| Script For Enacting Tagore's Upagupta |
| By : Padma Rajasekharuni | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 04 Nov, 2006 | Total Views : 1398 |
Upagupta - A dance ballet
Rabindranath Tagore
The Ultimate Rasa that crowns all other human emotions is Shanta rasa. Shanta rasa is associated with universal peace and tranquility accompanied by a spiritual awakening. At the peak of maturity of human life, one realizes that love, anger, wonder, happy and sad moments, they all must necessarily come to nothing but spirituality, which is the universal truth. Material happiness, momentary fits of emotions must ultimately lead us to the purpose for which the god has sent us to this Earth ie to establish peace and harmony on the planet. This is the message that our students want to spread.
Now the finale of this cultural show is a dance ballet based on Upagupta composed by Rabindranath Tagore, the master of all muses.
This is the story of a Buddhist monk Upagupta, a disciple of lord Buddha and the dancing girl of Madhura ,Vasavadatta, where the sensuous merges with the spiritual. Atma uniting with Paramatma.
Vasavadatta is a famous and beautiful dancing girl of the city of Madhura . She was intoxicated with her beauty and proud of her youth, her riches and her talent. Upagupta is an ascetic, an epitome of kindness and forgiveness, spirituality and renunciation. Now ladies and gentlemen, watch how shanta rasa the supreme human emotion wins over materialism and worldly desires.
Vasavadatta at the height of her beauty, youth and fame.
Curtain rises
Scene I
Darbar scene : King and his 12 courtiers are seated and watching Vasavadatta dancing (along with ten more girls)
Dance classical.
Court scene.
The courtiers throw coins and chains on Vasavadatta.
Upagupta, the disciple of Buddha, lay asleep on the dust,by the city wall of Madhura.Lamps were all out, doors were all shut.
And stars were all hidden by the murky sky of August.
Vasavadatta, with few maids walks with pride checking her make up and her new jewels . Tinkling sound in the background.
Whose feet were those tinkling with anklets touching his breast of a sudden One of the maids hands the lamp to Vasavadatta.It was the dancing girl, starred with jewels, clouded with pale-blue mantle, drunk with the wine of the youth.
Vasavadatta looks at Upagupta and admires his handsome figure.She lowered her lamp and saw the young face, austerely beautiful.Forgive me, young ascetic, said the woman graciously come to my house. The dusty earth is not fit bed for you.
Upagupta stands up and turns his face away from her and shows his hand.The young ascetic answered,woman, go on your way, when the time is ripe, I will come to you.Suddenly the black night showed its teeth in a flash of lightning.The storm growled from the corner of the sky and the woman trembles in fear.
Narration : Seasons changed,years rolled - Vasavadatta subjected to ageing lost her charm and her riches. Her talent as a dancer could no longer draw the attention of the people of Madhura. Added to the misery was her pestilence stricken body,the fruit of her immoral life. Her whole body was covered with sores. And the same crowd which touched her feet a few years ago, mercilessly drove her out of the city gates. Such is the terrible irony of fate.( getting ready for the next scene with light music after the narration)
Scene II - Spring time
The branches of the wayside trees were aching with blossom. Gay notes of the flute come floating in the warm spring air from afar. The citizens were in the woods at the festival of flowers
Spring festival,a folk dance pageant.Chitti babu's veena(wedding bells)
1) Girls and boys playing with floral balls
2) Some girls and boys doing garba dance
3) Two peacocks and two deer and two koels running here and there
4) Girls and boys in folk dance steps like koyas
Meanwhile Vasavadatta comes onto the stage scratching her head and body, driving flies from her face. She is dressed in a dull colored saree either black or grey , with open hair, and spots on her body. Being a dancer herself she tries to join the group of dancers .The dancers look at her with disgust and contempt and hurl stones at her(paper balls) and she collapses. The people leave the place isolating her on the stage.
Lights go dim and sad music in the back ground.
Scene III
From the mid sky, gazed the full moon on the shadows of the silent town.The young ascetic was walking in the lonely street, while overhead the love sick koels urged their plaint.
In the back ground:
Buddham saranam gatchchaami!
Sangham saranam gatchchaami !
Dharmam saranam gatchchaami !
Upagupta enters the stage with four monks walking behind him, one holds a kamandalam of water and one holds an earthen bowl.
Upagupta passed through the city gates and stood at the base of the rampart.What woman,lay in the shadow of the wall.At his feet, struck with the black pestilence,her body spotted with sores, hurriedly driven away from the town.The ascetic sat by her side, taking her head on his knees, and moistened her lips with balm.He is assisted by his disciples.
Who are you merciful one? asked the woman.
The time at last has come to visit you, and I am here,replied the young ascetic.Vasavadatta gets up bows before him and Upagupta places a saffron robe on her open arms and walks ahead. The girl follows him slowly with outstretched arms and the monks walk behind them. They take two rounds of the stage and exit.
In the back ground
Buddham saranam gatchchaami!
Sangham saranam gatchchaami !
Dharmam saranam gatchchaami !
As curtain drops.
Om asatoma satgamaya ! O lord ! lead us from illusion to reality.
Tamasoma jyotirgamaya ! From darkness of ignorance to enlightenment.
Mrityorma amritangamaya ! From oblivion to eternity.
Om Shanti!Shanti!Shanti!
(Note : After the introduction, the lines in the bold font are the lines of the actual poem, Upagupta, to be recited in the back stage and the lines in italics are the tips for action.)
Properties needed : Peacocks, deer, darbar backdrop and some royal chairs, floral balls, garba sticks, paper balls , kamandalam, earthen bowls, some jewels.
Costumes : For dancers, and simple check sarees for the folk dance and ordinary dhotis for the folk dance, saffron robes, monk dresses, guards,dresses and spears.
Written By : Padma Rajasekharuni
