MEERA’S EXPRESSIONS

The capital witnesses a whopping 183 artists perform on lesser known compositions by saint Meera Bai

The capital witnesses a whopping 183 artists perform on lesser known compositions by saint Meera Bai

An evening of musical narratives about saint Meera Bai, expressed through an amalgamation of classical, contemporary, and folk dance forms, made the audience of a 90-minute musical held at Siri Fort auditorium, appreciate every moment.

The show, titled Meera — The Musical, saw performances from 183 artists. “Being an amateur, I did have some moments where I wondered how it would turn out, especially when all the artists rehearsed together for the first time one day before the show. However, the synergy that I experienced, and the way our director kept everyone together, made me feel it was definitely possible to pull it off,” chirped one of the artists, Divya Sachdev, on the large participation.

The tapestry of lesser-known compositions of the famous Krishna devotee was arranged and directed by renowned choreographer Srividya Varchaswi. Speaking of what inspired her to conduct this, she says, “Meera Bai has been an inspiration for every woman. She was courageous, loving, sensitive, righteous, practical, wise and humorous. She paved the way for thousands to soak themselves in bliss through devotion.” As the director, it was tough for Varchaswi to choose one piece from the show that was the closest to her heart. But the Bengaluru based performer-director felt that for those who were watching, the finale must have been quite special.

Another noted dancer, Sunil Sunkara, spoke about the connection he felt with Meera Bai while performing. He says, “The reason why we take up Indian classical arts is that it lets us experience the ‘rasa’ of liberation. In the words of Abhinava Gupta, ‘The true goal of man is to enjoy the aesthetic relish of ‘moksha’’. Just like the real Meera Bai, Srividya brings together every person participating person at the end, when she depicts the union with Dwarkadhish.”

He believes that even though there were many dancers who participated, every moment was personal for each. “As one among the hundreds, each time I feel a manifestation of a beautiful energy on the stage. We are the flesh and blood medium for Meera to walk once more among the devotees of Krishna,” he concludes.

Stills from the performance

Meerabai has been an inspiration for every woman. She was courageous, loving, sensitive, righteous, practical, wise and humorous. — Srividya Varchaswi