RAHASYA
mysterious circle of life
Triptych of Indian Classical Dances
RA... Rama is Paris Laxmi in Bharatanatyam
HA... Hanuman is Pallippuram Sunil in Kathakali
SYA... Sita is Abhayalakshmi in Odissi
MURALI GOPY - Narrator
PRAVEEN D RAO - Music Composer
ARJUN BHARADWAJ - Sanskrit Lyricist
Based on the Hindu epic of Ramayana, RAHASYA also refers to its three main characters:
’RA’ for Rama, ‘HA’ for Hanuman and ‘SYA’ for Sita…
The Hindu epic of Ramayana has been retold by generations of artists, entertaining the audience with a multitude of characters.
Hanuman personification of Bhakti & Valour,
Rama personification of Dharma & Love,
and Sita personification of Kripa & Wisdom
are the characters depicted in RAHASYA.
Revealing secrets of each character and understanding them beyond tales, RAHASYA is a project which emerged from over two years of research and several years of friendship. Our unique interpretation of Ramayana is inspired by the Folk stories traditionally passed down from ages through story telling. RAHASYA is an eclectic collaboration of established artists in the fields of Music, Dance and Drama, bringing out the best of their respective forms. Magnificent music with over 10 musicians, well researched script, Sanskrit poetry, theatrical voice artist, exquisite costumes and dancers of different styles are the highlights of this production.
ODISSI from Odisha, KATHAKALI from Kerala and BHARATANATYAM from Tamil Nadu are three very different dance forms considering their format, music, technique and appearance, yet originating from the same source:
the fifth Veda or NATYA SHASTRA. In RAHASYA, Sanskrit was chosen for the lyrics as a common language between the three styles, while English for the narration was preferred for an international reach.
Coming together beyond style, region and form is an exceptional attempt of bringing cultural traditions together to create a unique and beautiful stage performance which will reach people from all walks of life, origins and backgrounds.
ABHAYALAKSHMI is one of the leading young, passionate Odissi dancers of the country. She started training in Bharatanatyam from the age of 6 from Temple of Fine Arts, Coimbatore under the guidance of Guru Kamakshi Jayaram and Vimala Chandrashekar. She later moved to Bangalore after her engineering and started practicing Odissi at Sanjali Centre for Odissa Dance under its director Guru Sharmila Mukherjee. Abhayalakshmi is an Odissi exponent empaneled under ICCR, SPICMACAY and a Doordarshan graded artist performing widely within the country and abroad. She has played lead roles in several productions and won the hearts of audience and critics alike. She has also worked with several leading exponents of the country and attended workshops of popular exponents like Sujatha Mohapatra, Ratikanth Mohapatra, Aruna Mohanty, Sharmila Biswas etc. Abhayalakshmi is now actively promoting Odissi through lecture demonstrations and workshops in several parts of Kerala.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Praveen D Rao is a musician, music director and lyricist based in Bangalore. He composes music for theatre, film, ballet, television, commercials, also performing and collaborating with artists extensively in India & abroad, and has been recognised with many awards in India. His outstanding knowledge in Carnatic, Hindustani, Folk Indian and foreign music, and his genius virtuosity has made him one of the most sought after music directors in India.
NARRATOR
Murali Gopy is an actor, screenwriter, singer, author, lyricist and journalist. His most acclaimed works on and off screen in the Malayalam Film Industry are considered path breakers in their respective genres. Murali Gopy is recognised as one of the most versatile artists of his generation, following the steps of his father Bharat Gopi in becoming one of India’s greatest artistic assets. We are proud to announce that Murali Gopy will be lending his exceptional voice to RAHASYA as the narrator of the story.
SANSKRIT LYRICIST
Arjun Bharadwaj is a Sanskrit poet and Carnatic flautist. He often collaborates with dancers and theatre groups to develop presentations based on classical themes. Currently Assistant Professor in Amrita Darshanam in Bangalore, he obtained his Master Degree in Sanskrit and MS Degree in Robotics. Arjun Bharadwaj has studied Indian Philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, Sanskrit literature, grammar & philosophy, and theory & practice of Natyashastra. He has published over 20 articles on arts, aesthetics and philosophy.
CARNATIC VOCAL: Rohith Bhat Uppoor
KATHAKALI VOCAL: Kottakkal Madhu
ODISSI VOCAL & FLUTE: Varijashree Venugopal
MRIDANGAM & JATHIS: Manjunath BC - NATTUVANGAM: DV Prasanna Kumar
CHENDA: Kalanilayam Ratheesh - MADDALAM: Kalanilayam Manoj - PAKHAWAJ: Bijay Kumar Barik
SITAR: Shruti Kamath - VIOLIN: Pradesh Achar
SOUND: Pramath Kiran - LAYA DIGI STUDIO, Bangalore ; PRABHATH STUDIO, Bangalore - ARIES VISMAYA MAX, Trivandrum
LIGHTS: Akhil Sudhakaran - COSTUMES: Sri Prarthana Costumes & Kalashakti - PHOTOGRAPHY: Umesh P Nair
MARKETING & PUBLICTY: Supriya Vinod