Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Noted theatre personality Girish Karnad’s first play ‘Yayati’ was staged at Chetna Terrace Theatre in the city on Monday evening. It was part of the second day of a three-day ‘8th Karunesh Natya Samaroh,’ organised by The Rising Society of Art and Culture in association with the ministry of culture.
Written by Girish Karnad and directed by Balendra Singh, the mythological play was presented by Hum Theatre Group, Bhopal. This is the first play of Karnad, written in 1961.
Yayati was a Chandravanshi king. He was one of the ancestors of Pandavas and Yadavas. He was the son of King Nahusha and his wife Ashokasundari, daughter of Shiva and Parvati. However, early sources state that Virajas, daughter of the Pitris, was the mother of Yayati.
He had five brothers: Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. Yay?ti had conquered the whole world and was the Chakravarti Samrat. He married Devayani and took Sharmishtha, daughter of king Vrishparva and maid of Devayani to his empire. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of the Asuras. Later, he copulates with Sharmishtha.
After hearing of his relationship with Sharmishtha, Devayani complains to her father Shukracharya, who in turn curses Yay?ti to old age in the prime of life, but later allows him to exchange it with his son, Puru. His story finds mention in the Mahabharata-Adi Parva, in the Bhagavata Purana and also in the Matsya Purana.
Yogesh Tiwari as Yayati, Aarti Yadav as Devayani, Khushboo Chaubitkar as Swarnalata, Juleepriya as Sharmishtha and Puru as Aaditya Tiwari, Sneha Gupta as Chitrarekha were in lead roles. Morris Lajras composed its music. Another play ‘Prithiviraj Chauhan,’ directed by Ashish Shrivastava will be staged on Wednesday.
