The Dr. T.M.A. Pai Chair on Indian Literature, Manipal University, will present a cultural event ‘Akshayambara’ at the Gangubai Hangal auditorium of Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities (MCPH) in Planetarium Compex on the Manipal-Alevoor Road here at 5 p.m. on Friday.
A press release issued by the MCPH here on Thursday said that ‘Akshayambara’ seeks to investigate how contemporary concerns of family and gender are in dialogue with traditional religious ideas of spiritual suffering.
The programme will begin with a ‘Gamaka’ recital by the artiste Chandrashekara Kedlaya, accompanied by Vyakhyana (exposition and commentary) by scholar Prabhakara Joshy.
The episode for recitation is Draupadi Vastrapaharana (Disrobing of Draupadi), a chapter in Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari (popularly known as Gadugina Bharata), of the classical Kannada poet of the fifteenth century Kumaravyasa.
This will be followed by a contemporary interpretation of the work by M.S. Ashadevi, scholar from Bengaluru, who will link the questions raised by Draupadi in the recitation with social realities. The programme will thus be holistic — a pure work of art flanked by two of the highly regarded contemporary scholars in Karnataka.
“The programme will demonstrate how pertinent the issues raised by Kumarvyasa are still critical to the world today, for both aesthetics and scholarship,” the release said.
To encourage literature lovers from far off places to attend the programme, Manipal University has arranged bus service from the Udupi City Bus Stand to MCPH at 4.30 p.m. After the programme, the bus will drop the listeners back to the bus stand, the release added.
It will investigate how contemporary concerns of family and gender co-exist with religious ideas of spiritual suffering
