T he Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan packed a pleasant punch by incorporating into its December Season schedule a performance of the Sanskrit play, ‘Abhijnana Sakuntalam’ by the Samskrita Ranga. This organisation, in its 59th year of existence, was founded by noted Sanskrit scholar Dr. V. Raghavan, who championed the cause of Sanskrit theatre for more than half a century.
While no number of adjectives suffice to describe the beauty of Sanskrit, striking is the sheer divinity and positive vibration that this language exudes, even among the uninitiated. It was this aspect that came to the fore, when the play commanded a sizeable audience. The sincerity of the presenters too, contributed in no small measure in taking the audience along the emotional ebbs and troughs of this magnum-opus, despite the quaint and unhurried pace.
Not many may be aware that it was Kalidasa’s creativity non-pareil that enriched a minor story in the Mahabharata and PadmaPuranam to attain the status of a classic.
Team Samskrita Ranga, ably helmed by Nandini Ramani, dancer, scholar and daughter of Dr. Raghavan, ticked all the boxes — be it in compression of the story in five pithy Acts, apposite casting (with actors donning multiple roles resourcefully), charming costuming, seamless flow of scenes, tasteful music, Natyadharmi technique (gesticulations) to supplement the understanding of dialogue, lucid oral synopsis (Nandini Ramani) and efficient supporting crew. All these elements ensured that the audience travelled with the characters, smiling at the good-natured teasing of Sakuntala’s confidantes (Manasa and Meera Krishnamurthy) and empathising with the heroine and hero (Sushama Ranganathan and P.G. Subramaniam) when they were not able to wrench an opportunity to meet, given the ascetic and watchful environs.
The viewers grew wistful as Sage Kanva (Ramachandrasekar) bid a fond farewell to his adopted daughter, even as he wondered at the pangs of separation endured by biological parents residing in the mundane world, to send their daughter to her husband’s home.
When Dushyanta cited ignorance of Sakuntala, one could not help but cheer for the loaded words of Sage Shaarngarava (Prakash Kaushik at his spirited best), berating royal vagaries. Sushama Ranganathan rose up to the challenge of the progressive changes of emotions in this crucial scene — anxious, shocked, angered, humiliated, and finally, grief-stricken. The concluding scene mirrored not only the endearing innocence of childhood via Sarvadamana (Baby Bhargavi), but also the numinous ways of Providence in uniting a family it had rent asunder. The other supporting characters (Santosh-Purohita, Devnath-Shaaradvata, Shyamala Srivatsan-Gauthami, Saikripa-ascetic attendant) too, played their roles with competence.
The importance of dialogue in a drama cannot be overstated. The shrillness of the flute overpowered the dialogue at several junctures. No doubt, Sruthisagar (flute), Sumitra Vasudev (vocal) and K.R. Venkatasubramanian (rhythm-pad and special effects) were dulcet and added cohesion to the proceedings. It was the audio-balancing that was lackadaisical.
The performance that day was dedicated to Dr. J. Jayalalithaa and Cho Ramaswamy, both of whom shared close association with Dr. V. Raghavan in their early days of theatre.
