Hindu Epic comes to St Albans

The Mahabharata offers a gateway to the rich culture and history of India. It is the world’s longest epic poem. For many scholars it is as important as the Bible, Shakespeare or Homer in the development of civilisation.

Key passages from a new version by Carole Satyamurti will be performed in St Albans on Friday November 20th. Carole is the Vice President of Ver Poets and a past winner of the National Poetry Competition. Her “modern retelling” of the epic has won the prestigious Roehampton Prize for the Poetry Book of the Year.

Composed around two thousand years ago, the poem tells the story of a royal dynasty, descended from the gods, whose feud over their kingdom leads to a terrible war.

Carole Satyamurti says :”I decided to re-tell the Mahabharata because it is one of the world’s great neglected masterpieces – and because none of the existing versions seem to do it justice.

Ver Poets press officer Simon Bowden says: “This is a major cultural event and a must for anyone with an interest in India. There will be a short introduction to explain the poem’s historical significance.

“The performance will be dramatized using three voices, one of whom is the distinguished local poet John Mole.”

The event will be held at St Michael’s Church Hall near the Roman Museum in St Albans at 7.45 for 8pm. Entry costs £4 and includes refreshments.

For more information visit http://verpoets.org.uk/