Sakuntala cultural confluence

The waters of India's two mighty Rivers - Ganga and Yamuna - meet in a sacred and timeless embrace. Their confluence - Prayage Thirtha - is among the most venerated holy spots of great India.

At a recent spectacular pageant, the ancient cultural streams of India and Sri Lanka, embraced each other, marking an aesthetically and spiritually elevating, modern confluence. And, this glittering conjunction was created by the Musical Dance Drama, presented - courtesy of the Indian Cultural Centre. The thematic gem of the presentation was Mahakavi Kalidasa's immortal play "Abhijnana Sakuntala." Succeeding generations of sophisticated elites of mankind have ensured "Sakuntala" an unfading classical stature in the global landscape of theatre.

Great German Savant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) expressed his distinguished view in no uncertain terms: "Of all the dramatic works produced by mankind, the greatest single play is Kalidasa's 'Sakuntala.'

Kalasuri Arundathy Sri Ranganathan

Maha Kavi Kalidasa's life and Sri Lankan history are intertwined in a strange and startling manner. According to Sri Lanka's chronicles, King Kumaradasa 513-522 AD (referred to by Culavansa as Kumaradhatusena) flung himself into the funeral pyre of Kalidasa and sacrificed his Royal life, for his friend - the Great Poet.

Dr. Wilhelm Geiger, the German Scholar who translated Sri Lanka's uninterrupted historical chronicles into German, adds an intriguing foot-note to this tragic event. "Popular tradition places this event in Matara. Here, as we observed for ourselves on the spot, the people are well acquainted with the names of the two friends and their tragic rate... the grave in Matara is still pointed out."

After this disturbing aside, we can turn, full focused, to the Musical Dance Drama, Abhijnana Sakuntalam.

Renowned Kala Guru, Kalasuri Arundathy Sri Ranganathan, undoubtedly faced a daunting creative challenge, when she was confronted with the complex but, highly satisfying task of converting the classic stage play Sakuntala, into its Musical Dance Drama version. To judge from the exquisite finished product, presented at Kularatne Hall, Ananda College, she has scored a memorable artistic triumph.

To achieve her creative objective, Producer - Director Arundathy Sri Ranganathan, has synthesized several strands of dance and drama traditions. The staple idiom of the presentation is Bharata Natyam. Judiciously and with an unsullied high taste, she fuses together various dance and drama elements, to bring out an aesthetically unified product. The total work is satisfactorily integrated, preserving a praiseworthy sense of proportion.

In the stage play there is ample space to articulate the dramatized events. Dialogues, sets, logical interactions between characters, natural movements are some among the functional provisions available to players on stage, to make their dramatic statement. But, in a Musical Dance Drama, the total dramatic communication has to be effected through highly stylized Abhinaya and the code of Mudras.

Strenuous

All this imposes a strenuous discipline on the Producer, Director, players and others associated with a Musical Dance Drama. As was unquestionably evident from the presentation, Kalasuri Arundathy Sri Renganathan and her partners have been equal to all those formidable challenges. From the initial moments themselves, the compelling musical dance drama, transports the total audience, into a mood of tranced concentration. The refined dance movements exert a form of hypnotic hold on the mind of the viewers.

The appealing music and the intricate dance forms conjure up the celestial domain of Lord Indra. Heavenly damsels Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha and Tilottami display their delectable charms. These combined aural and visual presentations raise waves of joy within the spectators.

In the meticulously achieved choreography, the alluring streaks of Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchupudi and Kalari, fuse together seamlessly to produce an overwhelming end-result. Here, the Producer - Director has been extraordinarily keen to be creatively inventive, without harming the aesthetic purity of the dance modes, even minutely.

The Sri Lankan stream of dance tradition is visible, primarily, in the sequence that depicts the fishing settlement on the banks of the Ganges, near Suchi-tirtha. Members of Chandana Wickremasinghe's Dancers' Guild impart a relaxing touch to the Dance Drama. In terms of its vigorous choreography, this segment is in contrast to the spiritual and solemn aspects of most other sections of the production.

Celestial beings

A scene from the drama

Contrast, in a way, is at the core of Maha Kavi Kalidasa's "Sakuntala." The king's court is formalized, solemn and staid. Rishis and celestial beings represent yet another form of stylized existence. The holy Ashram (Hermitage) in the heart of the forest is a haven of tranquillity. King Dushyantha, on a hunting spree, is struck by the freedom pervading in this sylvan settlement. Its contrast, to the formal life at Court, impresses the King. Invariably, he falls in love with the unaffected maiden Sakuntala whose unadorned charm is a total contrast to the formal beauties at Court.

In mutual consent they enter into Gandharva Vivaha - natural matrimony - to which only the nature and the sky are witness. The solitary token of this love-driven union, is the signet ring presented by the King to Sakuntala.

Producer - Director Kalasuri Arundathy Sri Ranganathan gifts this Dance Drama to discerning audiences, as the Musical - Dance - Drama, version of one of the world's most alluring stories. It possesses all the ingredients essential to commend it to the totality of mankind without any division, as it throbs with all the elements men and women need in stories - Gods, Rishis, miracles, austerity, relaxation, love, union, separation, re-union and at the end total fulfilment.

In a way, the "heroine" of this production is Kalasuri Arundathy Renganathan. She is the Producer Director of the Musical Dance Drama. Sakuntala Dance Drama was conceived by her. The Music composition too is her effort.

The total production stands out as a highly wholesome contribution towards national integration. The lyrical support for the performance was provided by Dr. Praneeth Abeysundera. His lilting, echoing and moving lyrics in Sinhala provided emotional sound tones to the drama that was enacted. His Sinhala lyrics fused so completely into the spirit of the drama, that viewers may not have even felt the language in which the lyrics were composed.

While providing a rare theatrical event to Sri Lankan play - goers, the Musical Dance Drama "Abhijnana Sakuntalam" presented an impactful object - lesson about the exquisite results that could be harvested through the fusion of the two major cultural streams.

I deem it my duty here to speak a word or two to register the grateful thanks, due to Dinkar Asthana, Director, Indian Cultural Centre and of course, through him, to the High Commission of India. We wish many happy returns of Sakuntala - and its ilk.