Made in Jersey: Kiran Rajagopalan

Made in Jersey will feature a series of New Jersey based performing artists sharing new works-in-
progress. After each broadcast, audiences will be able to join the artist in a live chat where they can ask
questions.

Click Here to Watch the Performance!

Classically trained Indian dancer and choreographer Kiran Rajagopalan performs the first act of his work Vaiśravana which includes dance, spoken word, and live drumming.

Vaiśravaṇa, commonly known as Kubera, is the Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu deity of wealth in the form of natural resources, currency, and commerce. In some depictions, he is the pot-bellied, self-serving, dark-skinned ruler of the Yakshas – an indigenous tribe of magical healers and shamans coveted for their knowledge of Earth’s secrets but feared by “respectable” society. In others, he is the radiant, noble, golden-skinned guardian of the north and official treasurer to the gods. His shapeshifting in religious art and literature is reflective of South Asian society’s framing of good and evil around wealth, caste, and complexion. His endurance in collective consciousness symbolizes mankind’s relentless pursuit of wealth in an era dominated by consumerism and driven by instant gratification.

This solo work by Kiran Rajagopalan has been commissioned by Prakriti Dance.

Vaiśravaṇa – Vocabulary List

Vaiśravaṇa Bonus Material