Mrichchakatika scales new high in performance

ST LOUIS: The Mahatma Gandhi Center auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri, was filled with artistic fervor as the cast gathered to perform one of the best literary works from India – “Mrichchakatika”. This was the very first time in the history of the State of Missouri, (probably in the whole USA) that a 2000 year old Sanskrit work from India was enacted for three consecutive evenings.
Mruchchakatika, translated as the ‘Little Clay Cart’ is a Sanskrit drama written by Shudraka and is known to be an outstanding play on several counts. It excels in characterization in comparison to any outstanding dramas of either the East or the West. Written sometime between the 3rd and 5th century AD, much before any of the well-known poets or playwrights such as Kalidasa or Shakespeare, it stands high on the basis of its theatrical strength. It digs through the persona of different strata of society and portrays the social complexities of the times. The characters in the play are considered as “Citizens of the World”.
The plot unravels in the ancient city of Ujjain, in India, around a triangular love story of three people namely – Charudatta, the hero, the merchant, who has lost all his wealth due to his extreme charitable nature and kindness; Vasantha Sene – the heroine, a beautiful courtesan, who has fallen for the good heart of Charudatta; and Sansthanaka (also known as Shakara) – a person who seeks the love of the heroine, and who after being rejected, turns into a villain.
Interspersed in the play, one can enjoy the humor generated by the jester – Maitreya – a close aide of Charudatta. The dance drama does full justice to the story line keeping the time constraint of modern days. It is said the complete script of Mruchchakatika needs at least a 6 to 8 hours of production.
The director, Guru Prasanna Kasthuri, did a tremendous job of balancing drama, dance and singing in the production. The play started with a traditional Poorvaranga – an invocation of the Gods. The dancers established a celestial protection weapon – “Jarjara” that marked the start of the production. As Sutradhara (narrator) Gopinath Joshi did a neat job of introducing the production. Although, the play seems to start off on a calm note, but with the introduction of Pulikeshi Kasthuri as Shakara and Murthy as Maitreya, the audience gets worked into laughter. The performance of students in the rain dance was very impressive.
Samanvita and Shri Nivedita, dance with their little carts, and bring out the symbolism of the Mruchchakatika production. The plot involving the murder of the courtesan brought in the element of suspense and seriousness to the play. Nagendra portrayed the role of charioteer effectively while, the heroine Shwetha excelled in expression.
It was in the last scene where Guru Prasanna’s strength of dance, theatre and music came together in a strong portrayal of Charudatta and his miserable situation. The two and a half hour production stayed crisp all along in its rendition of the storyline.
The main attraction of the show was Sathya Narayana Murthy, who played the role of Maitreya and stole the show with his mimics and facial expressions. Shalini, Annuja, Shubhi, Chinmayi and Keertana, of Soorya Dance Company supported the production with their marvelous dancing as also with their role plays as different characters of the play, by changing in and out of costumes and roles effectively.
The dialogues by Prabhakar Betnag, Gopinath Joshi and Nagendra Sanjeeva were crystal clear. The fitting props of the chariots drawn by horses, the mansion architecture with the walls, and doors added effectively to the visualization of the storyline. Costumes were very appropriate to suit the characters and the time period of the play.
Mruchchakatika (The Little Clay Cart) was successfully produced in Kannada and in English and catered to a wide spectrum of audiences in the Midwest, touring Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago and also bringing its production to the home base in St. Louis.
The play enthralled people of all ages with its captivating storyline that included love, deceit, suspense, theft, fights, ending with a message that justice is served and that righteousness wins ultimately. This major artistic production, including the three shows in St. Louis, was supported by the funds of Missouri Arts Council (MAC), Regional Arts Commission (RAC), Sulekha.com, Enopi of Greater St. Louis and USA Mortgage.

Shubha Subbarao