Yashoda Krishna

The whole thing would remind you of the days of monarchy. The three-day festival of dance held as the contemporary 'patron' of art and culture's grandeur birthday celebrations concluded yesterday at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. In collaboration with Kinnera Art Theater, the 'Daanaseela, Vadanya Ratna' Badam Ramawamy organized a Kuchipudi dance drama on the last day. And the invitee list was impressive. The show was attended by the likes of Devendra Goud, Minister for Home and Cinematography, Janardhan Reddy, Minister for Civil Supplies, former minister Rosaiah and poet G V Subrahmanyam among many others, all of who eulogized Badam Ramaswamy's charitable deeds and patronization of the arts. Appears a bit like the court of Krishnadevarayulu, doesn't it?

On the occasion, Maddali Usha Gayatri of Kinnera Theaters staged her recent production "Yashoda Krishna". In this play, the choreographer highlighted the expression and the attitude of universal motherhood by choosing to play a character like Yashoda from mythology. Usha Gayatri herself enacted the lead role of Yashoda, with baby Neelima donning the role of the little Krishna, and with support from four other young Kuchipudi dancers.

Yashoda, who nurtures her baby Krishna just like any human or animal mother, perfectly epitomizes the maternal bond. And it is shown how the mother is the ultimate symbol of creation; Krishna, who is the Almighty and who carries the image of a whole world in his small mouth even as a child, cuddles to his mother with love and lets her chide him for his antics. That's what a mother can do even to the ultimate symbol of the Lord - Vishnu.

With apt costumes, mood melodies, dialogues and prose passages, the one-and-a-half hour play was a hit with the large audience.