The center stage glows with a bright yellow light. An embellished throne awaits, with two cushions placed delicately on a white sheet, awaiting someone significant to grace its presence. Candles flicker at either end of the throne, next to moon-shaped bowls filled with water.
This powerful duo of fire and water transports us back through time, spanning centuries and eons. Fire, on which civilizations voyaged through ages, and water, our sanctuary from cataclysm, places humanity on life's shores.
The stage is set, and there appears a figure in a white embroidered robe. He greets the audience with grace, sits upon the throne—but don't mistake him for royalty. This is a man with layers of stories embedded in his mind, tales of Tughlaq, of mystics, of lovers gone astray, of bygone events, heartfelt emotions, and wounds of the oppressed.
Source: aajtak
Last Saturday was spent in the company of such a storyteller, Mehmood Farooqui. When he began the ritual of Dastangoi with folded hands, he invoked the one who inspires all narratives, the genesis and culmination of every tale. Who is he? Narayan...
Nārāyaṇam namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam. Devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayamudīrayet.
The first verse of Mahabharata, bowing to Narayan, and to Arjuna among the best of men. To Goddess Saraswati who inspires writer Vyasa, may the recitation herald the defeat of evil and the triumph of good.
The lights on stage dim, and we're transported back 5000 years, to the kingdom of Hastinapur by the sacred Ganges. King Shantanu's reign, the first wife being the very river it borders. His son Bhishma, warrior supreme, whose savagery keeps the nation safe from mountains to the sea. Ages pass, lineages continue. Shantanu is no more, Bhishma grows old. Children marry—blind Dhritarashtra to Gandhari, and Pandu weds Kunti.
But wait... why are Kunti's eyes moist on her wedding night? The storyteller unveils the secret of Karna, Kunti's pre-marital child, forever known as Radheya, born noble yet betrayed by castes and circumstances, failed in love and fated in life.
His chariot doomed to be trapped in mud on the day of his greatest battle, his mind cursed to forget his skills when he needs them most. When loyalty is tested, even Krishna reveals the truth of his birth: the firstborn of Kunti. Yet, Indra, disguised, strips away the armor that protected him.
Karna's despair is the unseen wound inflamed from birth. Who shall bring the balm?
Source: aajtak
Through Dastangoi, Farooqui illuminated pivotal moments of Karna's life. His identity crisis, generosity, strategic prowess, and the moment when Kunti urged him to join his real brothers, the Pandavas. But Karna's heart always beat for Duryodhana, his dear friend.
With words lifted from the epic 'Rashmirathi' by Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Farooqui brought Karna's feelings alive, painting the saga not just in words, but in a vibrant portrait.
Karna’s tale exemplifies the struggle between duty and expectation, revealing societal prejudices that chain individuals to a destiny that demands constant proof of worth. His story reflects the real conflicts of social bias and division that remain pertinent today.
Farooqui shed light on these themes while stressing its relevance to contemporary society. “Karna’s saga isn’t just about an individual, but about a system that suppresses the weak, akin to today's world divided by caste and religion,” he commented.
To perfect his narration, Farooqui delved into historical texts, traversing Sanskrit and Hindi Mahabharata, Dinkar's Rashmirathi, translations by Khalifa Abdul Hakim from Pakistan, the Urdu Mahabharata by Tota Ram Shayan, Akbar's Razmnama, and Iravati Karve’s book Yugant.
He blended linguistic elegance across Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and Sanskrit, drawing parallels between the Bhagavad Gita and Quran, underscoring human experiences of war and peace intertwined within all religions.
Karna’s story illustrates that human greatness lies in principles and passion, beyond success or failure. Farooqui's portrayal invites reflection on modern societal issues, offering insights into Mahabharata's enduring relevance. Karna’s character, sacrifices, and pain remind us that justice and equality echo timelessly. His story resonates within our hearts and minds eternally.
In knowing Karna’s tale, understanding scripture like Gita, and engaging in its essence, challenge is part of the journey. Farooqui refutes difficulty, urging trust in our artistic legacy, transcending barriers of language and culture, believing talent connects us to the divine and audience. Their support revives an age-old art, bringing it to new heights once lost, now a thriving beacon.
What is Dastangoi?
Dastangoi, the art of storytelling through poetry, gestures, and at times dialogues, enraptures without being conventional theatre. Derived from ‘dastan’ meaning story and ‘goi’ meaning teller, it’s a dramatic rendition primarily rooted in Persian, flourishing during the Mughal era in India. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was a regal entertainment form.
Though originating from Iran, Dastangoi’s essence permeated ancient India with oral traditions flourishing through epics and parables. Indian Puranic narrations by sages, Panchatantra's moral fables by Vishnu Sharma, and Jataka tales in Buddhism all resonate as facets of this storytelling tradition.
Features of Dastangoi
Dastangoi embodies a rhythmic, musical narrative style, blending Urdu, Persian, and Arabic words, with storytellers animating tales through expressions and tonal variations. It sometimes involves dialogues between duo artists. Revived in the late 20th and early 21st century by stalwarts like Mohammad Shameem and Mehmood Farooqui, it thrives as a golden art form today.
Source: aajtak
Who is Mehmood Farooqui?
This year marks 20 years of 'Dastangoi's revival. Once akin to hidden gems lost for nearly a century, it is witnessing a renaissance, a storytelling evolution steered by Mehmood Farooqui. His perseverance resurrected this mesmerizing art, dormant since 1928, now vibrant and 20 years young.
Farooqui, along with his team, traveled the world, engaging audiences with thousands of shows, educating about Dastangoi, sharing ancient and new tales while cultivating emerging storytellers and audiences. He established 'Dastangoi Collective', a registered channel to restore storytelling’s lost stature, enriching art and culture globally while reconnecting with India’s oral traditions, preserving heritage molded in timeless narratives.
