Aarabdham uttamajanaah na parityajanti — The noble do not forsake what has been commenced. The Samskrita Ranga, which celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on November 16 at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Auditorium, Chennai, continues to keep up the passion for theatre in Samskritam, as envisioned by its founder, illustrious Sanskrit scholar, Dr. V. Raghavan. The elegant function attracted a sizeable audience and the focus was on recognising contributions — honouring actors on the part of the organiser and highlighting the work of Dr. Raghavan on the part of the speakers. The icing on the cake was a capsule of acts from three plays of the troupe.
A Sanskrit translation ( Samudra Sangama Grantha ) of Dara Shikoh’s Majma-ul-Bahrain, edited by Dr. V. Raghavan was released. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor and diplomat, in his speech, traced the journey of the Upanishads and explained how they form the root of this country’s culture. In a few words, Y.G. Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, educationist, conveyed how only this land teaches culture of an exalted kind. Prof. Abhiramasundaram, HoD of Sanskrit, Vivekananda College, recalled the golden days of Samskrita Ranga.
‘Prathama Samaagamah’ was a bouquet of the opening scenes of ‘Abhijnana Shakuntalam,’ ‘Anarkali’ and ‘Valmiki Pratibha.’ The beautiful title of this offering was probably influenced by the phrase in the Gita Govindam. The first segment was testimony to Kalidasa’s love for nature and his fine observations of human nature, especially royalty.
The first meeting between Dushyanta and Shakuntala is marked not only by their mutual attraction, but also embellished by the clever and noble enquiries about each other’s lineage, made known through Shakuntala’s companions.
Veritable treat
Dialogue such as “Which dynasty has been glorified by your birth?” and “Will her asceticism culminate in marriage, or will her life continue in the hermitage with the deer, whose eyes are similar to hers?” prove how gracious one’s communication can be, categorically relevant in this era of scant respect for another’s feelings. This section proved a veritable appetiser, despite a weak audio which later got rectified.
‘Anarkali’ is an original work of Dr. V. Raghavan and depicts the love of Prince Saleem for Nadira, fondly called Anarkali. The motif of the deer in the opening sequence was perhaps inspired by Shakuntalam, though in a reversal of sorts, it is the heroine who searches for her missing deer. The playwright’s usage of the word “madiraa”(wine) to rhyme with ‘Nadira’ was delectable.
The final segment was Dr. Raghavan’s Sanskrit translation of Tagore’s libretto, delineating the transformation of a thug into a venerated poet. The scene opened at the juncture when he spots his fellow-hunter slaying a Krauncha bird, thus separating it from its beloved. Enraged and saddened at this, the hunter-chief utters a curse which emerges in Sanskrit, with a certain meter to it, much to his amazement. He then comprehends that the earth, sun and moon function but metrically. He begins to search for the Goddess of Knowledge. His frantic and painful search is rewarded when Saraswati Herself appears in front of him. (It turns out that a little girl that he had saved earlier from being beheaded by hunters, was none other than the Goddess, who had disguised Herself to melt his callous heart.) She offers her Veena to Him and blesses his poetry with immortality.
This writer was delighted to note that punctuality was maintained throughout, with both the meeting and the staging ending at exactly the time as mentioned in the invitation. Particularly impressive was the fact that actors who played multiple roles got into the skin of another character within a jiffy, a challenge no doubt.
Expressions and enactment were flawless. The cast included Sushama Ranganathan, Prakash Kaushik, P.G. Subrahmanian, Meera Krishnamurti and Manasa.
Pratama Samagamah was directed by Nandini Ramani, Bharatanatyam exponent, who is the daughter of Dr. V. Raghavan. She also acted as the Nati (Actress) to support the Sutradhara Dr. P. Ramachandrasekhar in the first two segments. The programme concluded with the customary Samskrita Ranga Mangalam penned by Dr. V. Raghavan.
Supporting the actors with their music were (Sumitra V, J.B. Sruthisagar and K.R. Venkatasubramanian). Lighting was by Murugan) and costume (Samskrita Ranga) enhanced the appeal of the presentation.
As a fervent lover of Samskritam, one wishes such professionally-staged plays get more avenues. One never tires of savouring nectar!
