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"Rasoja" by Janapriya Jayasinghe:
Insatiable quest for material gains
Reviewed by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga
Chandrarathne
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Janaka Kumbukge,
Semini Iddamalgoda and the child actor Payodha Mallawarachchi |
The debut show of "Rasoja", a drama by young dramatist Janapriya
Jayasinghe was held at the Elphinstone theatre recently. The drama is
significant on several counts to the contemporary Sri Lankan theatre.
It is one of the few original productions staged in the previous
year. Jayasinghe's forte seems to be his third-eye sense of sharp
perception and the innate ability to create dramatic situations out of a
seemingly simple plot. In fact, the entire story revolves around three
characters; Manula (Janaka Kumbukge), Sneha (Semini Iddamalgoda) and
Jeevaka (Payodha Mallawarachchi).
However, during the course of the story, the dramatist discusses
diverse issues raging from desire for wealth and happiness, love to the
purpose of life.
The story commences with an impoverished family, living in a land of
misery, making up their minds to migrate to the land of prosperity.
Shahrika Deshaya's family ekes out a living solely depending on
unpalatable porridge made out of rice in the land of misery.
The famine-stricken land yields nothing but very little food barely
enough to sustain life. The story reaches its climax when the arduous
journey through the arid desert compelled the parents to drink the blood
and eat the flesh of the dead child to complete the journey to the land
of prosperity.
The victory, thus, gained lasts only for a few days as the couple
realizes that they have lost the purpose of life which is the child. The
drama ends with a blank note, leaving the question unanswered whether
the couples will turn back on the trodden-path that leads to the land of
misery or take their lives.
One of the significant qualities that makes a work of art universal
is that its applicability to different situations in equally diverse
contexts. "Rasoja" may go through different readings depending on
different contexts. However, it is an attack on the unbridled
consumerism which knows no bounds.
Individuals have been caught up in this rat race to reach the
pinnacle of material gains. What is forgotten in the process is the very
purpose of the race that very often seems to be the well-being of one's
offspring; sound education for children and gainful employments for
them.
It is the era of globalization and transnational migration from
developing countries to developed countries and the extensive movements
of labour from one country to another.
Against such a globalised backdrop, it is quite possible and also
desirable for people to migrate from one's country of birth to another
land in search of greener pastures.
Janapriya drives home the universal truth that however much one may
love dearly one's motherland, he or she may compelled, as an ultimate
resort, to escape from the misery and deprivation and to migrate to a
land of prosperity.
On another plain, drama can also be read as the story of man's
incessant desire for wealth and happiness and illusion that the
happiness lies solely in material gains and acquisition of wealth. Only
when reached the pinnacle of material gains, one realizes that life is
much more than wealth and the purpose of it is, certainly, not the
wealth and fleshly desires but the warmth of friendship, kinship and
humanity.
It is this universal bondage, in this case, the love between mother
and son that sustains humanity throughout the ages. On seeing a child
playing with parents in a park, Sneha is reminded of her son Jeevaka who
died of starvation on route to Shahrika Deshaya, an Eldorado.
The purpose of the journey is to secure a bright future for the
child. However, at the end, the couple has lost the very purpose of it.
That is their son and his bright education that he would gain in
Shahrika Deshaya.
In terms of portrayal of characters, Janaka Kumbukge, Semini
Iddamalgoda and the child actor Payodha Mallawarachchi had been true to
the spirit and the letter of the drama. Payodha shows remarkable traits
of a brilliant actor.
He is poised to be a brilliant actor in the future. Janaka has also
been able to overcome prototype and stereo acting in portraying the role
of the father in the play.
Music for the play was by Nawaratne Gamage while Prem Jayantha Kapuge
did the costume and make up. Chandana Aluthge, Sharon de Silva and Asoka
Weeratunga made their contribution to the play in lighting, stage
managing.
Though music was not played live, it did its purpose by providing the
much-needed tempo and creating the atmosphere of the arid desert on the
stage. Given the constraints in resources, employment of special effect
and sound effect in certain acts and the overall management of stage was
noteworthy.
However, it should be noted that ending of the drama would have been
more effective if the cast did not spell out their state of confused
mind and guilty consciousness.
Drama, though not a perfect production in terms of modern theatrical
criteria, is one of the best productions in contemporary Sinhala
theatre. Universality of the theme and issues discussed in the sub-text
of the drama will, definitely, make it an outstanding production which,
perhaps, be a path-definer for aspiring dramatists to come into the
mainstream theatre.
The Drama will be held at Elphinstone theatre on January 27. Part of
the proceedings will be utilized for the benefit of refugee children. |
