‘Dhawala Hasthi’, a drama par excellence

Ranjit WEERASINGHE

Rarely did we get an opportunity to revel in the intricacies of a new work of art in the form of a good drama for the past few decades. Having got used to the likes of Sinhabahu, which set the bar at a dizzy height, we were perhaps expecting another Sarachchandra which was never to be. Or is it? True, we were not treated with any meaningful drama of equal educational value, lavishly laced with gripping aesthetic charm to hold a captive audience. It was really not that there were no other Sarachchandras among us with enough talent to produce a quality drama. The up and coming, had to face untold, insurmountable barriers which the great Professor, the virtuoso, the savant of modern Sinhala drama, didn’t have to. He was an accomplished and recognized erudite. What he innovated was readily accepted by the society and it set the pace.

We did get a host of much lesser presentations, mere stage plays, for momentary entertainment, some aimed at satire, some at crude humour. They had their own share of popularity, but were no answer to those who were thirsting for a quality drama. The situation is not hopeless though. There is a silver lining. It has come in the form of a stylised drama, Dhawala Hasthi with a very close affinity to the nadagam tradition, though not a veritable nadagama. The producer is Devika Wijayagunasekara, a school teacher; a niece of the renowned dramatist Premakumara Epitawala of Selalihini Sandesaya and Thiththa Batha fame, she exudes in no uncertain terms through this drama, the enormous talent she has inherited.

Dhawala Hasthi is based on the Saddantha Jathaka which is in the G.C.E. Advanced Level Sinhala syllabus. Hence, the drama will benefit a large number of students through the opportunity of seeing it and developing their own opinions, interpretations and ramifications of the presentation. A work of art is meant for that purpose, to provoke, coax and pique thought. The more the number of divergent interpretations, the higher goes the score.

Dhawala Hasthi has many characteristic features of the nadagam tradition such as the pothe guru or narrator, the innisaya, introducing each actor to the audience, the thodayama, the initial prayer invoking the blessings of the Thrividha Ratna and the gods, the wachane wasagam, represented by the rhythmic, poetic dialogues, the uruttu style of recitation, to capture attention by varying the tempo, the fourfold forms of expression and presentation, or the abhinaya modes of angikabhinaya (body movement) ,wachikabhinaya (verbal expression) sathwikabhinaya (facial expression) and aharyabhinaya (costumes and apparel). The accompaniment for the music and dancing is led by the maddala. Overall, its choreography is magnificent.

Yet, the drama has skilfully steered clear of the beaten track. The music has drawn abundantly from both the North and the South Indian classical and semi classical forms, but has maintained its own identity. It has imbibed the rich essence of a variety of traditional forms of drama without blindly adopting any. Nor has it gone astray. It demonstrates its own innovative style.

The music is soothing and melodious having been composed and expertly fine tuned to flush-fit into each individual setting by Satyapala Master, the reputed music maestro of Handapangoda. The lyrics are a mix of articulate, forcefully expressive Sanskrit and Sinhala elements discriminately chosen to perfectly fit the right context. Let’s see how the queen introduces herself.

The Suthra dhara matches it with his own recital on the Kasi monarch thus.

The lusty eloquence of the queen’s description of the enigmatic Dhawala Hasthi and his setting, to astound, impress and capture the imagination and enthusiasm of her husband the Kasi king, brings back nostalgic memories of the immortal Premayen mana ranjithaweyi of Maname.

There isn’t any dancing in the traditional or classical sense. Instead, compatible with the Nadagam tradition given a modernised character to suit the context, by Sarachchandra, the expressions and movements on stage are harmonised into a musical flow both vocal and instrumental, accompanied by the maddala and chorus. The movements, facial expressions and the body language effectively hit the bull’s eye in precisely conveying the intended idea. The scene with the Kasi queen, tormented by the uncontrollable dola (excruciatingly painful desire) lying drained, pale, withered, emaciated, and lifeless is a case in point. So is the scene with the Dhawala Hasthi revelling in the lake along with his herd which enacts a real life elephant bath scene through brilliant choreography. Then, the required instant change as the arrow pierces the heart of Dhawala Hasthi, the portrayal of which calls for exceptional imaginative skill has been splendidly handled with equal brilliance.

The musically synchronised steps and movements where the retinue hauls the dead body of their revered leader to its grave, amply demonstrate some inimitable, innate skill complemented by superb innovative thinking of a talented dramatist. They are simple but breathtakingly expressive. The Veddah chief is the epitome of the crude, rough, aggressive tribal chief. His expressions are designed to exude virility, energy and combative vigour. It is worth noting that no attempt has been made to emulate the Veddah King of Maname. The Kasi king in contrast depicts the genial, understanding character of a sedate king. All this achieved with spectacularly designed and executed angikaabhinaya and wachikaabhinaya. Equally commendable is what has been happening behind the scenes; each and everyone of them clearly understands one’s role and has been assiduously trained.

The overriding merit of Dhawala Hasthi, notwithstanding its aesthetic charm however, lies in the message it conveys and the philosophy underlying it. If Sinhabahu happened to be a mere narration of the Mahavansa story of the Lion king as done in the Siyabas maldama by Ven. Kirama Dhammanada, it wouldn’t have struck a responsive chord with any drama enthusiast. Instead it opened up a myriad of dimensions through the open questions it posed; questions of dramatical and philosophical value and depth valid and relevant through time. Likewise Dhawala Hasthi presents a lot of food for thought, challenging analysis, provoking divergent views, and different and perhaps contradicting interpretations. There is nothing sacrosanct in one viewpoint be it that of the most knowledgeable in the field. The potential ramifications are not readily discernible. There lies the real intrinsic value of a work of art. One has to delve deep, dig out the directions and find the ways, the routes to different conclusions.

The central concept is woven around the straightforward five word statement made by the Kasi queen. Even the primitive tribal chief is baffled by the queen who has all the comfort and luxury of the royal palace, being maddened by the uncontrollable desire to bathe, standing on the tusks of an imagined Dhawala Hasthi, whom no one else had even heard of. Having expressed his reluctance to embark on the risky and hazardous pursuit of such a powerful Dhawala Hasthi, as it would mean certain death for him, he is bewildered by the queen’s insistence. Nor could the Kasi king, her loving husband understand this madness. But the queen is blinded by it. She knows only how, and how much she had suffered by that overwhelmingly lethal desire. It was not by choice. She was not enjoying it. She was seeking a way out of her misery. The story is a tragedy, but whose tragedy? On face value she is a jealous, vindictive character who wants nothing less than “her pound of flesh”. But she is not the perpetrator. On the contrary, she is the unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond her control, who suffers the most, and eventually meets with her untimely death in the same blind pursuit.

According to the accomplished poet and critic of drama and literature, Ariyawansa Ranaweera, a tragedy is generated by a contest for supremacy, justification, or vindication of two claimants which are both justified and reasonable on their own right. It is the evaluation of claims relative to each other that is crucial for the drama. The tragedy is that both can never win and one’s ultimate triumph means the other’s annihilation. Sinhabahu and the Lion could never have been able to reach a compromise though both remained justified in their own demands. Likewise the tormented Kasi queen of Dhawala Hasthi, in her quest for an outlet from her misery, entrenched in her very marrow, feels justified in her own right, in seeking the cherished Dhawala Hasthi tusks though it means the destruction of an innocent life. She is blind to the entitlement to life of another living being.

Those plagued by jealousy are helpless. They get tortured by it. It’s not wilful and they can’t help it. They deserve and need the sympathy and not the wrath of the society.

Dhawala Hasthi is not the drama for momentary pleasure, to be left behind when you leave the theatre homebound. It is not a mere narration. It unveils the fallacy of conclusions and decisions based on superficial and incomprehensive analyses of social and personal issues. All of us are often subject to instinctive and superficial judgements commandeered by emotion with neither reasoning nor understanding coming into play. A subtle, instinctive joy is likely to arise in us, naturally of course, if and when the evil character faces misfortune or failure. Dhawala Hasthi is based on a Jathaka story. Jathaka stories are portrayals of the interaction of black and white characters. But this drama has no real black character. A sad, miserable one,

mentally tortured by a karmic force, completely beyond its control, takes its place. It evokes sympathy, not anger. In a typical jathaka the bitter and evil character destroys the virtuous and benevolent. This drama deviates from the trodden path of painting in pitch black opposed to radiant white. The virtuous loses his life but willingly and with pleasure, seizing the opportunity to attain his supreme goal of Buddhahood. This dilutes the sorrow of the right thinking. On the contrary there is no victory whatsoever for the traditional evil.