Their eyes speak a thousand words. There is suffering, pain and longing in them. Each woman on the stage holds a piece of ragged cloth.
Frocks, oversized-shirts, and dupattas…these must be the only traces left of their loved ones. Because, the women fondle them as if they are their children. This is one of the most powerful scenes of Neer Nadodigal , a play by S. Murugaboopathy, staged at PSG College of Arts and Science. He recreates powerful images to retell our histories that were washed away by the floods.
The play, presented by students of the Drama Club, revolved around natural disasters and explored the philosophical depth of human helplessness. The floods could mean any disaster here—from the recent Chennai one to the deluges that submerged ancient civilisations and cultures. But for the director, it is a moment of introspection. The utter chaos of the floods was captured well in a sequence where the actors mumble telephone numbers for help. But, their voices grow feeble as they struggle to recollect all the nine digits.
Memories drive the narrative forward. A scene in the play was inspired from Murugaboopathy’s own memory of his visit to flood-ravaged Chennai. “Everything was blanketed in plastic bags. That triggered an idea in me.” So, in one of the acts, the men and women appears covered in plastic bags and take part in a fashion show. They throw flying kisses in the air and pose for the shutterbugs. The entire scenario has a Chaplin-like humour to it; thumbing nose at urban culture and its plasticity.
Murugaboopathy’s engagement with the migrant communities and the urban-rural schism continues in this play as well. His earlier play Kugaimaravasigal which was selected for Bharat Rang Mahotsav at National School of Drama also had a similar theme; where he employed the use of body to explain how the migrant labourers and the poor of a city are alienated from the mainstream society. In this play also, you see similar characters…a man who calls himself a clown, a girl who refuses to be a part of the mob, and people who stare at you like you are a caged animal. Their faces are haunting.
The play employs a variety of instruments including didgeridoos and drums, which enhance the emotional mood. Like a scene, where two lovers, caught in a mob, are struggling to find each other by making sounds with Tibetan bowls. The bell’s sonorous ring, along with the actors’ exasperated cries, brings out the chaos so beautifully.
The students perform with absolute confidence. They are totally immersed in the intense mood of the play. One of the actors even breaks down after the show ends. “It was difficult to believe that they were amateurs,” one of the audience says. Neer Nadodigal also offers the theatre lovers of Coimbatore a new glimpse into modern Tamil theatre. It proves that you do not need verbose dialogues to move the audience. Instead, the play uses masks, voice modulation exercises and music. Some of the scenes leave lasting impressions. Like the one with a woman wailing “Raree raree ro”.
Her deep, high-pitched voice, filled with grief and rage, rings across the hall. It is beautiful and disturbing at the same time. She could be a mother, who has lost her son or a dead spirit screaming against the unfairness meted out to her. The best thing about Neer Nadodigal is that it leaves questions unanswered. And makes you wonder.
The Hindu was the media partner for the event.
