Dushala: A Girl Child The Epic Forgot And The World Still Does
Dr Alekhya Punjala brings the monodrama, Dushala, back to the stage on November 19 in Hyderabad.
By Minal Rudra
Published : November 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM IST
|Updated : November 14, 2025 at 4:09 PM IST
In the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, Gandhari and Dhritarashtra had only one daughter, Dushala. The only sister of 100 Kauravas. The voice of Hastinapur's princess, however, was lost in the din of pride and power. The Kauravas were consumed by dynastic conflict with the Pandavas. Nobody really noticed her pain or cared about her opinion.
Cut to the present day, the story has not changed much in many homes. The girl child continues to yearn for affection. Sons regarded as the Kuldeepaks often receive most of the parents' attention. Their desires are usually fulfilled, while the needs and aspirations of the girl child are often put on the back burner.
This struggle of the Kuru dynasty's daughter forms the crux of the monodrama, Dushala. The solo act returns to the stage after two years of its premiere. The chairperson of Telangana Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Dr Alekhya Punjala, plays the titular role. The show is scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 7pm at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad.
The 80-minute performance combines theater with elements of Kuchipudi and folk dance. The Sutradhar production is directed by Vinay Varma. The interpretation traces Dushala’s journey of neglect, betrayal, and awakening. It also questions not just the epic’s characters but society itself.
Dr Alekhya calls Dushala a personal journey and says that its appeal remains timeless. “See, Dushala is like any girl child,” she says. “I don’t think the position of a girl child has really changed in many parts of our country.”
Dushala's angst becomes the symbol of every girl who has been ignored by her own people. Hence, her pain becomes universal. She even questions her mother, Gandhari’s, blindness to her existence. “She feels her mother never even noticed her,” says Dr Alekhya. “Gandhari’s world was filled with sons. But there was also a daughter who was waiting to be loved.”
The play begins after the Kurukshetra war when Dushala looks back on her life, moving between past and present. She questions the choices made for her. She asks why she was given away to Jayadratha without her consent. “Am I just a thing that can be given away? Don’t I have feelings? Don’t I have a chance to choose?” she asks.
For Dr Alekhya, performing this role was no small task. “It is not a dance drama,” she says. “It is theater, but I have used dance wherever it fits. Voice, gesture, movement... everything comes together.”
Speaking for 80 minutes alone on stage, the Kuchipudi exponent says it was an enriching experience as an artist. “Using my voice was the most difficult part,” she admits. “As dancers, we speak with our bodies. Here I had to let my voice carry the emotion.”
The performance also touches on a powerful theme: how to raise sons. Dushala teaches her own son, Suratha, the futility of war. “She goes against the grain,” says Dr Alekhya. “She spends time with her child, something her mother never did. It becomes a lesson for all mothers and fathers.”
Throughout her career, Dr Alekhya has portrayed many mythological and historical characters. Yet, she says Dushala feels special. “Every character has enriched me, this one doubly so,” she reflects. “The essence of mythological stories is timeless, as they teach us strength, compassion, and balance.”
Dushala is more than a retelling of an epic. It is a reminder that the struggle of the girl child is not from the past alone. It also says something to every parent having a son: raise your son well with empathy, respect, and sensitivity.
As Dr Alekhya says, “If people go back from the performance with a thought that daughters must be seen and sons must be raised with awareness... then I will feel blessed.”
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