SPIRIT of INDIA: 30th Anniversay
-------------Kathakali Dance-Drama
The Killing of Dushasana
ADELAIDE • MELBOURNE • SYDNEY
MARCH 2010
NATARAJ CULTURAL CENTRE MELBOURNE
THE CAST
Duryodhana: Dushasanan: Sakuni:Yudhishtira: Draupadi: Krishnan: Arjuna: Rudra Bhima:
Abin Babu
Balasubramanian
Bhavadasan Namboodiri
Haridas A
Krishna Kumar M
Kunchan M
Mukundan N
Narayanan Namboothiri
Paulose KG
Prassanna Kumar P R
Ramadas N C
Sivaraman N
Synopsis
Scene I – The dice game
and banishing of the Pandavas
The Kaurava brothers resent
their cousins Pandavas taking
half the kingdom, and set about
destroying them. They persuade their deceitful uncle Shakuni to challenge Yudhistra, the eldest
Pandava brother, who was addicted to gambling, to a game of dice. He loses everything, including their joint wife Draupadi, who is publicly insulted. The Pandavas then accept a 12-year
exile. Bhima vows to avenge the insult by killing Dushasana and drink his blood. Distraught
Draupadi, seeks help from Lord Krishna, attempts a compromise which is rejected by the
Kauravas. 45 minutes.
Scene II: Characters: Krishna and Draupadi
When the scene begins, Krishna is seen seated and Draupadi in deep distress comes and falls
down at his feet, shows her dishevelled hair, and implores for her wish to be avenged fulfilled.
Krishna tells her that her wish will be fulfilled. 15 minutes.
INTERVAL 30 minutes (60 minutes at the WOMADelaide Festival)
Soman
T P Balan
Unnikrishnan M
Vaisakh R
Harish Kumar
Vocal Music: Kalamandalam Bhavadasan
Kalamandalam Achutan
Chenda:
Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan
Kalamandalam Narayanan Namboodiri
Maddalam:
Kalamandalam N.C. Ramadas
Kalamandalam Haridas
Make-up:
Kalamandalam Sivaraman
Kalamandalam Balan
Green-room Asst. M. Kunjan
Troupe Leader Dr. K. G. Paulose
COSTUMES
King Duryodhana - villainous character
Dushasana: brother of Duryodhana - demonic character
Sakuni: Uncle of the Kauravas - Minukku character
Dharmaputra :The eldest of the Pandavas - Green make-up - noble character
Draupadi - Minukku character - the wife of the Pandavas
Lord Krishna: Green make-up
Arjuna: Green make-up, the third of the five Pandava brothers
Bhima: in the battlefield - special facial make-up
Scene III: Negotiations – Characters: Duryodhana, Krishna and Dushasana.
Krishna tries a compromise by demanding just a small house for the Pandavas, which is rejected. The angry Duryodhana orders Krishna to be taken captive. Lord Krishna assumes his
cosmic form and disappears to report tothe Pandavas of his failure.
This leads to the terrible war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Pandavas and Kauravas are
arrayed against each other. Arjuna is the Commander-in-Chief of the Pandavas: Krishna is his
charioteer. 20 minutes.
Scene IV: Geethopadesham – Characters - Arjuna and Lord Krishna
At the historic battle, Arjuna, the third of the Pandavas, is in the chariot driven by Lord Krishna. Arjuna seeing kith and kin against him, begins to falter. In a noble speech, Krishna istills in
Arjuna the courage to fight. 10 minutes
SceneV:
Kurukshethra battle – Characters: - Raudrabhima, Dushasana & Draupadi
Bhima and Dushasana meet on the battle field. Bhima, remembering old insults and humiliations, is in a frenzy of rage. After a furious battle, Dushasana is defeated and Bhima rips open
his belly and bathes in his blood. Draupadi arrives at the scene. Bhima rushes to her, sprinkles
blood on her hair, and binds her hair with Dussasana’s entrails. Thus Draupadi’s curse is fulfilled. She is overcome with joy. It is only when Lord Krishna appears that the animal frenzy
which has driven Bhima to such excesses, subsides. He falls at the feet of Lord Krishna.
The Lord blesses him. 25 minutes.
Dhanasi: This is the concluding dance sequence where an actor bows to God and to the
audience. The actor in the role of Krishna performs the Dhanasi in this play. 5 minutes. 4
Kathakali Dance-Drama
PHOTO
This famous dance-drama is based on the story of a terrible war of succession
between two families of ancient India, the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It is produced
by the world-renowned Kerala Kalamandalam Dance Company of 17 dancers, singers,
actors, drummers, and make-up artists.
The two-hour Kathakali program uses episodes from the The Mahabharata,
the longest poem in the world and a treasure-house of the religious and philosophic
thought of India – the dice game at which a wife is staked and lost, the public disrobing of Draupadi, the joint wife of the 5 Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna’s exhortations
to the faltering Arjuna to fight, the awesome Kurukshetra battle, with Bhima ripping
open Dushasana and drinking his blood and washing Draupadi’s hair in that blood.
Krishna’s sermon on self-less action - The Bhagvat Geeta - is the heart of the
poem. It also sets out the Indian concept of Dharma – an ideal of how life should be
lived according to one’s nature, time. position and place.
Kathakali depends for its powerful artistic impact on very elaborate and
spectacular costumes and make-up.
Adelaide
Melbourne
Sydney
CONCERT SCHEDULE
womadelaide Festival
Town Hall Seymour Centre Sat, Sun 6, 7 March
Tuesday 9 March 7pm
Thursday 11 March 7pm
T
The Mahabharata Story
he kathakali dance-drama The Killing of Dushasana draws upon
The Mahabharata, one of two great epic poems of India, the other being The Ramayana. It is the longest of all the world’s epics and a treasure-house of religious and
philosophic thought of India. Stripped of its episodes and interpolations the poem
tells the story of the great civil war in the kingdom of the Kurus, in the region about
the modern Delhi.
The story occupies only about one-fourth of the poem. The rest is episodical,
comprising cosmology, theogony, statecraft, the science of war, ethics, legendary
history, mythology, fairy tales, and several digressions and philosophical interludes,
of which the best is The Bhagavadgita, containing Lord Krishna’s sermon on selfless
action, delivered to Arjuna to urge him to fight when he began to lose nerve on seeing his own kith and kin arrayed against him.
The throne of Kurus fell to Dhritrashtra who, being blind,
was not eligible to rule, so his brother Pandu became king. Soon
Pandu, on a hunt, killed an entelope couple in the act of love. As
a result of a curse by the animals that he would die if he made
love to his two wives, Pandu left Dhritrashtra on the throne
and retired to the Himalayas. Dhritrashtra appointed Yudhistra
the eldest of the five Pandu brothers heir. But his own hundred
sons resented this and plotted against their cousins, who left the
country. At the court of Panchala, Arjuna won by contest his
wife Draupadi, who was married to all the 5 brothers to avoid
strife. Here they also met their great friend and helper Krishna.
Dhritrashtra recalled them and divided the kingdom between
them and his own sons.
But Dhritrarashtra’s sons (Kuruvas) were not content with
this settlement. The eldest Duryodhana, knowing Yudhistra’s
weakness for gambling, invited him to a game of dice which
he won. As a result, the 5 brothers lost not only their kingdom
but also their joint wife, who was staked as a last resort. It was
then agreed that they would go into exile for 13 years and their
kingdom would be returned to them at the end.
At the end of 13 years the Pandavas demanded their part
of the kingdom which Dutyodhana refused to give up, leading
to the great war at Kurukshetra., near Delhi. The war raged for
18 days, until no important chief was left alive but the Pandava
brothers and Krishna.
Yudhistra was crowned king and for many years the
brothers ruled peacefully and gloriously. At last Yudhistra
renounced the throne, and the brothers with their wife left for the Himalayas, they
ascended Mount Maru and entered the City of the Gods, the entry to which they
would not accept unless their beloved dog was also allowed in.
K
Kathakali
athakali (katha-kali, ‘story-play’) is a dance-drama of the south
Indian state of Kerala. It originated in the 14th century as a village pantomime, began
to receive court patronage in the 16th and took its present shape in the 17th century.
It has now become popular throughout India.
In its original form, it is performed in the open air and is long drawn-out,
going from sunset to dawn, but it is much shortened for modern presentations. Among
its orchestral instruments are the maddalam, a long cylindrical drum hung from the
neck of the drummer; another large round drum is called the chenda; brass cymbals
and stringed instruments. The costumes, especially the headgear, are flamboyant and
colourful, with a wealth of gaudy ornamentation. Masks are used, leaving part of the
mouth exposed. The principal masks are often laboriously built
up by layer upon layer of heavy flour pastes which form a projecting frame around the face to give the impression of something
larger than life.The colour of the pastes used and the shape of the
pastemasks are all symbolic.
The performers are all male characters, with boys taking the
part of women, and it is essentially a masculine dance full of virile and vigorous movements. A feature of kathakali is the kalasam
meaning conclusion. It is a pure dance sequence in pure tandava
(vigorous) style, performed at great speed and agility. A typical
dance posture is the deep bend of the widespread knees, with
the weight resting on the outer sides of the feet. This posture of
‘turned-in feet and bendy legs’ is characteristic of kathakali.
Many characters are introduced to the audience by what
is called ‘crtain-look’, where a curtain is held up over which
the character first shows his grimacing face to the accompanyment of suitable drumming. Kathakali consists entirely of highly
stylised gestures of the hands, and bodily positions, all by fixed
rules. Many years of practice enable an actor to bring into play
his eyes, eyebrows, neck, lips, and even cheeks and nose to convey feelings by exaggerated expressions. When, for example,
passion is to be conveyed the mouth opens wide, the eyeballs
roll, the nostrils dilate and the chest heaves.
The actors themselves say nothing, but where necessary the
singers stand behind them and carry on the dialogue. There is
also a kind of chorus which intervenes to explain the transition between acts and to deliver a moral discourse. There are
over a hundred standard kathakali plays, mostly from the epics
The Mahabharata and The Ramayana. 10
Kathakali Photos
Twenty Nine Years of
T
SPIRIT of INDIA
HE Nataraj Cultural Centre was set up in 1980, and incorporated in 1983
as a not-forprofit cultural society, to present professionally eminent Indian musicians
and dancers in Australia, to reach the Australian community at large, instead of serving only the expatriate Indian community.
At the suggestion of Carrillo Gantner - Chief Patron of the Centre, founder
of The Playbox, philanthropist, Chairman of the Victorian Arts Centre - SPIRIT
of INDIA program was offered to the 1986 Adelaide Festival. Anthony Steel, its
longest-serving Director, warmly accepted it and was able to persuade the Festival
of Perth and the New Zealand Festival also to take it.
The program now covers New Zealand as well. Our artists are shared with
major international arts festivals and arts organisations.The Sydney Opera House
and the Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, have been co-presenters off and on since
1991. The program has received assistance from the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations, New Delhi, for most concert tours since 1982. It has received funding
support from the Australia- India Council, Canberra, from 1994. Support from
these two bodies and the regular assistance from Carrillo Gantner and the Margaret
Dhillon Estate has been crucial.
An understanding of India’s rich cultural heritage is vital to the development of economic and cultural ties with South Asia. SPIRIT of INDIA is designed to
provide the ordinary Australian and New Zealand concert-goer with access to that
heritage.
Press Reviews
“SPIRIT of INDIA program… allows wonderful opportunities to see and hear artists who are
the equals of the very best in the world.” Sydney Morning Herald
“SPIRIT of INDIA musicians and dancers… comparable to putting Sutherland,Woodward,
Tuckwell, etc… together.” The Advertiser (’88 Adelaide Festival)
INNOCENT RAPTURE IN RAGAS
“For 25 years, Mohindar Dhillon, based in Melbourne, has been quietly enriching Australian
culture by presenting some of the best of India’s classical musicians. He set up the Nataraj
Cultural Centre in 1980 and with the support of philanthropist Carrillo Gantner and a
former director of the Adelaide and Sydney festivals, Anthony Steel, has been able to tour
his artists throughout Australia and New Zealand.These musicians have challenged western
perceptions of what is beautiful and dramatic with the mysterious intensity of their ancient
ragas.’’
Anna King Murdoch, Sydney Morning Herald
A Gallery of Selected SPIRIT of INDIA Artists 1980-2010
NATESAN RAMANI
(Flute ’87, ’91, 2001, 02,
08, 09)
VISHNU JOG
(Violin ’87)
SONAL MANSINGH
(Dance ’82)
U SHRINIVAS
(Mandolin 2002, 09)
SHIVKUMAR SHARMA
(Santoor ’88,’94,99, 2007)
PARVEEN SULTANA
(Vocal ’96)
L SUBRAMANIAM
(Violin ’92, 2000, 06)
HARI CHAURASIA
(Flute ’88)
VANDANA KAUL
(Kathak Dance 2003)
AMJAD ALI KHAN
(Sarod ’86, 2003, 06)
SULTAN KHAN
(Sarangi 2004)
ARUNIMA KUMAR
(Kuchipudi Dance 2004)
RASHID KHAN
(Vocal Classical 2005)
MANJARI CHATURVEDI
(Kathak Dance 2005)
THE MAGIC HOUR
(Orissi Dance & Kathakali Theatre 2007)
Featuring
Arjun Raina and Monica Singh
MANJIRI KELKAR
(Vocal Classical 2008, 09)
ANURADHA KUBER
(Vocal Classical 2009)
THE KILLING of DUSHASANA
(Kerala Kalamandalam Dance Company 2010)
pictured
The Evil Dushasama
SPIRIT of INDIA in concert
NATARAJ CULTURAL CENTRE
2007 WOMADelaide with Shivkumar
2001 WOMADelaide crowd for Dr Ramani
right
below
Views and visitors of Nataraj Cultural Centre in Panton Hill on the outskirts of Melbourne.
below right Anthony Steel relaxing with Fedka on the verandah in Panton Hill.
above
U Shrinivas and brother Rajesh
Dr Ramani in concert at the
Sydney Opera House.
above right
Dr Ramani, Mohindar Dhillon and
Manjiri Kelkar at 2008 NZWOMAD
right
The Music of India
I
T
Margaret Dhillon Memorial Concert
ndian music, Hindustani and Carnatac, has been an integral part of the religious and cultural life of India for over two thousand years, with an elaborate musical
theory and literature. It is purely melodic – it neither needs nor implies harmony.
Unlike Western music, Indian music retains its roots in pure melody and rhythm.
he Melbourne concert, assisted by the Margaret Dhillon Estate, is dedicated
to the memory of Margaret Dhillon, who died in 2001 after a long struggle with
Alzheimer’s, and who played a significant role in the work of the Nataraj Cultural
Centre. She was a wonderful hostess for the visiting artists.
Indian classical music is based on the concepts of Raga – the melodic basis
of composition and improvisation, and Tala – the rhythmic framework. The rhythmic
texture of this music is highly intricate and ornamented with grace notes. It is lyrical
and sensual and aims at creating a definite mood. Since Indian music is not written
down, every performance is virtually a new composition, but the musician has to
improvise within a well-defined traditional Raga.
Margaret studied piano at the Royal Academy of
Music, London. In 1974,she married Mohindar Dhillon,
then a Lecturer in English at the Delhi University. She was
drawn to Indian classical music after hearing Ravi Shankar at
a private concert in Delhi. She was loved and admired by her
many friends. Though very English in her upper middle class
upbringing, she was always fascinated by other cultures and
new ideas. Her many interests ranged from Conservation
to Russian Literature, which she taught at Queensland and
Monash universities.With her love and shrewd understanding of literature and an extremely beautiful voice, she was an
inspiring teacher and broadcaster.
“Perhaps the most moving and exciting quality of Indian music is the innocence
of its rapture. However sophisticated the means…complex the structure...
nothing is lost of the child’s freshness of wonder.” – Yehudi Menuhin
“The Nataraj Cultural Centre’s SPIRIT of INDIA program...allows wonderful opportunities
to hear artists who are the equals of the very best in the world, and to get closer to the rich
musical tradition they represent.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald
She sought wild and beautiful places and meaning and substance in life:
“Without love, nothing makes sense.
You have to hold and to know a
beautiful permanency in life,
for only this substance can survive
death. But if you never know it,
never find it,
what happens to it?”
Veena player
The musical mode Raga Megh Malhar
Cultural Tours
Cultural Tours - previous groups & sights
‘‘About her there is the elusive quality of a legend of long ago. Repellent she is sometimes,
but every one is drawn to her, this woman with a past.’’ – J Nehru
If you are looking for an exciting and
wide-ranging 16-day holiday in search of
the elusive spirit
that informs the art
and architecture of
India, you cant do
better than take a
SPIRIT of INDIA
cultural tour offered in September and
December by the non-profit Nataraj Cultural Centre. The tour is designed and
led by its President, Mohindar Dhillon,
a formerly an Administrator in the Punjab and a Reader in English at the Delhi
University.
By a dexterous use of 8 domestic
flights, we cover quite a few major centres of artistic interest
– forts, palaces, temples, and other sights:
Delhi (ancient and
modern sights), Agra
(the Taj Mahal and the
Fort), Jodhpur (fort
and palaces), Kumbalgarh (magnificient
fort and Aodhi Hotel),
Ranakpur (1400-pillared Jain Temple),
Udaipur (Lake Palace), Ellora (rock-cut
cave temples), Hampi
(magnificent
ruins
of Vijaynagar empire), and Darjeeling
(home of tea and sublime Himalayan
views) – an amazing feat.
Add to these rich pickings, elegant
and comfortable mid-range hotels, with
India International Centre in New Delhi
– the cultural hub of Delhi - as the base,
and you get an incredible all-inclusive
package: 8 domestic flights, twin-shared
accommodation, economy international
fare, breakfast and dinner, all transfers
and sightseeing with
entry fees, and
an experienced tour leader.
Tour price all-inclusive:
$7,585* Group size 8 to 15.
Tour departures:
18 September and 27 December.
Tour
arrangements
in India are made by
Namaskaar
India,
New Delhi; flight
bookings by Focus
Travel, Templestowe.
You
can
visit
SPIRIT of INDIA 2004 group with Dr G Mangan
in the KangraValley.
above
left
Darjeeling: Kanchenchenga, the 3rd tallest peak
Isobel & Peter Sims at the Jain Temple in Ranakpur.
5-star Aodhi Hotel, Maharaja’s old hunting
lodge, outside the Kumbhalgarh Fort, left
above
www.nataraj.org.au
for information on
Booking Conditions,
Detailed Itinerary and
Application.
* Price correct as at January 2010.
Variations may occur according to
currency exchange.
A typical female figure from one of 1400 pillars of the Jain Temple in Ranakpur, Rajasthan
right
left World Heritage Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi, precursor of The Taj Mahal.
Rob Brookman, GM SydneyTheatre Company, with wife Verity and Danielle Jelinek at the Taj in 2008.
Friends of SPIRIT of INDIA
MILOS MILANDINOVIC
PAUL COX
THERESE RIDLEY
IAN SCOBIE
ROB BROOKMAN
TIM WOOLFORD-SMITH
BARRY CLEAVIN
PAVAN KUMAR VARMA
Director General, ICCR
H.E. SUJANTHA SINGH
High Commissioner India
SUZANNE DAVIES
Chairman Australia India Council
ROGER KING
Program Director NZWOMAD
BALWANT SAINI
JACK BODY
JOHN McCARTHY
ANNETTE DRIPODI
Nataraj Cultural Centre
MEMBERS
Dr Rashmi Desai; Mr Amit Ghildyal;
Mrs Suniti Betigeri; Mr Rahul Bhattacharya;
Miss Radha Govil; Mr Tim Woolford-Smith
R
ADDRESS
H E Mr P.P Shukla, Dr L. Subramaniam,
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Mohindar Dhillon,
Sumathi Krishnan.
above
above right
2nd Left CarlaVan Zon;
Extreme Right Diana Cable;
54 Rodger Road, Panton Hill VIC 3759
Telephone/Fax: 61 3 9719 7354
E-mail: [email protected]
Inc in Victoria: ABN 51 946 242 508
Website: www.nataraj.org.au
R
Nataraj Centre Logo
The elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha,
the Remover of Obstacles, sketched by the
Melbourne painter Neil Douglas
Lady Singing, Rajasthan, 17th c.
Acknowledgements
NATARAJ CULTURAL CENTRE
his is a very personal expression of gratitude to various individuals who have
contributed much to the establishment of the Nataraj Cultural Centre in Melbourne and
to the success of its major arts program – SPIRIT of INDIA. Foremost among these have
been Anthony Steel, artistic director of many festivals; Rob Brookman, formerly a festival
director and now GM Sydney Theatre Company; Ian Scobie, Director of WOMADelaide;
Carrillo Gantner, philanthropist, actor-director and founder of The Playbox Theatre;
Milos Miladinovic; Michael Abbott; Pavan Kumar Varma, D-G ICCR until March 2010;
Ronald and Therese Ridley; Jack Body, composer and university teacher in Wellington; and
Barry Cleavin, eminent Printmaker in Christchurch.
The story of how Anthony got interested in our work is told in his highly readable
memoir Painful in Daily Doses. Rob and Ian embraced SPIRIT of INDIA for their Womadelaide Festival; Rob took it to Wellington when he directed the festival there. Later he placed
the STC venue at the Sydney Opera House at our disposal, which has made all the difference
in the world to our concerts in Sydney. Jack and Barry, along with Eileen at Canterbury
University, have been our anchor and warm-hearted hosts in New Zealand. Milos offered
magnanimous collaboration at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. Michael Abbott persuaded the
Australia-India Council to keep supporting us over the years, and added princely hospitality
for our artists when in Adelaide. Ronald, Emeritus Professor, and the scholarly Therese have
been generous supporters in many ways from day one.
Pavan Kumar Varma, writer and diplomat, was the first head of the ICCR who, in
2007, recognized fully the cultural value of the work of the Nataraj Cultural Centre, for
its high standard of professional presentations, for reaching non-Indian audiences, and in
promoting the objectives of the ICCR by its collaborations with international arts festivals
in Australia and New Zealand on a regular basis. He guaranteed enhanced ICCR support.
Carrillo has been a godfather to the SPIRIT of INDIA with good practical advice and
generous financial support. Carrillo and another true friend, the film-maker Paul Cox, have
inspired our audiences with their passionate advocacy for Indian music; Paul has also used
Rabindranath Tagore’s hauntingly beautiful music as backdrop for his films.
We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Government of India’s arts funding body, for its generous and steadfast support with
air fares for the SPIRIT of INDIA program all these 30 years. We are equally grateful to the
Australia-India Council for its invaluable assistance since 1994. The support from these two
bodies has been crucial in the success and continued existence of the program. The third
major source of support has been the Playking Foundation. The Margaret Dhillon Estate was
always there to come to our rescue when we needed its support. For the 2010 program, we
have also been generously assisted by the Myer Foundation and the City of Melbourne.
Patrons
T
CARRILLO GANTNER ao
SONAL MANSINGH
ANTHONY STEEL am
MICHAEL ABBOTT qc
Executive Officers
MOHINDAR DHILLON
President
REIS FLORA
Vice President
JOHN LOVE
Secretary
DUNSTAN TOWNING
Treasurer
Mohindar Dhillon
Detail from an Illustration to the Musical Mode:Varari Ragini
Delhi, c1800
GLEN KNIEBEISS
Assist. Sec. Operations
A fierce Bhima ready to kill Dushasama