Enchanting musical ‘Sri Krishnarpanamastu’ showcases traditional Indian art of storytelling
A group of British Indian families recently organised a grand musical performance in Salford, Manchester, entitled ‘Sri Krishnarpanamastu’, which sought to showcase the joy of storytelling in Indian traditions and connect and unite all age groups, backgrounds and creative abilities.
The two-hour-long play depicted four of Krishna’s childhood stories, known as leelas. From depicting the eternal mother-son relationship, the oft-unknown story of Krishna’s favourite cow ‘Punyakoti’ to stories of victory of love and devotion over pride and arrogance, ‘Sri Krishnarpanamastu’ brings out the joys of Krishna’s childhood stories.
Bringing together a total of 28 children, as well as trained dancers and a musical orchestra, one of the key tenets of this production was to involve the parents, along with their children, in putting it together.
“I remember telling parents right at the start that this was not going to be one of those activities where you drop the kids off and come back later to pick them up. This had to be a family-made and family-centric project. It is everyone’s play,” said Dr Anuradha Venugopal, a surgeon by profession, a student of Bharatnatyam for the last 14 years and a mother to two.
The awe-inspiring musical incorporated songs from all parts of India including songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit, accompanied by narration in English.
“Our aim was to connect all communities and blur language barriers, reflecting the universality of the values and morals depicted in these stories.”
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Explaining the importance of such projects in the community, Dr Venugopal said: “As the first-generation here in the UK, me and my friends have tried to reaffirm our identity. Growing up in India meant that we never had to make any extra efforts to anchor our identity but that’s not the case for our kids growing up here in the UK.
“Such activities involving the whole family not only allows children to build key life skills like teamwork but also helps them to understand Hindu values through simple, relatable stories. It is just like Nativity at Christmas.
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“The time has come that Hindus take pride in their culture and the universal content and morals present in our stories. Only then can we pass it on to the next generation,” concluded Dr Venugopal.