Ballet on Indian History

Punyatirtha Bharat (Ballet)

Biradari conceptualized and produced a unique ballet Punyatirtha Bharat in 1992 on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of August Kranti Movement of 1942.

Punyatirtha Bharat is a historical journey from Vedic times to Independent India, featuring amongst other events, the struggle for freedom interwoven with songs and music of rare beauty, and well choreographed and gracefully executed dance sequences making this ballet a memorable experience, bringing to fore the past and the present glory of the land, which is India.

From the rippling waters of the Indian Ocean to the snowcapped peaks of the majestic Himalayas, from the arid desert of Badmer to the fertile valleys of the Brahmaputra is spread our Bharat—a vast conglomeration of different religions, languages, various costumes and colorful people—all proudly proclaiming the amazing unity in diversity.
India is a land of saints and sages. Since time immemorial it has always attracted people from all over the world to come to this land of Karma—in search of true knowledge, peace and happiness, for delving into the mysteries of life and existence.

India has experienced it all—foreign invasions, monstrous suppression, imperial exploitation are all part of its history. Great kings and emperors have ruled and gone, leaving behind them magnificent monuments and cities. Great sages and messiahs have preached and laid down new paths of religious thought and practice. Great scholars and intellectuals who have understood the need of our millions have given them constructive energy through their thoughts and actions. All this and much more has become part of our glorious heritage.

Today, again, when the clouds of socio-cultural disparity are darkening our horizon, the time has come for the quest of those values and principles, for rediscovering our glorious heritage—of finding new paths, rededicating ourselves to the duty and service of our nation by following the paths and principles etched out by great men in every age and every province of our land, of making such resolutions that have persisted and enriched our lives from the Vedic times to the Gandhian Era. Punyatirtha Bharat is truly a musical pilgrimage drawing inspiration from our rich cultural heritage, recounting most major events and people who have played an important role in our glorious past. Through this ballet, Biradari has endeavored to inspire our present generation and rekindle the lamp of our true knowledge, tradition and culture by depicting 67 major historic incidents and recounting most of the people who played important roles in our glorious past. The ballet covers the teachings of various historic figures and all the major episodes of Indian history. Some of them are mentioned here:

* Vishvamitra * Vedic times * Ram * Krishna * Mahavir * Buddha * Chanakya * Ashok * Shankaracharya * Tiruvalluvar * Sufi Saints * Ameer Khusro * Kabir * Basweshwar * other Saints * Maharana Prataap * Akbar * Shivaji * Guru Govind Singh * Entry of East India Company * Mutiny of 1857 * Raja Ram Mohan Roy * Dayanand Saraswati * Swami Vivekanand * Tilak *Jyotiba Phule * Bhagat Singh * Savarkar * Mahatma Gandhi * Mahatma’s thought alteration movement of the masses * Jalianwala Baug * Non Cooperation Movement * The magic of Charkha * Salt Satyagraha * Subhash Chandra Bose * Quit India movement * Year 1947 - The Independence * Nehru * Salutations to ‘Punyatirtha Bharat’ in Rabindranath Tagore’s words * Faith and confidence in democracy * Proclamation of ‘World as one family’ and ‘Human Amity’.

With sonorous music, advanced acoustics and light arrangement, symphonic choreography and visuals, and convincing portrayal of historical characters by Biradari artists, this ballet takes the audience to a nostalgic pilgrimage of the past, touches the depth of their heart and moves them to rethink various aspects of their life in this fast-changing world.

This ballet has been presented before Prime Ministers of India P V Narshimha Rao, Chandrashekhar and Dr. Manmohan Singh. Till date, 450 presentations have been successfully completed across 18 states in India and abroad.

This program was inspired by Shri Sudhakarrao Naik (former Chief Minister of Maharashtra) and conceptualized by Kranti Shah. The storyline is by Basu Bhattacharya and Mrinalini Desai, the lyrics are by Vasant Dev, music composition by Ashit Desai, narration by Farooque Shaikh and Costume by Suresh Dresswala. Credits for its production and choreography go to Rekha Shah, Jhelum Paranjpe, Gauri Tripathi and many other artists.

Reproduction of Punyatirtha with special elaboration on the Revolution of 1857 (on the occasion of its 150th anniversary) is being put forth before the country. This reproduction is inspired by Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha and produced by Nagendra Rai.