"Love and respect for cultural heritage is characteristic of a civilized and intellectually developed society".
Knowledge of Cultural Heritages and Traditions gives 'self-identity' and 'self-respect', which are the key-elements responsible for progress of an individual, and hence, of society. Therefore, people must know well about their cultural heritages, viz., archaeological discoveries, monuments, artefacts, antiquities, great personalities etc., and they must be aware of the importance of conservation and maintainance of the same.
Therefore, people must be informed and educated about the cultural heritages and their importance through poupular media, because a common man has not enough time and willingness to read books and research-papers. This is why Sunita Bharti has launched the series of Heritage Plays, keeping in mind the fact that a theatrical-presesntation has deeper impact on the public conscience than video and cinema.
The play Yakshini, and each of the forthcoming plays of the series Heritage Play, has been exclusively created and designed with the help of experts and authorities of the subject for educating people about the amazing past of our land and culture. At the same time, such a production creates awareness for conservation of cultural heritages. In fact, the same is the objective of 'museum-education or 'public museology’ taught in the syllabus of 'museological studies', hence, the play Yakshini is regarded as the 'first theatrical presentation in public museology'.
The play Yakshini is suitable for both the stages, proscenium and amphi-theatre. It uses modern stage-crafts and techniques for its diverse scenes.
Since many characters in the play are real historical persons, well documented in the annals, the costume, dialogues and body language of artists require much attention and precision. A few characters are fictitious but created as supplementary characters to illustrate the historical context lively, therefore they too must be traeted as real characters and require precision in their characterizarion on stage.
The play complies with the popular theatrical norms, has dramatic fluidity, and provides a wide scope for creative and technical applications to the director, actors and the back-stage artists.
The play consists of two acts.
Act-one displays the story of its excavation and retrieval, based on the documented facts with all real characters of the episode of 1917. All the physical, historic, aesthetic, and archaeological features of this icon have been explained through the dialogues of the characters in a very interesting manner so that the audience learn and grasp every information related to this figure while entertaining themselves.
The play specifically highlights the 'public interpretation' of this artwork at the time sculpture was discovered. According to historian Richard H. Davis, there is always a “cult value” of images in a particular culture or community. But Dr. D. B. Spooner, who played an important role in accession of the image to the Patna Museum, and wrote a report on Didarganj Image in the Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society in 1919, considered only the “exhibition value” of the icon; and he didn't enquire what the locals opined about the image. If they were worshiping the icon, what did they think of this icon? In act-one of this play, the writer has made a logical conjecture of what the villagers would have thought of this image, based on traditional belief and cult-practices.
Act-two of the play shows a fictitious story portraying a sculptor, a model and the circumstances leading to the sculpting of this masterpiece in 3rd century BC; within the limits of the historical facts, in order to make alive the era in which the icon was created. This story aids to the creative imagination of audience to realize the period in which this sculpture was created and at the same time it connects the audience with this icon emotionally.
Apart from Yakshini, the pioneer work in public museology, some other plays in the Heritage Infodrama Series is being prepared based on important and famous museum collections, archaeological excavations and ancient great personalities; uncovering some unknown chapters of Indian culture and tradition of philosophical and scientific ideas developed in the different epochs of time. Each of the play in the series deals with the information related to the central subject in form of an interesting story fabricated within the boundary of historical and archaeological facts.
These plays, based on extensive academic research and exploration opens up a new vista in Indian theatre : the Utiliterian Theatre or InfoDrama - a step towards the industrialization of Indian Theatre.
Act - 1
Act - 2