THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Some of the finest and fascinating moments in ‘Marthanda Varma,’ the historical romance by C V Raman Pillai, will come alive on stage at the Sainik School Kazhakootam on Monday.
Cadets - Sainik School students are ‘cadets’ - are presenting three scenes in a loosely adapted theatrical version of the 126-year-old novel for their school day celebrations.
“The play is only 16 minutes long, but we’ve chosen moments which are high on drama and important as turning points in the story,” Sandhya R, the school’s Malayalam teacher and head of the videography club who adapted, scripted and directed the short play, said.
In the first scene, the ‘Ettu Veetil Pillamar’ - the feudal antagonists - are involved in an intrigue to get rid of Marthanda Varma. The second scene revolves around the love affair of Ananthapadmanabhan and Parukutty.
In this scene, Parukutty’s mother tries to coax her into another marriage. But Parukutty refuses to relent. In the third and final scene, Marthanda Varma, the prince, is seen in discussion with his aide Parameswaran Pillai.
The place is surrounded by the prince’s enemies, but Ananthapadmanabhan - disguised as a Channan - rescues him.
C V Raman Pillai’s novel, which narrates the final years of King Rama Varma’s reign and Marthanda Varma’s accession to the throne of Travancore, was published in 1891. According to Sandhya, the story of Marthanda Varma - who ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758 - was chosen to motivate the cadets.
“They are youngsters who will fight for the country tomorrow. Ananthapadmanabhan, for instance, takes up arms for justice and truth. All characters in the short play are portrayed by the cadets. In fact, 18 students have acted in it,” Sandhya said.