Ardha | The Incomplete Dream

A Bharatanatyam and Spoken Word Solo

Ardha – The Incomplete Dream is a solo work born out of a collection of essays contained in the book, Finding Radha by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal. Weaving together Bharatanatyam and spoken word, Ardha looks at Radha as the ‘adhara’ in whom the essence of Krishna is held. Beyond her oft-recognized status as Krishna’s lover and his chosen gopi, Radha is ‘Hladini Shakti’ – the potency that is half of Krishna, their spirits engaged in perpetual ‘Lila Hava’- the exchange of ornaments, attire, and souls.

Could Radha be an illusion that, through her dhara (flow) of joy and pain in union and separation, symbolizes the yearning for something beyond, a yearning that exists in every human? What happened to Radha after Krishna left Mathura? Why is Krishna celebrated while Radha, is a mere shadow in her aradhana to him?

Credits:

– Concept, Choreography, Dance, Spoken word: Vidhya Subramanian

– Music Composition: Shreya Devnath

– Soundtrack produced at Resound India and mixed and mastered by Sai Shravanam

– Musicians: Keerthana Vaidyanathan, Shreya Devnath, Sivaprasad, Sruti Sagar, Sai Shravanam, Manonmani, Vidhya Subramanian