The art of Story-Telling as a performing art is rarely seen in the Western theater.  Jean Claude Carrière, the great french writer brought the art form to stage and presented a compelling version of the timeless tale of Mahabharata at the majestic Paramount Theater on October 25 and October 26, 2014.

This was a tale he collaborated with Peter Brooks on to create the great nine hour classic TV serial on Mahabharata and later the five hour film. 

Using a sitar as the background Jean Claude Carriere played the role of the legendary story-teller Veda Vyasa to bring forth the complexities of the Mahabharata.  Local dancer Sunanda Narayana was asked occasionally to enact a portion of the tale which she did to perfection while her son rendered a few verses perfectly.

Jean Claude has studied the tale intensely and yet his take on the tale was very western. Unlike Indian master story-tellers for who the story of the Mahabharata is laced with Bhakti to Lord Krishna, Jean Claude’s devotion was if anything to the tale and perhaps to Vyasa himself.  

The complex nature of the Mahabharata allows the narrator to pick any part and give the angle of their choice to the tale. Jean Claude masterfully focused on the broad outline of the tale bringing out the excellence of Vyasa as the story-teller.  His intense research of the tale shone through his presentation. It was a sincere presentation of the  distillation of the philosophies of India to a Western audience. 

Coming from an Indian background where the art of story-telling or Kathakalekshepam is a highly evolved dramatic form, the presentation of Jean Claude seemed very understated. One also wondered how an audience that may not be familiar with the story that were the intended audience would have taken to the narration. Perhaps the very personality of this great man touched people’s soul. 

The event overall was awe-inspiring and touched the soul.