CHENNAI: The temples of South India are treasure troves of inscriptions and carvings that hold information of great civilizations. While they often reflect the heritage, there are a few facets of these carvings that have left people puzzled for many years. One example is that of ‘the man in the hat’ carved onto the gopuram of the famous Brihadeeswara Temple. Holding that as the focal point, Theatre Marina, a city-based theatre company, has produced the play, Abayarangathilaga, combining historical instances with fantasy. Written by Jayaraman Ragunathan, the story has been penned by director R Giridharan, who walks us through the concept.
“The image of a man in a cap has been something that many have tried to decipher. But, there has been no documented evidence of who that could be,” points out Giridharan. There are several names given to the ‘mysterious man’ by the natives. “When we went around the city to see if the folks there knew who it was, we got a variety of answers. From Vasco Da Gama to ‘China Kaaran’, the people there have several names for him!” he laughs.
So how have they implemented the importance of the man in the play? “Firstly, we imagined this: What if someone time travelled to that period? What will happen? And secondly, this man should have done something of great significance to share space in this great temple...so we decided to add that fantasy with historical events,” he explains.
The story weaves the aftermath of the Kandalur war with an imaginary plot. “We imagined an assassination plot against Raja Raja Chola, by someone affected by him — the king who survived the Kandalur war. And what if this ‘hat man’ actually saved Raja Raja Chola from death? If so, why is it not documented in history?” The reasons could vary. “An assassination attack on a king of such great power should not be revealed to the outside world. That would give an opportunity for anyone to give it a shot,” elucidates Giridharan.
The drama does not only give a fantasy twist to historical incidences, but, it also portrays the warmer side of the emperor. “Raja Raja Chola has always been shown as an arrogant king, who didn’t show mercy in his quest to widen his empire. But if he built such a magnificent temple, what would his other, softer, side have been? And, how did he take care of his people? These are a few things that we will be portraying,” he shares.
With references from Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan, and other documented works, Theatre Marina has been making the play look real. “We took the troupe to Thanjavur for two days and we even enacted two scenes in the temple itself. The change in their performances was amazing!” he recalls.
The play has been showcased seven times since July and there will be five more performances until the end of 2017. “We also want to take it to other cities. Since we haven’t compromised on the grandeur of sets, costumes and lighting, the cost of taking the play to a different place is exorbitant. If we have sponsors and if someone is willing to help us, we will be glad to take it across the country!” avers the director
The Tamil play will also showcase the age old art of Silambam. “Students from Natyalaya will be performing on a three-minute song using silambam. There has been a lot of cooperation from the youngsters and that’s one reason why this play has been successful,” he says.
According to Giridharan, Tamil plays are seeing good days and he credits the knowledge of the old timers and youngsters’ enthusiasm for its steady growth.
“Recently, there has been a lot of encouragement for youngsters to come into Tamil theatre. Experimental plays with fantasy and entertainment is what I would like to work on in future,” he shares.
Giridharan is working on another historical fantasy drama is likely to be staged in January.
Abayarangathilaga will be staged on October 29 at Mylapore Fine Arts Club from 7pm onwards. For details, visit:
http://www.theatremarina.com