By Ashok Kumar
The word Yagnaseni means a woman born out of fire. It is the story of Draupadi, the queen of Hastinapur and wife of five brothers (Pandavas). Mahabharatha story has many versions to retell the story.
Yagnaseni: the story of Draupadi is based on a 1984 Odia language novel by Pratibha Ray. The story revolves around Draupadi from the famous epic Mahabharatha. Arunima Gupta, weaves another version of Mahabharat, aptly “titled through the eyes of Draupadi” because she had suffered a lot in the Panchal and then Hastinapur kingdoms before and after her marriage to Pandavas. She had only one companion- her brother Drishtaduman, whom she fondly called Dhri and who was born from the same fire from which Draupadi emerged. Krishna was her best friend and guide.
Droupadi’s sufferings began soon after her swayamavar when Arjuna along with his four brothers. Though, Arjun hit the target to win the hand of Draupadi in the presence of mighty Kaurvas cousins. The five brothers at the door of their home announce their achievement/reward to their mother Kunti, who advised her sons to distribute the alms equally amongst themselves. Thus, she became the wife of all the five brothers and Arunima calls her Panchali (meaning wife of five brothers). On realizing that the the achievement was none other than her new daughter-in-law and her advice was misplaced. In the play, Arunima Gupta named Draupadi as Panchali (being a wife of five brothers). However, the several versions and historical texts show Draupadi was known as Panchali as she was the princess of the state of Panchal.
Draupadi happens to be the most suffering, sacrificing, and yet the most misunderstood character from the epic. It is a retelling of the Mahabharata from the viewpoint of the primary female protagonist: Draupadi. The play shows elaborate props such as fire depicting yagna and the fish whose eye was the target for the swayamvar. and the chariot carrying Lord Krishna and Arjuna. The play was brought to the Australian audiences by Sai Creative Arts Network (SCREAN) Australia in collaboration with Azad Parindey Production. It was one of the most memorable theatre performances ever witnessed in Sydney.
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