Thamil folk theatre comes alive again
An enthralled audience of mainly Sinhala and Thamil theatre people
sat spellbound in silence for nearly 90 minutes witnessing a Thamil folk
play peculiar to the people in the Maddakkalappu region in the Vadamodi
mode.
The title of the play is, Ravanesan - written, choreographed and
directed by Emeritus Professor S. Maunaguru. The enraptured silence and
the standing ovation by everybody in the audience was for the overall
presentation neat and professional and accentuated by the final scene of
a vigorous rhythm arising from percussion instruments, singing with a
blend of folk tunes characteristic of Naaddu Koothu with light carnatic
ragas and quick movements of the action concerned by the protagonist
sand the antagonist Ravana Versus Rama.
Regular thetregoers would have remembered Ediriweera Sarahchandra’s
Maname and Sinhabahu which were greatly inspired by the Naaddu Koothu of
the Lankan Thamilians. Also who are accustomed to the Greek plays would
have seen the similarity in the Greek and Thamil Folk theatre as far as
the role of the Chorus in the play.
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Maunaguru |
Vithiyananthan |
The content of the play in the Koothu tradition is adapted from
Kamban’s Ramayana in Thamil and its shows specifically the encounter
between Ravana and Rama each justifying their Dharma in their own terms.
Ravana’s wife Mandothai tries her best to dissuade her husband not to
release the imprisoned Seetha, wife of Rama and avoid the war, but the
hero in Ravana wouldn’t listen as he has a genuine hubris especially
when Rama would not kill Ravana when the latter was fatigued in the
tussle fighting and asking him to come the following day to fight again.
Mandothari says at several time it is the women and children who suffer
in war when men goes for war.
I particularly liked the performance of Suyananthi as Another in her
voce modulation, clarity in enunciation, nice voice, delicate movements
and expressions that connect with the audience. Thavarasa as Andradite,
son of Ravana was electrifying with his movements and dance.
Thayaparan and Vivekanada Raja as Rama and Lakshmanan were also doing
their parts well. Almost all the players did a splendid job in
presenting their parts. Dilakshana as the charioteer of Ravana was
splendid I thought in her expression and movements to suit the scene.
Jeyashankar played his role very well in way to show that Ravana as a
person was also a man of total personality despite his lust for Seetha.
But he never touched her and only to her in captivity as a revenge to
take for Laksmnan cutting the nose of his sister Soorpanakai and
disfiguring her face.
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A scene
from Ravanesan |
It was a restrained d performance without any over playing. He too
danced well and his voice production could have been a little better.
The singers were marvelous and refrains helped the audience to
understand what the players were saying and singing. The costume and
properties of the play were handsomely executed by Vasuki Jeyashankar.
Vimalraj was the assistant director to Maunaguru.
The pamphlets issued to the audience in all three languages explained
enough information of the stagecraft of the play and the significance of
this play in Lankan Thamil theatre veteran artiste Dharmasiri
Banadaranaike and Prof. S. Maunaguru have written little notes in the
pamphlet. The play was produced or rather revived as a respect in memory
of a Lankan intellectual, the late Neelan Tiruchelvam.
[email protected]
Musings on Ravanesan
In the 1960’s the late Prof Vithiyananthan
inspired by the creative work of the late Prof E. R. Sarachandra in the
Sinhala theatre took Vadamody and Then mody kooththu styles of
Batticaloa for his kooththu revival and modified it to fit in to the
picture frame stage for modern audience. Students of Peradeniya
University took part in this modification process of the late Prof
Vithiyananthan in the 1960s and Prof S. Maunaguru who was at that time
an undergraduate of the same university, not only play the Ravanan role
but also composed the script with the guidance of the late Prof
Vithiyananthan and K. Sivathamy.
After 40 years Maunaguru has been producing
Ravanesan in a different style.
Prof Maunaguru’s Ravanesan is totally an
innovation in every aspect of the theatre. It is an excellent artistic
creation.
It’s acting, stage props, costumes and music
are excellent. The original use of screens used without a break
throughout the play should be regarded as a very creative development in
modern stage craft.
Dharmasiri Bandaranaike, Director, Tricome
Cultural Foundation, Colombo
Vadamody Kooththu is an old traditional
theatre among the theatrical forms of Eastern Sri Lanka. This narrative
theatre composed with music and dance has been traditionally performed
in the villages all throughout the night in the vaddakkalari (round
stage).
In this production of Ravanesan the
potential theatrical element of the rich kooththu tradition have been
exploited to create a new influential theatre.
No longer relegated to simple revival of a
traditional form, but also the extension and innovation from within that
tradition, evolving into new forms.
We are the buds of a long rich dramatical
tradition of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The great artists who protect this tradition
and Prof Vithiyananthan have been remembered here with lot of respects.
Maunaguru, Director, Ravanesan. |