Airtel Theatricals MCC Fools and Kings Part 1 of 4.wmv

Peter Brooks' Mahabharata

There have been many adaptions of Mahabharata on screen -both large and small. However, this movie by Peter Brooks makes for an interesting view. Check it out!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpaT14XddKk


But don't forget to tune in to Ethiraj College Auditorium on Sunday, 26th September at 11 in the morning. What we shall bring is going to be LEGEN- wait for it - DARY! (no pun intended).

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A History Check

It has been a long time since I read the Mahabharata. Names like Vidura, Dushala and Gandhari hang around vaguely as I try to place them in context. My initiation into Mahabharata and the other Indian myths was, as must have been in your case, through my grandmother. I remember her sitting next to me, telling me stories from the Mahabharata as I drank my cup of milk. These stories always managed to fill me with awe. They were stories of great hardship, stories of righteousness, stories of Bravery and stories filled with morality. But most of all, they were immensely entertaining.

Very soon, however, I got bitten by the reading bug. I started with Amar Chitra Kathas. These comics were filled colorful pictures and lucid dialogue. I was in love and justifiably so. Over the next five years, I grew up on Complan, boiled eggs, workbooks and textbooks, and Amar Chitra Kathas. And ACKs were the only thing I loved in that list. It translated the Gita into understandable nuggets for me. It even helped me understand my Sanskrit lessons better. But more than anything else, ACKs provided me with constant companionship, laughter and fun.

 


But then, we are not going to stick to the same old story are we? Nope! We have grown beyond Amar Chitra Kathas. What we have, for you, is nothing short of the craziest, zaniest trip you'll experience. EVER! So be there at Ethiraj College Auditorium on the 26th of September, at eleven in the morning!

A Peek at the Villi.

Following that captivating post on Draupadi, a little something on the dark side of the Mahabharata, the side that is usually never seen. Duryodhana. The eldest of the Kaurava brothers and the favourite of his blind father Dhritarastra. Universally seen as the antagonist, the person who torments the Pandavas and make their lives hell. He is an arrogant man with no sense of shame, for he chose to humiliate another's wife in front of an entire court.

What is his character like? Who is he as a person? Questions not often asked, for we tend go with the view of his being a villain, being ingrained into our heads by our grandparents. Well, here's where the the MCC Mahabharata story changes. This classic guy we barely know has transformed into a jazzy 70's cinema dude with much to say about himself. There is also a little twist in the story, involving someone quite unexpected. But for that, you'll need to actually come and see our play.

So be there, on the 26th of September, in the Ethiraj College Auditorium at Eleven am. It's going to be- wait for it- EPIC.

What's in a name?

What's in a name? That which we call a rose.

- William Shakespeare

Old Billy had got it right, or nearly so. For if he were in the 21st century, we would be calling him Bill or Billy, or Will, or, if I had my way, 'Lewdinsky'. But he isn't there with us and all that remains are his precious pearls of wisdom.

But going further back, into our very own myths, we discover that we had it right all along! Heck, most of our heroes and heroines of the Puranas, had not just one or two names. They had about five or six. Some even had, say a hundred.

Let's take our hero Arjuna for example. If translated into English, Arjuna means white. But our dashing hero, who at any point of time could slice you a piece of salami using his expert archery skills went by many other names. All a part of the strategy, I say. The guy had 40 wives! Anyway, he also went by the aliases of Partha, Vijaya, Jishnu, Savyasachi etc.

What about the heroine? Draupadi, as you must have read had a few other names as well. She was also called Panchali and Krsna.

The strong man of the group, Bhima also went by many names including Vrikodara, Bhimasena, etc. So did Yudhishtira. He was also called Dharmaraja for his intense righteousness.

But then again, all these are old, right? All these are done, right? Fret not. We have Ace, conman, Helen and Doc among many others to give you company!

But hey, what's the ace up your sleeve?

On Draupadi

Raja Ravi Verma's painting of Draupadi

Perhaps, the most enigmatic character in Mahabharata is Draupadi - the wife of the Pandavas.

In all the Indian myths, it is rare to find a woman as stoic as Draupadi.

But who truly is Draupadi? Her name hardly ever gives a clue. She is named Draupadi after her father - Drupada. She is called Krsna as she had a dark complexion. She is called Panchali as she is the wife of the Pandavas. So that leaves us no where.

Who were her close friends? In the Mahabharata, there is hardly any reference to any female company for Draupadi. I mean, there is Kunti but am pretty sure that Saas Bahu rifts were very common even then. So does that mean she hung out merely with her husbands like a good little church girl? We'll that's what we're lead to beleive.

Fret not though, ladies and gents. We have unmasked Draupadi for. We present to you, Draupadi's latest avatar -Helen. This sexy chica is there to blow your brains away. No wonder Dushashana wanted to undress her... but I get ahead of myself. We don't want you to come all the way to Egmore to see some boring female straight from Raja Ravi Verma's painting. NO! Remember Goldie Hawn? Or Madhubala? Or even Faye Dunaway or Mia Farrow? Now thats what we're talking.

So to catch all the excitement, be there at Ethiraj College on the 26th of September, at eleven in the morning.

And for the time being, hope the ladies below will give you good company!