A solo act in Koodiyattam and another one in Nangiarkoothu were presented on two days at Margi as part of the centre’s monthly event. Margi Raman Chakyar and Margi Visishta were the two performers on the stage.
Effortless presentation
Viewers were in awe as the actor entered the scene with a loud scream and a fearful expression. Later it was revealed that the character was Sankhukarna and he was running towards Ravana to report Hanuman’s misdeeds at Ashokavani, the palace garden. The purappadu act of Sankhukarna, from ‘Thoranayudham’ play, thus got to a gripping start.
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At the palace door he was stopped by the doorkeeper Vijaya, who wanted to know why he was so frightened. Sankhukarna described the happenings at Ashokavani, but the focus was on how dear the garden was to Ravana. It was not Hanuman who frightened him, but the fact that Ravana was going to be enraged on knowing about present state of the garden. To ascertain his point, Sankhukarna cited two incidents; first one involving Mandodari, Ravana's beloved, who told her maids not to pluck the tender leaves, even if it was for decorating her, as it would upset Ravana. The situation was presented in Pakarnattam, a technique in which the actor narrates things from the perspective of each character. It was quite effective, as Raman Chakyar effortlessly switched between the characters of Mandodari, her maids and even Vijaya, which, sometimes, gets presented by another actor.
In the second part, Sankhukarna narrated how Ravana stopped the Sun god from entering the garden, as he found that the rays were wearing out the plants in the garden. The arrogance of Ravana was on display and Raman Chakyar managed to do that fairly well.
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Margi Visishta presented 'Jarasandhayudham’ episode from 'Sreekrishnacharitham’ Nangiarkoothu on the second evening. The wives of Kamsa, knowing about their husband's death at the hands of Krishna, sought refuge with their father Jarasandha. Knowing about their ill fate, Jarasandha got angry and decided to seek revenge.
Jarasandha became the pivotal character here and it's his valour that got prime attention. While it's not easy for even veterans to sustain the valorous character throughout a play, Margi Visishta, though early in her career, did a fine job in portraying Jarasandha, with all the energy and stamina the character demanded. Earlier, while presenting the bereaved wives of Kamsa who were being consoled by their father, Visishta also showed she certainly has the skills not only to act, but also to make one feel for her characters. May be, she could just flare up the anger a bit more in her characters, especially in Jarasandha, to make it even more impressive. The rest of the portions were action packed, as Jarasandha prepares for the war. Visishta again came good, as she did all those manoeuvres representing different weaponry in style.
Jarasandha along with his army marched to Mathura and challenged Krishna and Balrama for a battle. However, all his powers proved to be no of use against the brothers and eventually he gets defeated twice. Fate favoured Jarasandha, as Balrama spared his life, upon hearing a divine voice that reminded him that Jarasandha’s death should be at the hands of Bhima. While Visishta continued to do well in her recital, she could have paced it in a better way and at times she was too quick, making it a tad hard to follow the narrative.
On both days, the percussion had Kalamandalam Sajikumar and Margi Mahesh on the mizhavu and Margi Mohanan on the thimila. Margi Usha and Margi Amrutha were on the cymbals.