Delving deep into the “essence of self-discovery”, Daga Nikunj on Ballygunge Circular Road witnessed “The Trinity”, a performance curated by Priya Virmani, author, orator, entrepreneur and humanitarian based in the UK, on the evening of January 20. “The Trinity”, as described by Virmani, is an attempt towards decoding the energy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three primary deities of Hinduism.
The event was previously staged by Virmani in London, where a positive response from the audience convinced her to bring it to India. “Since this is based on my Indian heritage, I wanted to take it to India. I want to take it to other Indian cities, too, now that I’ve started off with Kolkata,” said Virmani. Proceeds from the evening went towards supporting Paint Our World, run by Virmani, which partners with shelter homes in emotionally empowering children. Several children from Paint Our World as well as Future Hope (another charity) were present in the audience.
A group of local artistes took to the stage with classical tunes on the flute by Sanjoy Bandhopadhyay kicking off the event. It was followed by vocalist Aparna Banerjee surrendering the evening to Vishnu through her song, which was accompanied by an Odissi performance by dancer Monami Nandi. Dressed in a blue costume, Nandi’s dance drew a visceral connection to Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu.
‘Science and physics also say there is creation, maintenance and destruction’
(L-R): Rajive Kaul, Alka Jalan, Priya Virmani and Andrew Fleming
After the welcome performance, Virmani invited the chief guest for the evening, Andrew Fleming, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata, to light the ceremonial lamp. Other guests joining him on stage included Alka Jalan, the founder of the Alka Jalan Foundation. Fleming hailed Virmani for “conducting extensive research for the show over a period of 20 years”.
The programme then saw Virmani take centrestage, narrating what the energy of the trinity is. She broke it down by naming Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the protector and Shiva as the destroyer. “Science and physics also say there is creation, maintenance and destruction,” said Virmani.
‘The entire consciousness of the universe has made each and every one of us’
Monami Nandi during one of her multiple dance performances on the evening
The show featured a second dance performance by Nandi, where she depicted the stories from the life of Krishna as a kid. “The entire consciousness of the universe has made each and every one of us… It is really the cosmos present in each and every one of us that Krishna reveals to his mother,” described Virmani. There were also mentions of excerpts from The Mahabharata and the role of Krishna in it as an adult, before Virmani segued to the high-pitched energy that we draw from Shiva.
“Grace is Krishna. From understanding the energy of Krishna, let’s look at a god we all call Mahadev. Mahadev means the great god,” declared Viramni. “He is the greatest dancer we know of. He is the enabler of life as he destroys all that’s excess in us— greed, lust, conditioning, judgement and grief,” added Virmani. Following Virmani’s oration about Shiva, there was another performance by Nandi, paying tribute to Shiva, accompanied by the beats of the tabla played by Ayan Bandhopadhyay.
“You can be in the midst of the world and still be connecting to yourself,” said Virmani
The programme came to an end with Virmani elaborating on the energy held within the chant of “Om Namah Shivay”. “Realising your best self or spirituality isn’t necessarily about banishing yourself to a forest. You can be in the midst of the world and yet be connecting to yourself while remaining half-open to the world,” said Virmani.
“I have known her [Virmani] for about six to seven years. She did six sessions here [before]. What appealed to me about the show is its understanding of spirituality,” said Jalan. “It was an educational experience for me. I didn’t know these stories, partly because I didn’t grow up with them. But I’m always interested in faith-based stories and it was wonderful to have Priya Virmani explain them today,” reflected Fleming.
