By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 19 Oct: On the fifth day of the Virasat Art and Heritage Festival 2024, a large crowd gathered to witness the theatrical enactment of Abhimanyu’s Chakravyuh.
The Chief Guest was Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman and CEO of ONGC, and the Special Guest was Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan. Also present were Raja Randhir Singh, as well as Founder and General Secretary of REACH, RK Singh.
The script and direction of the Chakravyuh Garhwali folk drama presentation, which commenced with a Bhoomi Pujan ceremony in the presence of RK Singh and other key organisers, was led by Professor Dataram Purohit. His team of Garhwali folk artists brilliantly portrayed the Chakravyuh, captivating the large audience present. The first presentation of this Chakravyuh took place in 2001 in Gandhari village. In today’s performance, the Chakravyuh was created and depicted in detail by the talented artists. Anil Verma and Chandan Pundir were part of the Ransingha team from Jaunsar, while from Dhaad Sanstha, Akhilesh Das, along with Rakesh Kumar, Kudrat, and Mukesh Kumar from Rudraprayag, played instruments such as Dhol, Damau, and Bankori.
During the harsh winters in Uttarakhand, residents of small villages in Garhwal stay active by practicing the Pandava Nritya. This ceremonial dance commemorates the Pandavas’ journey and brings joy to the homes and villages of Uttarakhand.
Pandava Nritya holds a special place in Garhwal’s mythology and history. The dance tells the story of the five Pandava brothers, from their birth to the beginning of their Swargarohini Yatra (journey to heaven). Various aspects of their journey are performed to the beat of drums. The Pandava Leela of Uttarakhand recreates the Mahabharata’s “Dharma Yudh” (war of righteousness). The dance touches upon various themes, including Keechak Vadh (the killing of Keechak), Narayan Vivah (the marriage of Lord Vishnu), Chakravyuh (a military strategy devised by Guru Drona), and Genda Vadh (the sacrifice of a dummy rhinoceros).
In the Garhwal theatrical presentation of “Chakravyuh”, the artists who performed their roles included, respectively: Director Pankaj Naithani as Pandava Yudhishthira, Ankit Ucholi as Bhima, Vinod Kumedi as Draupadi, Shalini as Nakula, Pawan Chamoli as Sahadeva, Namit as Satyaki, Jatin as Uttara, Shamita Rana as Krishna, Arpita Bhatnagar as Arjuna, Sudhir Dangwal as Abhimanyu, Ankit Bhatt as Kaurava Duryodhana, Harish Puri as Dushasana, Pankaj Dungariyal as Jayadratha, Pankaj Naithani as Guru Drona, Pawan Purohit as Karna, Abhishek Semwal as Shalya, Ravindra Negi as Lakshmana, Ashutosh as Kripacharya, Arjun Rana as Ashwatthama, Robin as Shakuni, and Vikesh as Gajpayee. The music was provided by Dr Sanjay Pandey, Dr Lata Tiwari Pandey, Priya Jatav, Manish Khali, Gokarn Bamarara, Abhishek Bahuguna, Shalindra Maithani, Hudka Mochand, RC Juyal on flute, Sourav on dhol, Akhilesh Damau, Deepak Bhangpura, Rakesh Kumar, and Mukesh.
“Chakravyuh” saw special contributions from Mahant Devendra Das of Shri Guru Ram Rai University and the university’s students.
The sitar performance during the cultural evening was by the renowned sitar player, Samanvay Sarkar. Sarkar began his captivating performance with Raga Sudh Kalyan, leaving the audience mesmerised. He was accompanied by Pandit Mithlesh Jha on the tabla.
The third cultural evening of the Virasat Mahotsav was a mesmerising showcase of cultural programs that captivated the audience. Guests of the event, sitting with bated breath, thoroughly enjoyed the Hindustani classical music performance by Pt Sajan Mishra and Pt Swaransh Mishra. They were accompanied by Pt Dharamnath Mishra on the harmonium, Shubh Maharaj on the tabla, and Nitin and Yogesh on the tanpura.
