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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, March 3, 2005: A dance drama on the elephant-headed Hindu God Ganesha featured for the first time at the prestigious Johannesburg Civic Theatre, with the hope that the production would open the doors for more Indian theatre. “Ganesha – The Greatest Story Ever Told” is the first production ever to feature Hindu mythology and religion at the venue, the premier forum for theatre and live production. Till a little over a decade ago, it would have been unheard of to even think about an Indian production at the theatre, but Ganesha, the “remover of obstacles,” got rid of this hurdle as well, some patrons remarked in jest. Showing even further the progress in a democratic South Africa, the costumes for the cast were made by an Afrikaner designer in Pretoria, once the heartland of apartheid. Debut writer Devan Moonsamy teamed up with acclaimed choreographer Jayesperi Moopen to put together the colorful re-enactment of the birth and life of the elephant-headed Deity in an effort to show other groups in South Africa some of the culture of local Indians. “In South Africa we don’t tend to see a lot of dance drama because of the complexities of putting a production together,” Moopen told IANS. “I hope this opens the door for a lot more Indian theatre here.” Having won much acclaim for her unique combination of Indian and African dance that has won her many awards, the Ganesha exercise was a return to her roots for trained classical Indian dancer.

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