The evening saw the performance of Rukmini Vijayakumar, the Founder and Artistic Director of Radha Kalpa Dance Company. She has performed in forums across the world and has received the title of Harsha Kala Bhushan from Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
Rukmini Vijayakumar presented a grand 90 minute production – Prabhavati – the story of an Asura princess. The production, inspired by the 16th century Telugu poet Pingali Suranna’s work Prabhavatee Pradyumnamu, is based on a story from Mahabharata.
Prabhavati was born to the powerful asura Vajranabha. She was kind hearted and different from her clan. Having heard about Krishna’s son Pradyumna’s stories of valour, she knew that he was the one she wanted to marry. Indra and Krishna conspired to bring them together and sent the celestial swans to both of them to speak of one to the other. Soon, Pradyumna fell in love with this luminous beauty. Vajranabha was so powerful that no one could enter this kingdom. However, Prabhavati and Pradyumna found a way and the two were united.