24 October 2016: Aranya Amrita at Edinburgh Napier University

The Scottish Centre of Tagore Studies presents the dance production ‘Aranya Amrita’ by the Dancer’s Guild Kolkata. The dance drama ‘Aranya Amrita’ is based ona  legend of the Bishnoi Community of Rajasthan that dates back to 1740. 

Amrita is a woman of the Bishnoi Community who live in perfect harmony with nature until wood cutters (commanded by the Rajah of Jodhpur) come to disrupt their peace. Led by Amrita, the Bishnoi plead the wood-cutter to spare their spot of green amidst the arid land of Rajasthan.

A confrontation takes place, but the Bishnoi sacrifice their lives to the wood cutters to the merciless axe which destorys the forest. The piece ends with the promise incarnated in the sloka , “let the earth we dig become greener and greener everyday”.

 

Aranya Amrita
Aranya Amrita

 

As the name suggests, ‘Aranya Amrita’ is the immortalization and continuum of nature, aranya meaning forest. The dance drama is based on legend of the Bishnoi Community of Rajasthan that dates back to 1740.

Amrita was a woman of the Bishnoi Community who lived in perfect harmony with nature until the woodcutters (commanded by the Rajah of Jodhpur) came to disrupt their sanctity of peace. Led by Amrita, the Bishnoi plead with the woodcutters to spare their spot of green amidst the arid land of Rajasthan.

A confrontation takes place, but the Bishnoi sacrifice their lives to the merciless axe of the woodcutters which devastates the forest. This dance drama is based on the Chipko Movement of environmental consciousness that started in India in 1973, which takes its inspiration from the experience of the leadership given by Amrita to the women of Khejarli village in Rajasthan, which has inspired sustainability campaigns to save the planet round the world.

This magnificent dance drama presented by Dancers’ Guild piece ends with the promise signified by the sloka , “let the earth we dig become greener and greener everyday”.

Dance concept & choreography:  Late Dr. Manjusri Chaki Sircar and Late Ranjabati Sircar

Dance direction:  Jonaki Sarkar

Music direction:  Swapan Pakrashi

Vocal:  Arun Bhaduri

Instrument:  Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar
Bikram Ghosh
Biplob Mondol

Dancers:  Rabi Shankar Roy

Prabir Mandal

Mithun Banerjee

Arindam Dey

Sadhana Hazra

Arpita Dutta

Tanwi Misra

Monalisa Chakraborty

Mrittika Sarkar

Jonaki Sarkar

Management:  Parbati Gupta

 

Monday, 24 October 2016 from 19:00 to 21:00

 

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