Concept & Choreography: Malavika Sarukkai
Creative Collaborator: Sumantra Ghosal

The eminent Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer, Malavika Sarukkai, expanded the boundaries of her discipline through an investigative rigour of her dance form. She presented the unique solo production “The Battle Within” – a dramatic interpretation inspired by the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is revealed on the battlefield of Kurukshetra which becomes both a physical and psychological arena. Though the context is the imminent war between two families, the Gita becomes a universal and timeless text for it addresses the conflict within each one of us.

This choreography traces the epic discourse between Arjuna and Krishna — encompassing the human and divine and operating at both, the micro and the macro levels. Using the language of classical dance, Malavika Sarukkai brings alive the internal spaces of the heart and mind, fired by emotions of conflict, despair and transformation.

The innovative visual design by Sumantra Ghosal is an integral part of this choreography and uses light and projection both moving and still, to bring the text alive, as the dancing body sculpts space to create an intense experience. Sound, light, music, text and dance seamlessly converse with each other as the epic unfolds.