http://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=17801&date=2017-04-02&pageid=1
Classical Drama Festival
Imagine ‘Bhagvadjjukiyam’ the
old Sanskrit literary text set to contemporary theatre with Bharatnatyam and
classical music. Further imbue it with folk art and you have a sampling of the
theatre fare staged at Kala Academy last week.
The Classical Drama
Festival was a potpourri of four plays from ancient Sanskrit theatre of India.
National School of Drama in collaboration with Kala Academy brought together
theatre repertories in different parts of India to stage their plays in Goa.
Rendered in three languages, it was a colorful spectrum. Plays sourced from
great Sanskrit playwrights, Bhasa, Kalidasa and Bodhayan were ingeniously
staged by contemporary directors like Ratan Thiyam, KN Panikkar, SM
Kulshreshtha and Waman Kendre with support from their skilled cast and crew.
‘Urubhangam’ and ‘Mohe Piya’ were plays written by Mahakavi Bhasa (approx
2nd century BC to 2nd century CE), whereas ‘Shakuntalam’
and ‘Bhagvadjjukiyam’ were penned by
Kalidasa and Bodhyan (between 3rd to 7th century CE). These
playwrights wrote prolifically. Besides drawing from the two Indian epics, they
mirrored the socio-political and religious thoughts of the people of their
times. Subverting and bringing minor voices to the fore was another
accomplishment of these writers.
Sanskrit theatre which flourished from the
first century CE onwards employed female characters in feminine roles. Now this
fact is indeed very unique and surprising considering the role of women in
theatre and cinema post Mughal/British period in India. Another interesting
fact, the plays always ended on a happy note or a resolution of issues
inspiring hope. Comedy in all its hues – puns, satire, irony, dead pan humour -
was frequently used to portray gravitas in human condition. Aristotelian
tragedy had no place in Sanskrit theatre (except plays by Bhasa), unlike the
Shakespearean drama. It was unorthodox for an Indian Sanskrit drama to end on a
sad note.
The elements of the play were mapped on
‘Natya Shastra’, a treatise on performing arts written by the sage Bharata
Muni. The Hindu Sanskrit text encyclopaedia states that, “The Nāṭya Śāstra
is notable as an ancient encyclopedic treatise on the arts, one which has
influenced dance, music and literary traditions in India. It is also notable
for its aesthetic "Rasa" theory, which asserts that
entertainment is a desired effect of performance arts but not the primary goal,
and that the primary goal is to transport the individual in the audience into
another parallel reality, full of wonder, where he experiences the essence of
his own consciousness, and reflects on spiritual and moral questions.”
Coming back to the drama festival at Kala -
‘Urubhangam’ directed by Ratan Thiyam, was the first play in the series. Thiyam
is one of the best directors in contemporary theatre and the expectations were
high. He brings to the forefront Manipuri theatre comprising of classical Manipuri dance, Thang
Ta the martial art form, and Wari Leeba narrative style of recitation. Exponent of ‘Theatre of the Roots’, his path-breaking work adapts classical
theatre to contemporary times, evoking a commentary on existential dilemma.
Once a person watches a Ratan Thiyam play, he is completely sold out on Thiyam’s
artistry, spectacle and intellect – and asks for more.
The
insurgencies of Manipur deeply inform Thiyam’s work. The inter-ethnic strife between the two
tribes, Nagas and Kukis, has caused chronic violence in the state, ever since
it started escalating in early nineties. Against this backdrop, ‘Urubhangam’
depicts Daryodhana as a repentant human being. The villainy in this legendary
character is subverted to expose human qualities. The play portrays his fight
with Bhima, in which the latter takes advantage of Daryodhana’s weak position
and smashes his thighs beyond repair. The repentant Daryodhana contemplates on
meaninglessness of war and his relationship to his parents and his family.
Late KN Panikkar did not disappoint with
the staging of ‘Shakuntalam’ either. The
play was presented by Sopanam Institute of Performing Arts & Research. Panicker’s, engaging ‘rangapadam’ - stage directions still being followed, made
the audience easily forget the language barrier if it existed for some.
Shakuntala signifies ‘prakriti’ – nature in its purity and Dushayant the king,
the exploiter and plunderer, who forgets his karma. Kalidasa’s symbolism to
conserve and preserve nature triumphs in the end with the king acknowledging
his folly.
‘Bhagvadjjukiyam’
directed by SM Kulshreshtha, the only director
present at the performance was indeed a treat. The audience gave it a standing
ovation for its classical music, Bharatnatyam and the equally skilled acting
and dance performance of its cast. Yamraj (Amrit Sinha), won accolades for his
graceful mudras. The pompous yogi and his mischevious disciple got the sequence
rolling. They exchanged an invigorating dialogue on the duality of soul and
body. Their interactions with the courtesan were comical and revealing. Finally
the ‘parakeya parvesha’ resulted in hilarity when the courtesan speaks the
language of the yogi and the yogi behaves like a courtesan. The play displayed
utter mockery of Buddhist monks, their beliefs and relation to the courtesan.
'Mohe Piya’, a reworked title of the
Sanskrit play ‘Madhayam Vyayoga’ directed by Waman Kendre, formed the closing
play of the festival. The central character of Hidimba, a marginal voice in the
Mahabharata, illuminates the fact that ancient Sanskrit writers were subverting
the main plot-line of the epic and shining a torch on fringe voices. That
Hidimba is portrayed as a courageous, thinking woman who takes exception to her
husband (Bheema) staking his claim to her son after years of separation and
negligence, is another surprise in the plotline.
Live musical score would have livened the
acts even more. A couple of them were very loud, the musical score jarred the
ears of the audience. The battle scenes could have been concise to improve the
effect of the plays.
Overall a great change from the Indian
English drama spectacle, a classical odyssey which drew you in with its ethnic
appeal.
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