‘Mira’ was written by Gurcharan Das and adapted to the stage in 1972.

Mira explores the phenomenon of sainthood through the story of Mirabai, the sixteenth-century Rajput poetess-saint. It combines Indian legend with the sophistication of Western total theatre, something along the lines of a dream ritual.

Mira was about Mirabai, and the production was kind of a fusion of the spoken word that projected Kangra paintings of Radha and Krishna along with live music on sitar, tabla and vocals. This was a breakthrough as it went on tour to Ahmedabad and Delhi. It was acknowledged as a unique way of presenting theatre which had music in it with human voice. Actors spoke and they disappeared on stage into a painting and then the painting dissolved and the actors were there again on a platform. Above them was a live musician who was seen in silhouette most of the time playing Mira bhajans.

Playwright Gurcharan Das, who wrote this play, was a recipient of the Sultan Padamsee Award for his historical play ‘Larins Sahib’.

Fun Fact: The production made innovative use of multiple projected images, integrating painting, music and live performance.