S. Jirani
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| Bhagwan Mahavir |
The runaway success of the story of a saint who preached ahimsa speaks volumes about the revival of interest in the philosophy of non-violence in an otherwise violent world.
Bhagawan Mahavir, a ballet produced by Forward Artistes Centre En-Camped of Imphal and presented on May 5 at Imphal’s Rupmahal Theatre, detailed the life of Mahavir from birth till the time that he attained kewalgyan (absolute knowledge) and started preaching Jainism, the religion founded by Bhagwan Adinath.
The dance drama gradually unfolded portraying the life of the saint. The scenes pertaining to his childhood and the change in his mind after witnessing the worldly affairs deserve special mention. The scene depicting Mahavir’s sacrifice, in which he renounces worldly desires, has been portrayed most beautifully.
The play gets emotional in some parts, especially the one in which Mahavir’s parents come to know of his decision to lead the life of a recluse. However, the art of preaching Jainism somewhat rang a little hollow. The young director, R.K. Khogendra Singh, may have faced some constraints in his attempt to make the play presentable to all.
Deepa as the young Mahavir and Kunjeshore, as his older counterpart, were excellent. R.K. Hemjit and Kumari Pakpi, who acted as Mahavir’s parents, performed with consummate skill. The costumes of Mahavir needed some more research and improvement.
The audience was so carried away by the play that after the show got over some of them wanted to touch the feet of the artiste who acted as the saint. The background music, lights, make up and choreography were good. The ballet, written by Pramod Chhabar, joint secretary of Jain Samaj, Imphal, is a must watch for all especially for those from the Jain community.
Khogendra said that some Jain community members living in Imphal are willing to take his team to other parts of the country to stage the ballet. This offer itself has demonstrated that the three-year effort by Khogendra found flavour among the audience.