CHENNAI: High on quality and rich in production value, Kumin Chirippu (Shiva’s Smile) had the gumption to spread cheers all around. The packed gathering at Narada Gana Sabha feasted a peach of an offering from SB Creations over the weekend.
The play is a fictional account of the situation and has been effectively produced as a drama with suitable background, music and other features. Giving concrete shape to the imaginative scripting of acclaimed writer Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, SPB Raman has lived up to his reputation as a director believing in substance and delivering it in his inimitable style. The title is drawn from a famous seventh-century Thevaram by Appar describing Shiva’s captivating divine smile.
Precious loss
The story relates to the time when a 1,000-year-old invaluable piece of a Chola period Nataraja idol belonging to a village in Rajanallur changes hands. A local artisan, the expert in bronze coating, replaces the original with a copy, which is placed in the temple. The original changes hands much like a baton in a relay race. Finally, it finds a place in a US-based museum. A chance discovery leads to the unearthing of the case, leading to startling facts about the involvement of scores of people.
The happy tiding is in the deity getting back to the place where it belongs. A posse of devotees, holding the prized possession and making their way through the length and breadth of the venue, was a perfect dessert with the night still young.
A zamindar finds to his chagrin and delight when a bronze idol unearthed while digging a well. Conscience pricks him that the rightful place for a deity is in the temple, where devotees throng in numbers to get the blessings of Lord Shiva.
Packed with the firepower of a script giving loads of avenues to explore, explode and exhibit the Divine Power of Lord Shiva, the director is at his fiery best. The Shiva Thandavam act of Nidheesh Kumar, credited with the choreography, is a godsend moment of the play. The fire in the eyes and spark in the body language speak eloquently of the prowess of the Almighty. These are segments which play a defining part in the flow and narration which takes on the speed of a Husain Bolt dash from the blocks.
Of idol thefts and preservation
Innovatively, the director makes the idol one of the pivotal characters. He is struck in awe when foreigners admire the rare piece of history, worried to the fault when a price is put on him and enveloped with fear at the mounting rate with which every country views the crowning piece of glory.
Concerned with the growing rate of idol thefts of historical value either stolen or identified in foreign countries, Raman sticks to the facts. In his arsenal are dance and music which are suitably inserted to sustain the audience’s interest. Raman’s son Baradwaj brings a ray of merriment to his background score. Complementing well is the LED wall content design and execution of Raman. The cynosure is the two Nataraja idols standing majestically, sourced from Giri Trading Company.
In the end, one was left to wonder how a thin storyline of an idol theft could be translated into a 100-minute spectacle.
Much like the offering of late Bollywood director Manmohan Desai who revealed his secret of success in not letting the audience take a pause, Raman ensures the flow is smooth, shuffling the pack of his characters to his heart’s content and connecting the audience with the unbridled flow of startling facts.
The family bond in the sumptuous fare is conspicuous, Dharma Raman stole the thunder with a spotless performance as Gurukal’s wife. Raja Man Singh (as Manickam Achari); Akshara Kamatchi (as Gurukal’s daughter) and Sethu as Inspector provide the prop.
A character with a blonde wig passes off as a foreigner, admiring the marvel at the museum. So much to say about the diligent work of the producer-director. When every aspect gets the deserved footage, perfection cannot be far away. The production house says it all in the best way — let the play do all the talking.
Playing her part in Lord Shiva’s smile
Bilingual writer, musician and dance scholar Sujatha Vijayaraghavan’s script was the cornerstone of SPB Raman’s directorial Kumin Chirippu.
Interaction with the prolific writer revealed that she wrote the play Siva Smiled in English seven years ago. In deference to the wishes of Raman, Sujatha translated the English version into Tamil and the rest, as they say, is history.
For Sujatha, the inspiration to write the play came after going through scores of idol theft and smuggling over the last four decades. “I have written a marabu kavithai and a pudhu kavithai on the pertinent issue, years ago, which were both published in Amudha Surabi,” she shared.
The happy augury is in the efforts of the government bearing rich dividends going by the number of idols recovered and placed it in the rightful place, she added. “Everyone has a role in preserving the priceless idols. The onus is on the government, police force, temple authorities and the people to rise as one to protect the God-sent gift, a treasure which is the pride of Tamil culture over centuries. I appreciate the role of former police official, Ponn Manickavel, who played a stellar role in bringing the culprits to book in scores of idol theft cases,” she emphasised.
Sujatha said the inspiration to pen a script on the topic was the landmark judgement in which a British High Court ordered the restoration of a fabled Nataraja valued at close to a million pounds (`2.3 crore) to India. The verdict rang down the curtain of a 20-year controversial court battle which began in August 1982 after Scotland Yard seized the Dancing Shiva following a tip-off from the British Museum.
The other factor stemmed from the work of famed archaeologist R Nagaswamy who bore testimony to the sand particles in the idol belonging to Sri Viswanatha Swamy Temple in Padhur. “In 1976, a labourer while digging up a field found the idol and through a middleman in Canada found its place in the British Museum. The late Nagaswamy’s expertise was the clinching factor in the judgement of Justice Kennedy ruling in India’s favour. The case had stretched beyond two decades. Imagine the joy with which the verdict was received when the idol got restored at the rightful place,” she narrated.
Another piece of media reporting (2016) which caught Sujatha’s attention was the arrest of master kingpin Deenadayalan, charged with smuggling 285 idols from unprotected Hindu Temples across Tamil Nadu. The reports had it that the police had seized idols and paintings (more than 2,000 years old) of antique from three places including his house in Alwarpet. “I live close to the Alwarpet residence of Deenadayalan and followed the happening from a vantage position. The facts came in handy for the smooth flow of my idol script. But then, the one which I gave to Raman did not include the Nagaswamy factor nor Deenadayalan,” she said.
Sujatha was happy with the way Raman presented the facts and not playing to the gallery. “That would have robbed the very essence of the plot, which was only a message to the authorities concerned. It pays to preserve the values and cultures of our ancient temples, which have no parallel in the world. More than the numerical value of the deities, it is a veritable treasure for the devotees, steeped in the rich traditions over the centuries. Every individual should think that he has a moral responsibility. That will make the job easier for the law force, who have their hands full in issues relating to the common man in the daily walk of life,” she insisted.