the Mahabharat, the message of the Bhagavad Gita is the key. The author, Ved Vyas, develops the combination of Krishna the charioteer and Arjun the rider, softly connecting the same with the mind and body. When Krishna asks Arjun to consider all he has taught, he says, “We yet again see them as ideal forms of knowledge and conduct; where they rise above history to make destiny themselves.”

While Krishna separates himself and sets himself against his relatives in the Mahabharat, he is caught in an expanse of difficulties. The story is packed with violence but it is the approach in which the story finds peace without fighting back that is important. On the same battlefield, solutions to the bloodshed are being offered. The Kurukshetra War has survived all through the generations, and the message of victory and forgiveness is more significant today than ever before.

Performed religiously during Janmashtami, the production shares the space with ‘Shri Ram’ as another flagship production of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Throughout its 50-year life, this dance-drama has grown from a simple story about Lord Krishna to personal difficulties and solutions relevant to modern society. Several dignitaries have attended the productions which have moved around India and the world.

This Lord Krishna version is one-of-a-kind in Indian cultural history, with original music, dances, costumes, jewellery, sets, and more. The show is performed by our in-house trained and developed artists.

Meera is one of our country’s greatest saint poetesses. She illuminated an otherwise infertile desert with her poetry and educated millions of people seeking “different” paths. Her talent comes in her ability to spread, almost engagingly, the struggle in her life through her poetry. Meera challenged the patriarchal order, and that challenge is as strong today as it was during her lifetime. Meera travelled wherever she wanted, spreading the message of freedom and promising an inner awakening through the energy of her poetry.

Her poetry is soaked in the blood of situations that bear witness to what she, as a symbol for women, had to endure. Meera was not attracted to materialism. She discovered that the image of the Lord was her metaphor for the desire for deeper enlightenment. Meera left behind all the riches and comforts befitting a princess. She succeeded by breaking down the boundaries of tradition and custom. The stone walls collapsed down, the iron bars of her jail melted away, the royal tradition was broken, and a freed Meera emerged – her dancing and singing signifying feminine abandon.

Meera is the main point for artistic expression because she escaped the patriarchal rule and hierarchical control many years ago. The challenge of creating a dance-drama based on Meera’s life emerged from a wealth of information that brought up a multitude of options on how to interpret this lone crusader’s life. Meera continued her journey, accepting liberties and inspiring others.

Her songs continue to reach those who have been damaged and humiliated, and who see in them a message of liberation. Meera’s image has been redefined in this dance-drama. It examines the condition of Indian women seeking space in a male-dominated society.

For that purpose, the Kendra has attempted to keep the production values as authentic as possible. The choreography is based on the rich Rajasthani dance culture and takes into account Meera’s continuous evolution throughout the years. Komal Kothari provided a variety of material for the songs. The narrative unfolds through dance and song, transforming Meera into a passionate missionary.

While Meera appeared to provide no creative difficulty at first, by the end of the research that Shubha Mudgal, Jayamala Aiyer, Keshav Kothari, and Shobha Deepak Singh conducted, they were certain that the miracles in Meera’s life were allegories of the challenges that women face.