Having been requested by the Ministry of Culture to present a new production commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the director of Kalakshetra Foundation, Revathi Ramachandran, hit upon the idea of drawing parallels between the two courageous visionaries — the Mahatma and Rukmini Devi Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra. Thus was born ‘Shanthi Sutra, Thread of Peace.’
While we know that each had different spheres of influence and pursued a different purpose, they seemed to have had a commonality of thought. Both believed in handloom, Gandhiji being associated with the charka and khadi, in education including vocational training, in non-violence towards fellow human beings and animals, in being close to nature, in the principle of ‘sarva dharma samaanvaya’ equality of all religions, amongst others. Kalakshetra’s ‘Shanti Sutra’ was built on these commonalities through song, dance, theatre and audio-visuals.
Different formats
Shanti Sutra
Everything about ‘Shanti..’ was mega, considering the various artistic formats, the number of dance styles such as classical and folk — Bharatanatyam, Pung Cholom from Manipur and Cheraw Bamboo Stick dance from Mizoram, songs picked from different parts of India, etc. It was well-researched and inclusive. Despite the challenges of new formats of theatre, audio visual supplements, etc., Kalakshetra did not slip up on their production values of smooth transitions, precise execution and high energy.
There are however a couple of observations — one is that ‘Shanti...’ was more about the head than the heart, whereas the triggers for both personalities were based on emotion. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was spurred by the persecution of natives in South Africa and India, while Rukmini Devi was appalled by the disrepute that Sadir had fallen into and decided to ‘sanitise’ the art form and find new environs for its preservation. The former was referred to, though ineffectually, in a rhetoric-driven theatre segment — ‘We allowed them to cultivate Indigo in our land… We succumbed… Khadi will unite us!’ The other observation is that while one appreciated each link in the chain in terms of ideas and execution, put together it became an overkill. Ruthless editing is in order.
‘Shanti...’ scored on its music and visual imagery. In a production peppered with ‘wow’ moments, the nationalist song ‘Aaduraattai’ (ragamalika, V. Ramalingam Pillai) aptly addressed to Gandhiji’s charkha — ‘Keep spinning O wheel’ — was a haunting refrain that ran through the production. The recurring pinnal kolattam accentuated by the vibrant wing lights was another highpoint.
Songs taken from across India prompted different movement styles. A Bengali song composed by Rajanikanta Sen during the Swadeshi Movement, ‘Mayer deoya mota kapor’ that spoke of revering the coarse cloth spun in your motherland, presented some unusual tribal movements and clapping, a la Rukmini Devi. It was sung in a traditional folk tune.
In the Education segment, ‘Iyal enna ezhudhiyum’ by Ramalingam Pillai, presented along with a charanam ‘Jnanathile’ from Subramanya Bharati’s ‘Paarukkulle nalla nadu,’ had beautiful, unhurried jati, an out-of-the-box drama practice session and a stunningly-conceived sculpture scene.
Ahimsa segment
‘Vaishnava Janato’ was a restful piece in the Ahimsa segment, where singers Gopika, Krithika and Priyanka moved unobtrusively across the stage while singing. The melody was beautiful, so was the silence. ‘Dhandalu Dhandalu’ (Tilang), a Telugu folk song on cow slaughter evoked the rural countryside.
Within the Kabir Das bhajan, ‘Bhajo re bhaiya’ (Maand) was a Manipuri Pung Cholom. This was a scintillating segment, well done by the dancers. An excerpt from Rukmini Devi’s Ramayana series reiterated her views on religion. The Guha-Rama episode from theTulsi Ramayana is undoubtedly beautiful but one wondered about its fit in this glitzy production.
Gandhiji’s views on nature made for powerful drama — ‘The Earth, the air and water are not an inheritance from our forefathers, but a loan from our children. We must hand it over to them as it was handed over to us.’ ‘Vindaa maamalar’ a Thevaram pathigam presented Rukmini Devi’s efforts in creating a green Kalakshetra. All nineteen dancers took part in this vibrant and warm piece that ended with ‘Jayatu jayatu nityam,’ the Kalakshetra prayer.
The theatrical parts were effective introductions to segments, and the dancers need to be commended for delivering lines with conviction; the script was however disappointing.
Cynicism dominated in statements such as, ‘Unfortunately the practice today is the opposite. Enjoy what you can now for tomorrow is not certain.’ Segments like the Vidya daanam were truly artistic.
The live orchestra comprising K. Sai Shankar and K. Hariprasad (vocal), K.P. Anilkumar (mridangam), K.P. Rakesh (nattuvangam), T. Sashidhar (flute), N. Ananthanarayanan (veena), Chertala Sivakumar (violin), was Kalakshetra’s pride that evening.
