Originally composed about 2000 years ago, the Mahabharata is one of the world’s greatest pieces of storytelling, as well as a foundational Hindu text. Woven through its central account of a great dynastic family conflict and bloody war is the story of the gods and their relationship to humankind, as well as spiritual, philosophical and practical instruction about how to live one’s life in the best possible way.
In the second of two episodes about the Mahabharata, John asks why and how this 2000 year-old epic still resonates so strongly, what makes it such rich territory for modern re-tellings, and looks at some of its universal themes.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised on BBC Radio 4. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters.
Credits: Mahabharata, A Modern Retelling by Carole Satyamurti (W.W.Norton & Co. 2015) The Mahabharata, abridged and translated by John D. Smith (Penguin Classics 2009)
Contributors: Dr Arti Dhand, Department of Religious Studies, University of Toronto https://www.themahabharatapodcast.com Jatinder Verma, founder of Tara Arts, theatre director and Director of Mahabharata Now, BBC Radio 4
Readers: Nadir Khan: Mumbai-based actor and director, producer of Mahabharata Now, BBC Radio 4 Shernaz Patel, Mumbai-based film and theatre actor, Gita in Mahabharata Now, BBC Radio 4
Producers: Sara Davies & Tolly Robinson Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael Researcher: Nina Semple Production Manager: Sarah Wright Sound Engineer and designer: Sean Kerwin
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.