Akhilesh Chandra Saxena
Bareilly: SRMS Ridhima witnessed a magnificent staging of the musical play Chitra, written by the renowned poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. The play, presented by Rubaru Theatre Delhi, was directed by Kajal Suri and adapted for the stage by Vikram Sharma. The first performance of this play was in 1913, published in English by the India Society of London.
The narrative of the play revolves around the central characters of Chitrangada from Mahabharata and her encounter with Arjuna. The story begins with Madan, the god of love, inquiring about Chitra’s identity and what troubles her. Chitra explains that she is the daughter of the King of Manipur, raised as a boy because her father had no male heir. Despite being born a woman, she is a great warrior and hero, but has never lived life as a woman.
Chitra recounts her meeting with Arjuna while hunting in the forest. Despite his vows, including twelve years of celibacy, Chitra falls in love with him. However, Arjuna rejects her love. Desperate, Chitra prays to the gods for the gift of beauty, hoping it will make her irresistible to Arjuna. The gods grant her request, and she is given a year to spend with Arjuna, during which her beauty will compel him to abandon his vows.
As time passes, Chitra fulfills her promise and spends the year with Arjuna. However, as the end of the year approaches and her beauty fades, Arjuna begins to question her past. Chitra reveals that she has no past and that she is transient like a drop of dew. Her words disturb Arjuna, who is haunted by the stories of the warrior princess of Manipur. He wonders if she could be the one he admires, only to be surprised by the revelation that Chitra is indeed the princess.
In the play’s final moments, Chitra confesses that she sought beauty to win Arjuna’s love, but accepts that she is not the ideal beauty he imagined. Nevertheless, she promises to stay with him forever if he accepts her. She also reveals she is pregnant with their child, a revelation Arjuna embraces with joy.
The lead roles of Chitra and Arjuna were performed by Varsha and Sparsh Roy, respectively. The supporting cast, including Shubham Sharma (Madan), Neeraj Tiwari (Warrior 1), and Krish Babbar (Warrior 2), delivered remarkable performances. The play’s makeup was managed by Rasheed, while the costumes and backstage coordination were handled by Jaskeeran Chopra and Geeta Sethi. The music was conducted by Praveen.
The event was attended by distinguished guests, including SRMS Trust Founder and Chairman Dev Murti Ji, Asha Murti Ji, Usha Gupta Ji, Subhash Mehra, Dr. Prabhakar Gupta, and Dr. Anuj Kumar, along with other eminent personalities from the city.
