Transmigration of souls is an intriguing concept. And the play ‘Bhagavadajjukam’ by the theatre maestro Padmabhooshan Kavalam Narayana Panicker is about the comical outcome of the interchange of souls of a monk and a courtesan. Bhagavadajjukkam’s story is more than 2000 years old and has been told and retold by litterateurs through differnt art forms like
chakiyarkooth, dance drama’s and plays. Kavalam retained all the vital elements of Bhagavadajjukkam in his play (with the same name) that was part of ‘Tiruvarangu’, a three day drama festival of Kavalam’s play in Ernakulam Town Hall.
‘Bhagavadajjukam’ is about the age-old practise of transmigration of souls, as practised by a Guru. The hermit does this to show his abilities in order to convince Shandilya, his disciple about his powers. The play opens with the Guru calling up Shandilya. But the hedonist Shandilya is a person who runs from one religious guru to the other. For him religion is just a means to fill his stomach without doing much work. Through Shandilya, Kavalam has portrayed people whom we find in society even today; people who wear the mask of spirituality and fool others. The disciple clouded with doubts about the things he sees around him, confuses his Guru himself. The Guru too clarifies these, something not suited for his stature. Shandilya’s depiction of events and the monk’s replies to his queries form the crux of the play.
The play takes a real twist when Vasanthasena and her maids enter the scene. She and her maid also come to the same garden where Shandilya and the Guru are taking rest. During this scene, suddenly from the audience’s side, Yamadootha, messenger of death, clad in black makes a surprise entry which creates a terrific impact. Everyone is at the edge of their seats thinking what his next move will be.
The Yamadootha takes the form of a snake and hides among trees. Vasanthasena while plucking flowers is bitten by the snake. Hearing all the noise, Shandilya rushes to the spot, only to find Vasanthasena taking her last breath.
The play takes a different turn from here onwards. Shandilya pleads with his master to save her. The master makes his own soul enter the body of the courtesan. Meanwhile, Yama appears with the soul of the courtesan and slips it into the body of the holy man. The result is quite amusing. Vasanthasena gets up and starts behaving like the holy man and the holy man behaves like the courtesan. Gireesh V, who portrays the Guru’s role switches from one character to the other so well that the audience has no trouble believing that their souls have been interchanged. Mohani Vinayan who plays the role of Vasanthasena also does full justice to her character.
The notable thing about the play is that even though its setting and story are ancient, its characters are all relatable with present day politicians and people who act as demi-gods.
“The play is about misfits in society. Through the character of the physician who comes to treat Vasanthasena and does not know his job, I wanted to stress that our
nation is full of such people in important positions who are incompetent,” said Kavalam after the play.
“Bhagavadajjukkam, though an old play, the flame in it never dies. It still has the same relevance as it had earlier. And Kavalam is a veteran of indigenous plays in India now. The play has retained the same old flavour in it,” said Vinod V Anandan, theatre director who exclusively came from Thiruvananthapuram to watch Kavalam’s play.
People who say that drama and theatre culture is coming down, ‘Thiruvarangu’ is the answer for it, adds Vinod. For all the three days from October 22 to 24, Ernakulam Town Hall was packed with young and old alike to watch Kavalam’s drama fest.
aswathy.k@newindianexpress.com