- K. Apoorvananda When we think of Ramayana, the only thing that comes to our minds is the obedient son in Rama with a face ever so handsome like the morning sun and a villain named Ravana with ten heads and all the magic that happens in between. It is a totally different kind of magic that we see on stage by the artistes of Rangayana as they have adapted Kuvempu’s Sri Ramayana Darshanam on stage. Kuvempu’s magnum opus took nine years to write and it won him several accolades including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jananpith Award. Rangayana Mysuru has till now sold out shows of the epic and they have been received by the audience of Mysuru very well regardless of age group. The drama being directed by K.G. Mahabaleshwar, one of the best exponents of Old Kannada in Karnataka spans five hours and one could observe that crowd which came in towards the beginning of the show did not thin out throughout the duration of the play. Though five hours long, it did not feel lengthy or laborious, taking the audience by a visual treat to Ayodhya, Kishkindha and finally Lanka. Kuvempu himself appears on stage aptly played by Dhananjaya complete with his wavy hair introduces the play. The play does not take usual route of Rama being born to Kausalya but it starts with the coronation of Rama and Manthara trying to poison the mind of Rama’s step-mother. A small note here in on the character of Manthara. Only in a place like Mysuru can we see the Director of Rangayana, Bhagirathi Bai Kadam, donning a role for such a mega production and that too in a role as pivotal as Manthara. She was earlier seen donning the role of Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya and she of course pulled off this role with ease.
