The archer’s penance

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/06/stories/2009030651210300.htm

The archer’s penance

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

Koothu-p-pattarai’s Arjunan Thabasu brought home the evils of war.

Photo: S. Thanthoni

Bold acrobatics: Arjunanan Thabasu.

The Mahabharata, mythological tale though it is, is a documentation of a family quarrel with far-reaching and disastrous consequences. Just as the horrors of war are brought home to us by history, so also, they are brought home to us by the Mahabharata too. Cousin pitched against cousin, uncle against nephew, brother against brother, not to mention the countless others caught up in the war — victory, when it does come, whether in history or in the Mahabharata, is Pyrrhic.

It is the horrendous consequences of war that Na. Muthuswamy’s play ‘Arjunanan Thabasu,’ presented by Koothu-p-pattarai, is all about. Vyasa tells the Pandavas that Duryodhana is unwilling to allow them to return, once their period of exile is over. So Arjuna sets off to do penance, to obtain the Pasupathastra from Siva. On the way Mohini and Perandi try to seduce him, but he is not tempted.

Working out a strategy

But when Siva is about to give Arjuna the Pasupathastra, Ekalavya’s disciples exhort him not to, because of the potential of the weapon to cause large scale damage. How else can the Pandavas vanquish Duryodhana, asks Siva. One of Ekalavya’s disciples suggests the use of a scent to lure the men. He demonstrates the potential of the scent, and even Siva succumbs to the enticing fragrance. But the plan to use the scent is abandoned when Draupadi objects to it on grounds of morality. Siva then gives Arjuna the Pasupathastra, with warnings about the consequences should it fall into the wrong hands. It will lead to large scale destruction, and no one will be spared, he says, reminding one of how easy it is for a conventional war to become a nuclear holocaust.

Vigour is generally the hallmark of Koothu-p-pattarai productions. But ‘Arjunan Thabasu’ lived up to it only in parts. The acrobatics of Ekalavya’s disciples on the rope were graceful and bold, and there was clever use of lighting here. The fight between Arjuna and Siva was lively.

One of the characters spoke indistinctly, and had trouble with his pronunciation, especially with ‘la’ and found it particularly difficult to say ‘Pasupathastra.’

The idea of conveying a message through the play was laudable but should it have been done at the cost of dignity? The dialogue, at several places, bordered on being vulgar and the gestures quite lewd. Perhaps koothu-p-pattarai should think about this.

Catch ‘Arjunan Thabasu,’ 7 p.m., on March 6, 7, 9, 13,14 and 15 at No1, Vaikasi Street, Chinmaya Nagar, Virugambakkam