Vaari | a pilgrimage beyond Self | Parwati Dutta & group | Kathak

Vaari : a pilgrimage beyond Self
concept, research & choreography : Parwati Dutta
This production is a contemplative narrative on the life, wisdom and teachings of Sant Gyaneshwar (Dnyaneshwar), the 13th-century Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition. Sant Gyaneshwar was born in a hamlet on the North bank of the Godavari river. During the course of his spiritual quest, enlightenment and creation of philosophical texts ‘Dnyaneshwari’ and 'Amritanubhava'; he moved to Alandi where he took ‘Sanjeevan Samadhi’ on the banks of the Indraayani River at the age of 21 years. Incidences in his life - of humiliation, rejection, confrontation, courage, compassion, surrender and submission emerge as waves in the life and knowledge-currents of this great sage.
The dance sequences take us through the multi-layered and multi-dimensional interpretation of this journey, beginning with flashes of unfortunate experiences by young Gyaaneshwar near the banks of Godavari. Dnyaaneshwari describes this world full of sins and misdeeds as a 'Maya nadi' and epitomises Ganga as a symbol of purity, humility and the eternal cycle of the flow of life. 'Jaatyaavarchi ovi', the 'ovi-s' traditionally sung by the women in rural Maharashtra while working on the 'jaat', the grinding wheel narrate a gamut of legends and experiences with a philosophical edge. This 'ovi' becomes the frame for Dnyaneshwar's poetic creations.