The Ramayana comes alive on the Ladies’ College stage
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The students of the Tamil Manavar Sangam of Ladies’ College, Colombo 7, brought to life, a breathtaking dance drama, ‘Rama Kathai’ on the 31st of July 2012 in the school auditorium to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Sangam. This enchanting performance was based on the great epic Ramayana. The entire production was enacted in dance form with live music and a cast of 28 students.
The dance drama begins with the four sons of King Dasarathan, the king of Ayodhya, who grow up to be handsome young men. His eldest son, the wise and brave Rama, who is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, marries the beautiful princess Sita.Preparations commence to crown Rama as king, as per his father’s wishes but the king’s favourite consort Kaikeyi, under the influence of the cunning crone Kooni, persuades King Dasarathan to give the kingship to her son, Barathan. Rama is banished from the kingdom so he dutifully goes into the forest with his wife Sita and his loyal brother Lakshmana. In the forest, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the daemon king of Lanka. Rama fights Ravana in a great battle and wins with the aid of Hanuman and his fearless troop of monkey warriors.Sita voluntarily proves her chastity by going through a trial by fire. Rama accepts her and they both go back to Ayodhya after their period of banishment is over. The curtain closes on the joyous coronation ceremony of Rama, reiterating the fact that good always triumphs over evil.
There were some scenes that were absolutely spectacular and stood out from the rest even though it all came together in a wonderful work of art. One needs to make particular mention of the Suyamvaram, the legendary battle and the final coronation of Raman.
The Suyamvaram is a test of strength, hosted by Sita’s father, where the winner receives Princess Sita’s hand in marriage. Many kings and princes come in the hopes of stringing Lord Shiva’s bow and proving their worth but Rama is the only one able to string the great bow and his strength was so exceptional that the bow breaks into two. This scene, which ends with Rama and Sita’s wedding, was one of the most colourful and vibrant scenes of the production.
The Ramayana battle begins with the magnificent display of Ravana’s 10 heads in a fiery background. The dramatic scene where the two battalions of Rama and Ravana battle each other in dance form enthralled the entire audience. The war culminates in the final battle where Rama single handedly defeats Ravana in a glorious victory.
The grand finale of the production was the coronation ceremony of Rama, where he is crowned the rightful King of Ayodhya before an assembly of his subjects, friends and family. The profound feelings of happiness and contentment felt by the audience in this scene were evident in the long and heartfelt applause that followed.
The dance was artistically choreographed by Kalabooshanam Shrimathi Gnanendran, who herself is an acclaimed dancer. The lyrics and music composition were written and composed by Prof. Gnanakulendran and Mrs T. Wijayaratnam. The orchestra which accompanied the dance enhanced the quality of the musical with its wonderful rendition of the songs.
Saumiyah Ajanthan played the role of Raman with a lot of composure and meaning. Shvani Rajkumar as Sita captured the attention of the audience particularly during her captivity. Ravana, played by Mathura Visvalingam, dominated the stage with power and awe. A notable performance was by Sahana Nandakumar who played three important roles of Bharathan, Thadakai and Soolpanagai. Her realistic portrayal of the daemonic and violent nature of the latter two characters was excellent.
Emotions were realistically and convincingly portrayed by Lakshmana played by Mayura Sukumaran, particularly when he cuts off the nose of Ravana’s sister. Hanuman was played by Vaishnavi Rudra who with her agility on stage depicted the character of the monkey very beautifully. Ahrani Jeyakanthan played the part of Kooni; the audience witnessed great acting particularly when she plots Rama’s ruin and Kaikeyi was played by Branavasoruby Sivabalaratnam whose change of heart under Kooni’s persuasion was stunning. It was amazing how all the students had mastered the art of dance and acting. In fact, many of the students played multiple roles where they seamlessly transformed from one character to another. The facial expressions and the body language of the talented girls on stage was proof of hard work and training.
Rama Kathai was a performance of very high standards by the students of Ladies’ College. All those who were involved in it deserve to be congratulated.
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