What does a mythological episode have to do with construction workers and migrant labourers? Kandava Vanam explains to you the connection. Scripted by N. Muthuswamy, the play, directed by Prasanna Ramaswamy, was staged at Koothu-p-Pattarai last weekend. It recreated the episode, where Krishna and Arjuna go about burning Kandava Vanam after the resplendent city of Indraprastha is built. What is often not asked is what happened to the people and animals, who lived in this forest. How did they react to this decision? Ramaswamy is more interested in this question.
The play opened with a group of construction workers, in their labour vests, narrating the story from the mythology. They also told us their own stories — of how they came to the cities from villages harbouring different dreams. One wanted to enter the film industry and another, a new home. But, they ended up as labourers in cement buildings with no life.
The script had beautifully woven together mythology and contemporary human narratives. For instance, one scene had the labourers reminiscing about their village filled with lotus ponds, mango trees and pristine lakes. The play also treated gods like how the Greeks do, humanising them.
Telling moment
Krishna, Indra and Agni were shown to be driven by selfishness. The most telling moment was when Agni and ordinary subjects sit together to shave. The scene bridged the divide between the god and the mortal. As we know, a barber’s shop is where men gossip and discuss politics and negotiations.
Music was the narrator as the play was interspersed with raga alapanas and folk melodies that conveyed emotions of frienship, fear and joy.
The sets were experimental. Instead of the usual proscenium décor, Ramaswamy had chosen to convey the idea of a forest through interpretative paintings by Natesh Muthuswamy. The actors held the paintings whenever the forest scenes were enacted. The props consisted of cut outs of Greek Gods and pictures of ordinary people, giving a surreal feel to a play otherwise rooted in mythology.
The choreography was designed to suit each occasion. For instance, the scene denoting the arrival of the rain stood out with actors swaying gracefully and slowly across the stage, clicking their fingers to invoke rain. Their energy level was impressive, especially in the scene when the forest catches fire and the inhabitants run about in panic. They lent a realistic touch to the scene.
Prasanna’s play proves that any familiar story when approached with a fresh perspective gets a new lease of life. Kandava Vanam is an independent text that is sensitive and bold . It questions old narratives and throws light on the present.
