The story of the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is among the most colourful in Hindu lore. Many of us would have heard tales of Shiva the unlikely bridegroom — dressed in a tiger skin and smeared with ash — and his ungainly procession of ‘best men', the ganas who came as baraatis . It is a favourite subject of both solo dancers and choreographers.
This Shivaratri, which falls on Friday, the Lalit Suri Hosptitality Group, under the guidance of its Chairperson and Managing Director Jyotsna Suri, has planned an ornate celebration of “Shiv Vivah” at The Lalit Temple View, Khajuraho, and other sites in the temple city. The five star hotel's guests will be invited to take part in the celebrations. Options range from getting classical coiffures and appropriate costumes, then joining the procession from the hotel to the wedding site, to an elegant reception after the multi-media “Shiv Vivah” dance drama is over. But well heeled tourists are not the only ones on the guest list. The whole town is invited, say hotel officials.
Notes eminent Odissi dancer Sharon Lowen, who is directing the stage show, “Jyotsna Suri has been doing one or two festivals at The Lalit, Khajuraho, every year. There have been soloists, there have been folk, choreographic groups. But now she has made the festival an offering to the people of Khajuraho.” For Khajuraho, she adds, Shivaratri is as big a festival as, say, Durga Puja in Bengal.
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The town already has a mela on at this time, and the hotel has teamed up with the Nagar Panchayat, Khajuraho, to ensure local participation and ensure the event doesn't remain a highbrow five star extravaganza. The procession is in the form of a moving tableau designed by The Lalit's curator Naresh Kapuria. He has also designed the three-stage set for the show. After the show (entry free), featuring classical dancers and theatre artistes, prasad will be distributed to the entire gathering.
Kapuria, who has been camping in Khajuraho, expects about 500 people to be part of the tableau, including hotel guests, artistes and townspeople, and 10,000 at the venue to witness the fun. But it's about more than fun, states Sharon. This is a representation of a cosmic event, the union of the mortal with the immortal Self. Sharon will be introducing the philosophy behind the myths and giving a presentation prepared jointly by her and well known dancer-scholar Kamalini Dutt — who has also prepared the script for “Shiv Vivah”, based on Tulsidas' “Parvati Mangal”. Music for the dance production is by Rakesh Pathak. Other highlights of the two-day event starting this Friday evening are the sound and light show “Khajur Vahika” and a Talavadya (percussion spectacle) conducted by mridangam exponent Thanjavur Keshavan.
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