Devayaniswayamvaram earned its composer Thazhavana Govindan Asan (19th century) fame among Kathakali playwrights. It has imbibed a lot of merits of earlier works in the genre such as Keechakavadham and Kalakeyavadham and is designed as a whole-night play. Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai’s delineation of Vrishaparvavu, the king of asuras won him recognition as one of his celebrated kathiveshams.
But subsequently the story came to be encapsulated as the episode of tragic romance that developed between Devayani, daughter of Sukracharya, preceptor of the asuras, and Kacha, the son of Brihaspathi, the guru of the devas.
Scorned love
Kacha comes to the hermitage of Sukracharya to learn ‘Mritasanjeevani’, a secret mantra that has the power to revive the dead. Devayani realises that Kacha was merely using her to gain the knowledge of the mantra and both of them end up cursing each other.
The Kachadevayani episode continues to be popular even now as it is rich in drama and emotional conflict which, when presented by talented actors, enthrals rasikas. In fact, ace actor Mankulam Vishnu Namboothiri’s Kacha and Devayani donned by his disciple Chirakkara Madhavankutty, along with crowd-pulling singers such as Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai and Mudakkal Gopinathan Nair and reputed percussionists such as the Varanasi Brothers reigned over stages all over the northern districts of erstwhile Travancore and some of the adjacent areas of Kochi for several decades.
Rasikas in the capital city were treated to a performance of the Kachadevayani episode recently. It was commendably presented by a talented and committed team consisting of six alumni of Kerala Kalamandalam —Sreekumar, Vijayakumar, Sudeep, Arunjith, Jayaprakash and Visvas, along with the veteran actor-dancer Mathoor Govindankutty, Sadanam Ramakrishnan, Margi Rathnakaran and Sreekanteswaram Mohanachandran.
Sreekumar’s presentation of Kacha was flawless. His physique, the ‘green’ make-up, his expressive eyes, elegant postures and movements in sync with the orchestra and music, suited the character.
Kacha is astonished by the strange sights around Sage Sukra’s abode. They include non-perishable butterflies, a tigress feeding a fawn, a snake shielding a pregnant mongoose, and a lioness caressing a baby elephant.
When he explains to sage Sukra why he chose him for his preceptor, his hidden agenda of getting an insight into the secret technique of bringing the dead back to life is carefully concealed. Discerning rasikas hoped in vain to find any clues in Sreekumar’s expression that would provide them a hint to see beyond the obvious.
Excellent emoting
Vijayakumar’s delineation of Devayani was laudable in every respect. He excelled in all the relevant aspects of acting. Waves of emotions flooded and ebbed on Vijayakumar’s face, in tune with the context.
Devayani’s eagerness to have the handsome Kacha accept her affections and Kacha’s wariness and efforts to keep her at arm’s length were depicted imaginatively by the talented actors.
Kalamandalam Sudeep as Suketu
Mathoor Govindankutty, who essayed Sukracharya, brought out all the salient features of the character. His interaction with his daughter was interlaced with subtle humour. The role of Suketu, the demon king’s aide, was made lively by Sudeep duly assisted by Arunjith.
Vocalists Jayaprakash and Visvas rendered the play-text into mellifluous music that exuded the right emotion associated with the lyrics. Ramakrishnan on the chenda and Rathnakaran on the maddalam provided excellent accompaniment. Mohanachandran’s maddalam duly filled the intermissions of the chenda during Suketu’s debut and the subsequent scene.
The programme was held under the aegis of Drisyavedi.
