There was a sense of joy and jubilance at the Indianostrum theatre this past week. Rehearsals were on full swing for Kunti Karna. Adapted and directed by Kumarane Valavane, the founder of Indianostrum, the Tamil play of one hour duration was staged at the Abhimanch Auditorium at the National School of Drama, Delhi, as part of Theatre Olympics.
“It gives me goosebumps when I think of an event such as the Theatre Olympics which has come to India for the first time. We get to meet and interact with theatre groups (about 150 groups) from all over the world. Needless to say, staging our production to an international audience was a milestone in the growth of Indianostrum,” says Valavane.
“My inspiration for Kunti Karna was derived from Rabindranath Tagore’s work bearing the same title, as well as my understanding of the characters mainly from the French translation of The Mahabharata by Jean-Claude Carriere,” says Valavane. They are focussing on the unravelling of Karna’s state of mind as a child, abandoned by his mother Kunti.
“The meeting that takes place between the mother and the son is the greatest moment in this play, which delves into Karna’s depth of solitude, rather than his legendary generosity, which is often highlighted in South India. The play traverses through the pivotal episodes of Karna’s life, exploring the narrative of his birth and death.” It uses minimal set design and dialogue, and relies on physical movement to express the character’s internal struggle.
Resident artistes of Indianostrum, Vasanth Selvam played Karna and Santhosh Kumar played the child Karna. Kunti was performed by Ruchi Raveendran and Mani Bharathi enacted Arjuna.
The core idea of Indianostrum is to expand the role of modern theatre, and it also attempts to explore its relationships with traditional forms to transcend political, social and historical divides. This production also used elements of kalari and silambam.
- The Theatre Olympics was established in 1993 at Delphi, Greece. This international festivalis a platform for theatrical exchange, a gathering place for students and masters, where a dialogue despite ideological, culture and language differences is encouraged.
Valavane wrote this play in 2007, while he was working with the children of SOS Village in Chennai, a children’s shelter. “Interacting with these children helped me shape the character of Karna. This experience also helped me analyse his exceptional nature and unravel the fundamental tragedy of his life. I have treated it on the lines of a Greek tragedy, ” says Valavane.
The team has always given importance to international exposure from the global theatre community. They have been hosting the international theatre workshop called the Ecole Nomad, conducted by 89-year-old iconic playwright from France, Ariane Mnouchkine, for the past three years.
This had made Indianostrum well-known among international theatre enthusiasts. Around 40 participants for the workshop were from abroad. Theatre Olympics is another platform that will help them get visibility on a national and international scale.