King Vikramaditya thought for a moment and then replied, “There is no sacrifice here.
Here, Betal asked King Vikramaditya, “What do you think of the old king’s sacrifice?” The demon did not think twice before quickly eating the king. The old woman and her son tried to convince him to change his mind but the king was adamant to help her out.Īs per his plan, when the demon arrived later that night, Badsa offered himself. When he asked what the matter was, she replied, “I have only one son and a demon has vowed to eat him tonight!”ĭisturbed by what he had just heard, Badsa offered to sacrifice himself to the demon. One day, as Badsa sat in meditation, he heard an old woman sobbing loudly. Meanwhile, in his kingdom, Angi tormented his subjects and the kingdom grew very unhappy. Ashamed that he was giving up the throne to his son without a fight, he denounced his title and decided he would spend his life in the forest in meditation. If you do not, I will form an army to overthrow you.”īadsa was a peace-loving man and knew his son would go to great extents to take the throne. One day, while the king was holding court, Agni burst into the room and announced, “I feel I am ready to take over the throne. Unlike his father, he would not make a good ruler. He had a son named Agni, who was wicked and had many vices. He was a great ruler and was loved by all his subjects. Many years ago, there lived a king named Badsa. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.īetal told another interesting story, as King Vikramaditya carried him on his shoulders.
But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. The funds that will be generated from the play will be used in supporting the education of the ten children who will be acting in the play. Vikram Aur Betal-Retold, will be staged at Alliance Francaise on October 12 and 13 at 3pm and 7pm.Tickets: bookmyshow.King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. They have the humility and tenacity that helps them learn new things,” she adds. “These children are really talented, the level of confidence they exuded was overwhelming. Talking about the selection process of actors for the play, Bhaswati says that the age group of the children ranges from 9 to 19 years, and it was tough to choose 10 actors from the 25 children, who volunteered to be part of the play. That they have a lot to give than people can receive from them. “We decided that the stories should not be presented as it is, instead, using the plot of Vikram Aur Betal, we are telling the stories of children and senior citizens, highlighting the influx points of their lives,” says Bhaswati, further adding, “The point of the play primarily is to prove to the audience the fact that we have chosen two generations that are neglected by society. The other reason for choosing Vikram Aur Betal, was that it narrates stories that highlight two different psyches, of two different age groups. We realised this is a skill set we are not tapping into, and hence we chose a story for the play which is age-neutral.” Producer of the play, Bhaswati Ramanujam, who also works for The Peepal, says, “The idea of the play came about after we hosted a storytelling session where three senior citizens opted to tell stories to the children.