© 2001 VNN
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WORLD  The Telling Of The Mahabharata BY JIM WHITE USA, Feb 10 (VNN) — My name is Jim White, and I am an independent video producer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. I am currently planning to produce a multi-part re-telling of the great Indian epic, The Mahabharata, for Western audiences. My goal is to create a documentary-type television series that tells the story fully in a loving, powerful and engrossing manner. My style is similar to that of the Public Television producer Ken Burns (The Civil War, Mark Twain, Baseball, etc.). As a Westerner, I believe the epic can be told in a way that is authentic and also accessible to people of Western culture. I have the vision and the resources to do just that. I am applying to the Public Broadcasting System network (PBS) for a grant to fund the project; however, additional, private funding will also be needed. I am writing you today to ask if there is a branch of your organization or an individual you may know of that would be interested in helping fund this project and in seeing this great work shown across America and beyond. I would be happy to discuss my ideas further with you and submit any grant proposals required. Following is an early outline for the project. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jim White anugraha@altelco.net 7 Feb 02 OUTLINE FOR MAHABHARATA PROJECT I wish to tell the story of the Indian epic scripture "The Mahabharata". I have read and reread the English version as translated by the late Kamala Subramaniam (published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) and I believe this version would speak as strongly to other Westerners as it has to me. Therefore, I plan to tell the story in a way that is inspired by this author's rendition. I see a strong narration of the story: one that would encompass the humor of Bheema's bluster and swagger, the drama of the political intrigue, the pathos of Yudhisthira's choices, the sweetness and guidance of Lord Krishna, and the poignancy of treachery and death. Interviews would be done with a number of scholars, both Western and Indian. I plan to interweave these interviews with narration over images of the many moving and powerful scenes in the scripture so beautifully depicted in classical Indian art. Wherever possible, I hope to include footage captured in India at the very location of the many events related in this epic, including the sunken city of Dwaraka and the battlefield of Kurukshetra. I believe this scripture is timely, important and highly relevant for today's world. It was a complicated, challenging life for the Pandavas. Yudhisthira's struggle with dharma and the historic choices he was forced to make affecting his dearest loved ones has great analogy for the world today. I also believe the story of the Mahabarata can and should be told in a way that brings home the metaphor into each viewer's life. Copyright 2002 By Jim White  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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