“2 G is now a major issue in Tiruvannamalai. Yes Girivalam and Garbage.” The dialogue triggered chuckles from the audience at Damodar Gardens in Chennai.
The concept was expanded to 4G — Girivalam, Garbage, Greed and Godmen. The play, “Adiyum Mudiyum,” was performed by Class X students of TVS School in Tiruvannamalai as public theatre. They had presented it at the Radio Park and a few other public spaces at Tiruvannamalai and were invited by The School of J. Krishnamurthy Foundation to perform in Chennai.
“Adiyum Mudiyum” turned out to be a multi layered theatre of message creating virtual reality, the result of an organic, creative relationship between community and individual discussing the serious issues confronting the hallowed temple town of Tiruvannamalai. The play of 50 minutes duration was the culmination of a 10-day workshop conducted by S. Pralayan of Chennai Kalai Kuzhu with 28 students.
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Focus on the past
The play revolved round the visit of a woman with her grandchildren, to her home town Tiruvannamalai after thirty long years. Abithagujambal finds that the town has hanged beyond recognition. Where are those little Streams which came down from the hills, creating water bodies all around the path of Girivalam? Naturally, the main roads are flooded even after short spells of rain. Precious water that replenished ground water goes waste. Abithagujambal looks at many other issues creating chaos in Tiruvannamalai — the encroachments on the girivalam path, the attempts to cut down and the mountains of garbage left by pious pilgrims even as she tries to educate her grandchildren on the mythological and historical background of Tiruvannamalai.
Performed in an arena space i.e. theatre in the round, the play was structured through the scenes, songs, movements and the imageries created by the actors with the help of simple props such as ladder, bamboo sticks and saris.
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Pralayan’s brand was evident in the form of chorus and the use of bamboo sticks as a powerful part of the narrative. He brought into the narrative, the mythology behind the hill and temple of Arunachaleswara. For instance, the protagonist is named “Abithagujambal,” after the consort of Arunachaleswara. In one of performances, someone asked Pralayan about the significance of the name and he said it was the Goddess. He was then told about a lady from abroad, who had come to Tiruvannamalai and was engaged in environmental activism. She had taken on the name Abithagujambal. “It is just a coincidence,” said Pralayan.
For the play, the actors interviewed elder members of their own families about the issues and invited speakers, who had a major stake in the town and its environs. The theatre thus became an extension of the community reflecting contemporary reality. Also it is theatre in education creating an awareness of history, mythology and environment. More than anything else, this genre creates new possibilities for young participants, who can look beyond stage and dialogue to convey messages.