A celebration of friendship

Noted dancer Pramod Kumar Reddy along with his team of dancers presented a new dance ballet, 'Maītrīm Bhajathē' at Ravindra Bharathi. This production is a thematic presentation on the essence and traits of friendship through a few embodiments of friendship from our epics, interwoven with music.

"Belonging to different eras, backgrounds and circumstances Karna, Rama, Krishna are individuals with stunning, yet incompatible traits. To such epitomes of friendship is our new ballet a tribute to," shares Pramod.

"Friendship has become nothing less than "life". But in life nothing comes easy, so does Friendship which is demanding. It demands all your trust, ability to be correct and to correct your peers. Our mythological heros Karna, Rama, Krishna are personifications of friendship and their friendships are much stronger than that of ours.

To these epitomes of friendship is Sakhyam a tribute to those who value their friends," he adds. The ballet is a three drafted piece which presents the three essential attributes of friendship trust, forgiveness and correctness.

Rama and Sugreeva from Ramayana:

"We should not become too analytical about a friend, nor look too deeply into original causes; but accept only what appears good to us in the first instance, and act on it."-once spoke Rama

The most sought-after friends of the Ramayana are Rama and Sugreeva. Everything between them was perfect, but perfection had a price and they paid that price. Sugreeva asks Rama for help in killing Vali. Sugreeva gives himself over to material pleasures and spends his time and enjoying, causing him to ignore the promise he made to Rama to provide an army to search for Sita.

When Sugreeva is made to see the error of his ways, though, he vows to give up alcohol and becomes one of Rama's greatest and most loyal allies in the fight against Ravana. The dance rendition of the story with beautiful footwork especially during the fight scene between Vali and Sugreeva enchanted the audience to no end.

Krishna and childhood friends from Bhagavatam

Krishna says "Though I am in the body, I am not this body. Though I am working through the mind, I am not the mind. I am not what you see me as. I am much more than what you perceive me as. I am present in your heart as you. And anytime you need me, you call me, I'll be right there with you, to take you out of your troubles and difficulties. You can always count on me."

Krishnas friendships have always taught us to own our friends and be truthful to them. He has been a great friend whom we can count on and always trust him. His friendships not just one but many are life lessons, which were portrayed with great finesse in the second part of the ballet.

Karna and Duryodhana from Mahabharatha

One of the greatest friends on the earth, yet was on the wrong side of the allies.Karna was an essential part of the Mahabharata. His friendship and his kindness were his greatest strengths.

It is claimed that one of the biggest mistakes of Karna was that he never Corrected Duryodhana throughout his life. This lack of correction lead to many mistakes of duryodhana in the Mahabaratha.

Sakhyam emphasizes and elevates on this aspect of friendship among Karna, Duryodhana, and how correctness and sticking to the truth play a major factor in here.

The team by dancing to MS Subbulakshmi's rendition 'Maitrim Bhajate' that she sang at UN on the importance of friendship and on renouncing war and disputes, was an apt tribute to MS and the message of love and world peace, the song represents.