Tiruvarur Devadasis’ plight through live dance, music and drama

CHENNAI: Centuries ago, inside the grandiose glory of Indian temples, young girls were made to coerce to the religious practice of marriage with the magnificently crafted deities of worship. Reflecting the plight of this Devadasis system, The Madras Players, one of the oldest English Theatre Company in India, have put together their play, Kamalakshi.

Directed by the veteran thespian and voice artiste PC Ramakrishna himself, the play recounts the tale of a Devadasi dancer from the late 19th century. Kamalakshi, an English play, is an amalgamation of music, dance, and drama, the first of its kind from theatre group.

“Back in 2019, I had directed Trinity, a production of The Madras Players, which witnessed professional singers, performing Carnatic music live on stage and doubling up as actors. It was based on three short stories penned by Tamil writer Seetha Ravi, each depicting an event in the lives of legendary Carnatic musicians Muthuswami Dikshitar, Tyagaraja, and Shyama Shastri,” narrates PC Ramakrishna.

This brought about a new dimension to the English theatre. Intrigued by this amalgam of experience, mixing music with theatre in an Indian context, Ramakrishna wanted to explore the incorporation of live dance in a theatre play. Hearing a piece of music by Tamil composer Muthu Thandavar’s dance composition, Theruvil Varano at a lecture demonstration, an idea thrived in his mind.

“I happened to meet with Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, who is a fine writer, renowned dancer, musician, also a musicologist and a fine arts research scholar. We discussed my vision of a play revolving around a dancer. She later went up to her drawing board and came up with Kamalakshi,” states the veteran director.

Inspired by the Kothamangalam Subbu’s magnum opus, Thillana Mohanambal, Sujatha put the narrative together to encapsulate the life of Kamalakshi, an exceedingly talented devadasi, whose dance allures people from across the district.

Set around the Thyagaraja Temple in the town of Tiruvarur, Kamalakshi, played by well known dancer and singer, Sumitra Nitin, remains devoted to the deity, unaware of the impact of her charm.

A slim lady, in her beautifully draped kattam saree is how Sujatha reminisces about her dance guru, who was herself a devadasi, way back when she was five. Highlighting the importance of Tiruvarur, where Kamalakshi is placed, she explains, “When Raja Raja Chola built the Brihadiswara Temple, he wanted devadasis, whom he had recruited from across the temples in the Thanjavur delta. That is when several devadasis migrated to Thanjavur. Tiruvarur alone had sent 50 devadasis, all highly trained. I knew that was the place where I wanted the story to unfold.”

In the same temple, sings the much sought after young gifted musician, Sivaguru, who is played by Sikkil Gurucharan, one of the foremost young performing musicians of Carnatic music in India. Fascinated by his music, the Devadasi is torn between spiritual attachment to Lord Thyagaraja and her own Devadasi upbringing, urged by her mother, Parvatham, who is played by senior dancer Anuradha Ramesh.

“Chennai audiences have a unique sensibility adapting to music, dance and theatre, where they revel and anticipate aesthetic beauty, irrespective of it being traditional or an experimentative art. A theatrical play in English, emphasising the 19th century Tiruvarur temple based musician and Sadir dancers (present day Bharatanatyam), has been a unique blend,” explains Sikkil.

The play incorporates songs of Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the musical trinity of Carnatic music from Tiruvarur, who was the composer of numerous songs on deities in the temple. Making Tyagaraja and Nilotpalamba immortal in the minds of music lovers furnishing them with many kritis, this made director Ramakrishna, carve out the character of Sivaguru.

“My character, being the disciple of the Dikshitar lineage, the songs I render in Kamalakshi are by him. The play has beautifully been woven into a tale which explores the societal challenges faced by the singers of the temple at the time and the power play between hierarchies and communities. It is a heartfelt account of the lives of singers and dancers from an era, lesser known,” the singer elucidates.

Parur MS Ananthashree, a Carnatic vocalist and a Bharatanatyam dancer, who is the granddaughter of violin maestro Kalaimamani MS Anantharaman, plays Neela, Kamalakshi’s friend, who sings for her. Dancer and an artistic director V Balagurunathan, essays the role of Kamalakshi’s teacher, Sabapathy.

The play also establishes a negative character, Mirasdar Sugavanam Iyer, portrayed by S Ram, who enters the picture to demand his pound of flesh.

“Audiences have grown considerably over time. People who are music and dance enthusiasts, go for concerts, but hardly explore theatre. Kamalakshi gave me an opportunity to bring live music and dance by professional artistes parallel to their performing art, who had not experienced theatre acting, to today’s live concert driven spectators,” highlights Ramakrishna.

Premiering the play on October 28, 2023 at Narada Gana Sabha, to a packed house, the team was critically acclaimed for its innovative presentation.

Does Kamalakshi come through the dilemma that plagues her? What happens to Sivaguru? Find out on February 16 from 6:30 pm at Narada Gana Sabha, Teynampet. Organised by the Thirumalai Charity Trust, Ranipet, it will be a fundraiser for their hospital project serving the health care needs of the rural and underprivileged population.