Monologues can be monotonous, particularly if you have a single person delivering it for an hour. Theatre Nisha’s production of Girish Karnad’s Flowers , however, was anything but that. The play, directed by V. Balakrishnan, and performed by T.M. Karthik, held the audience in rapt attention for the length of the show.
Standing at Spaces, Besant Nagar, a devout priest (Karthik), narrates the affairs that change the course of his life. He describes his relationship with the linga of the sanctum — he talks to it, sings to it, and sometimes, even discusses matters of politics with it. He painstakingly decorates it every day, spending countless hours. His obsession brings him recognition, and his decorations even make the shrine the favourite of the village’s chieftain.
Things change when the priest encounters, Ranganayagi, a sensuous courtesan. He is anguished by his attraction towards her, but soon gives in to it, and to the wishes of the object of his desire. She asks him to decorate her, in the same way he decorates the linga.
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Despite his initial hesitation, he begins to enjoy this, as her form offers more contours than the linga. So every day, the flowers that deck the linga at dawn, decorate Ranganayagi at dusk.
The situation however soon gets complicated, as the priest becomes aware that his lawfully wedded wife is aware of his transgressions and is pained by the shame he causes her. Things come to a head when, one day, the priest is forced to perform his pooja with the same flowers he has already used to decorate the courtesan — a sacrilegious act which fills him with guilt. There’s an audible intake of breath amongst the audience as the chieftain, upon finding a strand of hair in the prasad, says, “I did not know god had long hair.”
When the situation seems dire, the priest turns to the linga, his oldest friend, and the lord comes to his rescue in the most miraculous way. Stunned by this, and anguished by his betrayal of the lord, the priest is presented with many internal conflicts, all of which leave him feeling powerless. Through these conflicts, the play explores concepts such as love, loyalty, conscience and morality.
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Karthik’s gentle narrative style is thoroughly engaging, and aptly conveys the anguish of the priest, but it fails to be gripping and powerful by itself. Meera Sitaraman, decked with flowers, is the linga that sits centre-stage. Since it is central to the play, having a person play the linga, instead of using a prop, added dynamism to it and made it that much more powerful. Kasturi Goswami skilfully twirls around the stage, as the imagery of Ranganayagi.
Her dramatic, sensual movements paint a picture for the audience of what made the priest so powerless in the face of his most basic desire. The visually-stunning lights (V. Balakrishnan), soothing background vocals (Srivaralakshmi Maya) and jolting percussion (Vishwa Bharath), added drama to the performance and made it a compelling watch.