“Chakravyuha”, a play in English by renowned theatre artiste Ratan Thiyam and translator Kavita Nagpal, will be performed by Masquerade Youth Theatre from February 19 to 21 at The Alliance Francaise, Nungambakkam. There will be five shows — on February 19 at 7.30 p.m., February 20 and February 21 at 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. The story won the First Fringe Award at the Commonwealth Arts Festival and has won acclaim in various festivals and performances across the world. It was originally written and performed in Manipuri by Thiyam's Chorus Repertory in Imphal and later translated into English by theatre critic Kavita Nagpal. All funds raised are in aid of the Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children.
The story is taken from the “Mahabharata”, where on the 13th day of the Kurukshetra war, Abhimanyu, the 15-year-old son of Arjuna, sacrifices himself in the deadly “Chakravyuha” battle formation of the enemy to save the honour of his kinsmen. The play questions whether the boy was a scapegoat, a martyr or a victim of his foolhardiness. In the end, the audience can draw their conclusion.
The cast includes Uchit Nair, Ujwal Nair, Harish Adithya, Dileep Rangan and Gautam Krishnan. The play is produced by MYT's Dushyanth Gunashekar.
For tickets, contact 99401 38749 or email masquerade.madras@gmail.com or log on to www.indianstage.in for online booking.
