A journey in philosophy may be fraught with difficulties, but it helps us to come to terms with life; realisation about the world and the self helps us to view life through the prism of brotherhood. Philosophy, in short, need not be a vain search, provided you know how to seek the knowledge that you crave. A foray into the realm can be a vivifying experience, as it proved to be in the case of Sri Ramana Maharishi.
Engagement with philosophy is generally associated with advanced years but Venkatraman, as the sage was named by his parents, felt the urge to find answers to his questions quite early. “Who am I?” and ‘What happens after death?” were some of the questions that troubled him. The name Arunachala was a magnet that drew Venkatraman, who left home and went to Thiruvannamalai, where he found the answers. Silence was the aid to his introspection. And his silence was eloquent, for those who came to him to understand life and more important for solace. Tapas Productions and Kalamandir presented the life of the saint, in a play titled, ‘Maharishi,’ which showed the evolution of Venkatraman into the sage the world continues to look up to.
Ramana Maharishi’s is not an easy biography to handle in a play. Expectations ran high and the playwright did not disappoint the audience. Naturally, in a play of this nature, action was minimal, the lines having to bring out the simple, yet profound philosophy of the saint. Bombay Chanakya’s dialogue did full justice to the theme.
While a saint is revered by the world, it is hard for the mother to accept her son’s choice. And so Azhagammal, the mother of the saint, comes to him, asking him to return home. She begs, cajoles and breaks down in tears, but the saint’s reply is silence.
Anooradha Sriram as Azhagammal brought out the angst of the mother so beautifully. She received a well-deserved round of applause from the audience. One even wondered if she had missed her calling by not taking to acting as a profession. The sniffles, the tiny sobs breaking through her pleading, her conciliatory tone towards her son, her anger at those who, she felt, were encouraging him to stay on in Thiruvannamalai — Anooradha’s was an outstanding performance. Raaghav Ranganathan as the adult Ramanar turned in a good performance, but Ramana as the elderly Ramanar stole the show, with his smile. Ramana also looked the part — apt casting indeed.
The sets (Madurai Kannan) added to the flavour of the play. Mahalakshmi Ashwin and Ashwin Kumar Iyer deserve credit for such a lavish production. Members of the audience at R.R. Sabha, pointed to some omissions, and at the end of the play it was announced that there would be a sequel to fill in the gaps. There will also be an English version of the play, with the same cast at Vani Mahal, on August 24.
