Of the three pre-eminent plays of IrayimmanThampi, ‘Dakshayagam’ probably combines the grace and grandeur of stylised acting in the first half while in the latter half the actions and expressions border on a heavy dose of lokadharmi (realism), especially with the arrival of Veerabhadra, Bhadrakali and the Bhootas. The play appeals to all sections of the audience, connoisseurs and the layman. The play was staged at Changampuzha Park, Edappally.
The play began with the much acclaimed Sringarapadam of King Daksha, ‘Poonthenvaani’, to his wife, Vedavalli. Kalamandalam Ratheesan, with highly codified hand gestures and body movements, could sustain the structural poise of the character, thanks to his impeccable training in Kalluvazhichitta under stalwarts. Ratheesan executed the kalasam in pathinjachembada (slow tempo – 32 beats), a distinguishing characteristic of the padam concerned, flawlessly. However, his felicity in Sringara rasa was not quite convincing. The next padam too was in slow tempo, ‘Kanninakkaanandam’, in raga Kalyani, on Daksha appreciating the beauty of the river, Kaalindi. Two consecutive padams in slow tempo made it a bit lacklustre whatever the amount of seriousness invested in them by an actor like Ratheesan. ‘Ananthajanmaarjitham’, a soul-stirring padam of Daksha that followed, did not have the desired impact.
Chambakkara Vijayan could spontaneously identify with the devotion of Sathi to Kailasanadha and her single-mindedness in getting him as her consort was reflected on his face and body throughout. As Lord Siva, Kalamandalam Rajeev did a neat job. He didn’t go overboard, neither in his response to his wife nor in his impudence to Daksha. Kalamandalam Sreekumar as Daksha II enacted his role with vigour and restraint especially in the scene in which he ousts Sathi from the Yagashaala.
Kalanilayam Rajasekhara Panickar as Nandikeswara did a brief thantetattam (self-estimation of glory), ingeniously relating it to the arrival of Daksha to the scene.
Their encounter was short yet remarkable. Kalamandalam Hari R. Nair as Veerabhadra and Chinosh Balan as Bhadrakaali stormed the stage with their yelling and fast-paced actions. Raudrarasa was at its peak as they proceeded to destroy the Yagasaala of Daksha who initiated the rite without inviting Lord Siva. The battle scene between Veerabhadra and Daksha was striking in terms of the kalasams associated with it, which are not found in similar scenes of other plays.
Numerous vocalists were to be seen on stage sharing the scenes. Kalamandalam Narayanan Namboodiri and Hareesh were the beginners who followed margam (the traditional format) in singing the first slow-tempo padam. Kottakkal P.D. Namboodiri, accompanied by Kalamandalam Ramanathan, sang the second slow tempo padam and the famous, ‘Ananthajanmaarjitham’. While the verve and musicality with which Namboodiri sang the first padam was notable, his rendering of the second padam lacked subtle evocation of the bhava, vatsalya (affection). Kalamandalam Balachandran assisted by Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri infused a lot of melody in his rendering of the popular padam of Sathi, ‘Lokaadhikpakaantha’, in raga Yadukulakamboji. Kalamandalam Krishnadas, Ravisankar and Sreehari traced even minute gestures and movements of the actors on the chenda impressively.
Maddalam playing led by Margi Ratnakaran ensured harmony with the chenda through and through.
The play was staged after a tribute to eminent Kathakali vocalist Kalamandalam Gangadharan. A robust Kathakali vocalist who passed away last year, he was a venerable guru and trailblazer for subsequent generations of vocalists. Most of them assembled at the Changampuzha Park to pay tribute to the departed soul. As part of the commemoration, vocalists sang individually and as a group followed by the presentation of the play.
