🎼 Katha Upanishad · Dhrupad · Sri M · Philosophy
The Katha Upanishad's timeless tale is a dialogue between Yama, the god of Death, and Nachiketa — a committed teenager seeking the truth. This dialogue between the ideal teacher and the ideal student carries deep and yet immediately meaningful lessons for everyday life.
Dhrupad, one of the oldest traditions within Hindustani classical music, stresses the purity of the note — swara — to showcase the pristine beauty of our ragas. This show brings the philosophy of the Katha Upanishad and Dhrupad music accessible to contemporary audiences.
Production Credits
| Role | Artist |
|---|---|
| Dhrupad Music | The Gundecha Brothers |
| Guidance on the Katha Upanishad | Sri M |
| Direction | Tara Kini |
| Drama Direction | Arundhati Raja |
| Script | Gita Shenoy and Anand Kasturi |
| Music Direction (Asst.) | Raji Murlidhar, Shanti Subbaraman, Nandini Kamath |
| Actors | Jagdish Raja, Anand Kasturi, Anshul Pathak |
| Sarod | C.S. Balasubramanian |
| Pakhawaj | Ramesh Joshi and Dnyaneshwar Deshmukh |
| Flute | Sameer Inamdar — Students of the Dhrupad Sansthan, Bhopal |
| Costume Design | Madhu Nataraj |
Performance History
Swar Katha Upanishad has been performed at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield (multiple runs including a popular demand return), at schools in Chennai (AMM school and Padma Sheshadri Bala Bhavan School), at Bharat Kalachar and Chandralekha's Spaces. Audio CDs of the production are available.
Audience Response
A very unique interpretation of the Katha Upanishad with Dhrupad music in a very contemporary style — the recounting of the story and philosophy of life and death narrated by Yama to Nachiketa, interspaced with Dhrupad rendition of the shlokas by the singers.