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Opera Gandari: A new perspective on a Mahabharata character

Anselmo Jason (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Mon, December 9, 2019

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Opera Gandari: A new perspective on a Mahabharata character Questions and answers: Indonesian senior artist Christine Hakim talks during a press conference on a new play, 'Opera Gandari', in Jakarta. (JP/Dionnasius Aditya)

Opera Gandari promises an all-embracing art form based on Goenawan Mohamad’s depiction of the Mahabharata character.

Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata is filled with a plethora of memorable characters. There are the main protagonists –– the Pandawa –– consisting of five siblings blessed with extraordinary abilities, themselves being incarnations of various deities within the Hindu religion. The five siblings include the wise Yudistira, the powerful Bima, the kind Arjuna, the handsome Nakula and the diligent Sadewa.

While the five protagonists are arguably the most recognizable characters in the epic, their nemeses are not easily forgotten. In the Mahabharata, the Pandawa go up against the Kurawa, which consist of 100 siblings led by Duryodana and Dursasana, the former’s own cousins. In the story, the two rival families fight each other until the Pandawa ultimately emerge victorious.

Then there are the secondary characters, including Gandari, the mother of the Kurawa. In the Mahabharata lore, she is most famous for being depicted with a blindfold, a result of her solidarity to her husband Dretarasta who was born blind. She is also known to be a virtuous character in the epic, in spite of her sons’ eternal rivalry against the Pandawa.

The character of Gandari, while not a major player in the epic, has been the subject of several adaptations. One of her most notable depictions was in the form of a poem by Indonesian poet and writer Goenawan Mohamad, titled Gandari. The poem itself has been adapted twice, in 2014 at Teater Jakarta and in 2015 in Frankfurt.   

However, there is going to be a third adaptation of Mohamad’s poem, this time by Yayasan Rumah Musik Indonesia as part of their MUSIKINI program. The adaptation, titled Opera Gandari, will take place at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Jakarta on Dec. 14 and 15.

As the title of the play suggests, the adaptation of Mohamad’s poem will come in an operatic style alongside contemporary music, choreography and choir. According to director and choreographer Melati Suryodarmo, the opera will take a look into the character of Gandari, including her psyche and values during the story of the Mahabharata.

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