A dance-drama treat for Lucknowites

Aaj Ki Draupadi

, a dance-drama, was staged at

Sangeet Natak Akademi

, recently. Directed and choreographed by Surabhi Singh, the play showcased the concept of women empowerment in the form of Kathak. In order to create the ambience of the Mahabharat era, Surabhi created scenes of that period with the help of 3D effects in the background which was appreciated by the audience. The theme of the hour-long dance drama revolved around contemporary women who have fought for their rights and protested against discrimination in society.

(L) Governor

Ram Naik

(C) Mahant Divya Giri (R)

Rita Bahuguna Joshi

(BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)

Ram Naik, governor Uttar Pradesh, presided over the function, while

Suresh Khanna

, minister of Urban Development, UP, marked his presence as the chief guest. Rita Bahuguna Joshi, minister of Women Welfare, UP, came a tad late but remained till the end of the event.
“The subject of the show brought me over here to see how the present Draupadi is. The depiction of Draupadi and the message conveyed through the dance drama was really good,” said Ram Naik.
“Women empowerment is a talked about topic throughout the nation but the condition of women the society is still the same as it was centuries ago. Promoting the cause through art and culture may be a useful tool as people get more influenced by it,” said Suresh Khanna. The event also witnessed the felicitation of women who had excelled in their respective fields including Mahant Divya Giri, Swati Singh, Sutapa Sanyal, Usha Vishkarma, among others.
By Adnaan Rizvi

(L) Aparna Mishra (R) David Zamdmer and Vinti Bhatnagar (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)

(L) Jayant Krishna (C) Suresh Khanna (R) Swati Singh (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)

(L) Urmil Kumar Thapliyal (R) Vipul Varshney (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)