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Watch ‘Bali: The Sacrifice,’ a story of a king, caught between his Jain queen, who refuses to harm life, and his mother, who believes in sacrificial rites, finds himself struggling to reconcile his love for the women in his life, his position as a ruler, and perhaps the hardest of all, his faith. This production of Girish Karnad’s play takes you through one night of pathos, anger, and laughter, unravelling barriers of caste and religious beliefs.

Many times, we struggle to find a middle ground in life and are often crushed between our ideals and relationships. This upcoming play — Bali: The Sacrifice by Girish Karnad, is based on the same idea. Being the English translation of his play Hittina Hunja, the plot revolves around a king, who is caught between his Jain queen who refuses to harm life and his mother who believes in sacrificial rites. He finds himself struggling to reconcile his love for the women in his life, his position as a ruler and perhaps the hardest of all, his faith. We get into a chat with Arundhati Raja, director of the play and cofounder of Jagriti Theatre to find out more about this production.

Theatre artiste Arundhati Raja has journeyed from balancing teaching sciences along with theatre, to subsequently giving up teaching to focus solely on theatre. Now, as she gets ready for her English adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Kannada classic, Hittina Hunja — Bali: The Sacrifice — she talks about revisiting a play years later, the challenges she has faced, and her hopes for theatre in the future.

In Girish Karnad’s Bali: The Sacrifice (the English adaptation of his 1980 Kannada play Hittina Hunja), a king is torn between his love for his Jain queen, who refuses to harm life, and his duty to his mother, who demands sacrificial rites. This gripping drama explores the complexities of faith, morality, and the power of love.

Back in 2021 when Arundhati Raja-directed Bali: The Sacrifice premiered at Jagriti Theatre, it marked the return of live theatre in Bengaluru after months of ‘everything went online’ in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. An English adaptation of the late Girish Karnad’s 1980 Kannada masterpiece Hittina Hunja, the 90-minute play is a tribute to the legendary playwright. Cut to 2024, Bali is ready for a new round of shows in the city on August 30, 31 and September 1. The latest version promises a fresh perspective, complete with thoughtfully done set design, music and a couple of new cast members.

Among writer, playwright, and filmmaker Girish Karnad’s most notable works, Hittina Hunja stands out for its profound exploration of the complexities of human morality, particularly the intoxicating nature of power and its potential to blind individuals to their own vulnerabilities. Following the successful debut of a production based on the English translation of Hittina Hunja, titled Bali: The Sacrifice, thespian and Jagriti Theatre co-founder Arundhati Raja is bringing the play back later this month.

The English drama, which premiered in 2021, returns to the city after a two-year gap and with a new cast. “The cast was changed as two of the actors were unavailable. Varun Kainth, who played the king’s role in the previous production, has been replaced by Avinash Muddappa. Swati De will be playing the queen instead of Leenaz Samad Bicha,” shares Arundhati Raja, director. The cast also features Mayura Baweja as queen mother and Vivek Vijayakumaran as the mahout.

The concept of time in Indian classical music indicates that ragas are linked to specific times of the day. They are meant to be performed at particular times to evoke a particular mood or feeling. The morning ragas are connected with the blush of dawn. These ragas, meticulously chosen for their evocative melodies, are designed to usher in the day with a sense of peace and possibility. Unlike their more energetic counterparts played later in the day, morning ragas are often introspective and serene, mirroring the quiet awakening of the world around us.

Euripides’ Medea, written in the fifth century BC, is primarily seen as a story of betrayal and vengeance. Love, magic, and fury collide in this timeless tragedy, which has stayed relevant for centuries since its creation.

When ancient Greek tragedian Euripides penned Medea in the late fourth century BCE, he could have sparsely imagined that the play would continue to resonate across millennia. Among the most powerful characters from ancient Greek mythology, Medea is arguably one of the most interesting, whose tragic story has been retold and reinterpreted throughout history. It’s a tale of despair, rage, and the lengths one might go to find a place called home. But Euripides’ telling transcends the earlier stereotypical depiction of Medea and is instead a nuanced exploration of complex yet universal themes that still find relevance.