The Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana, and it is an important part of Hindu mythology. Being a major text of Hinduism, it is of immense importance to the culture of India. It speaks of human goals taking place in long standing traditional values, and it attempts to explain the relationship of an individual to the society at large and the workings of karma. The title may be literally translated as "The Great Tale of the Bharata Dynasty." The authorship is attributed to Vyasa, with its earliest layers dating back to the late Vedic period, around the 8th century BC. The Mahabharata is also the longest epic poem in the world with about one-hundred thousand verses and about 1.8 million words. It is roughly ten times as long as the Illiad and Odyssey combined, with a total length of over 90,000 verses!

The Mahabharata was played by the students of Sharad Pawar International School, Pune for the school community, including parents, staff, students and distinguished guests on Annual Day 2008. The script, readied by Hindi teacher Dr. Chandrakant Shinde, saw me play the role of a 'pandva'.

It was a unique challenge, as this play was to be performed in front of a large crowd, and I am not particularly an artsy person, not to mention that my Hindi skills are nothing short of mediocre. Doing a play exclusively in Hindi,provided its own set of challenges for me, as I found it tough to learn my lines and to understand the play at times. Me language barrier was recognized, and I was given a part without too many dialogues. This proved very helpful, as improvement, especially in a language, can only be done with baby steps. The cast spent four days simply reading the script over and over in order to cement the content in our heads. We practiced tirelessly for over a month, working for five or more hours a day on stage. At times, the rehearsals were taken lightly by students, and these sometimes lead to inefficient practices. Practicing on some days for seven hours, it became extremely fatiguing mentally and physically, but through dedication and hard work, these difficulties were eliminated.

Nervousness of speaking Hindi, a language I was not comfortable with on stage was nerve-wracking, however, with the guidance of Dr. Shinde, I along with my fellow cast members gradually overcame this nervousness. With constant advice and guidance, we were able to memorize, co-ordinate and deliver a powerful performance.

The final play was spectacular! Everyone performed exceptionally, and the show was nothing short of flawless. The successful completion of such an endeavor instilled me with a great sense of accomplishment. It was a great activity for self-development, as I thoroughly enjoyed acting! It also educated me about India's culture, something I was not well versed with. It was a great experience overall! I learnt that when you show dedication, there is nothing that can prevent a successful campaign.

My accomplished learning outcomes were:
1: Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth
2: Undertaken new challenges
3: Worked collaboratively with others
4: Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
5: Considered the ethical implications of their actions
6: Developed new skills