It’s not often that I’m able to attend Indian cultural events locally, but I was fortunate to see a performance of Naga-Mandala, a production created by a famous modern playwright. The plot, by Girish Karnad (1938-2019), was based on Indian folktales that featured an unhappy wife, a taciturn husband, and a magical cobra, or naga, as the main characters.
An arranged marriage can result in mismatched personalities forced to share a home, but this couple was extreme in their differences. Fortunately, in this case the mythical snake god intervened. Live musicians, including a sitar, provided a soundtrack that echoed the characters’ actions and personalities. The play had an interesting format, with the playwright as one of the characters, seen in the photo as the bearded man, and two possible endings.
While not a typical fable, it provided a glimpse into the lore of India, performed in a facility that usually presents circus productions, so it included a few aerial acts. It was a way for cultures to meet in a single performance, combining disparate artistic elements into a coherent and enjoyable whole.