A Hindu 'Mythological' in the Parsi Theatre: Betab's Mahabharat
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006 @ 7:30 p.m.
Gallery Theatre Kathryn Hansen
The University of Texas at AustinKathryn Hansen is Professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses on modern South Asian literary and cultural studies. Her research interests include the history of theatrical practices in South Asia; performance and identity; and modern Hindi and Urdu literature. Her major publications include: Grounds for Play: The Nautanki Theatre of North India; The Parsi Theatre: Its Origin and Development (translator and editor); The Third Vow and Other Stories (translator); and A Wilderness of Possibilities: Urdu Studies in Transnational Perspective (co-editor with David Lelyveld). Abstract: Dr. Hansen’s talk will analyze the textual and performance history of an influential Parsi stage version of the Mahabharat, first performed in 1913. She will examine Betab’s play as a significant moment in the evolution of the “mythological” genre, linking the mythic visuals of the painter Raja Ravi Varma to developments in the early cinema. Looking at interpolated scenes in which Draupadi and Krishna become defenders of Chamars (“untouchables”), she will also explore the relationship between the mythological and radical social change in the nationalist period.
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