Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Jan 23: Dogri adaptation of ‘Abhigyan Shakuntalam’ (Of Shakuntala who is recognized by a token) presented by Samooh Theatre, at the Police Auditorium, here today, was an enriching experience as the production was successful in presenting to audience in their mother tongue, the masterpiece of Sanskrit drama by Kalidas.
The world famous play that from the times of its first translation into a Western language by Sir William Jones in 1789, and since been translated in at least more than 50 foreign languages and almost all recognized languages of the country, had been based by Kalidas on an episode from Mahabharata. The protagonist is Shakuntala, the abandoned daughter of apsara Menka and sage Vishvamitra, and brought up in the sylvan hermitage of the sage Kanva, grows up a comely but innocent maiden.
While Kanva and the other sages are away on a pilgrimage, Dushyanata, king of Hastinapur, comes hunting in the forest and chances upon the hermitage. He is captivated by Shakuntala, courts her, and solemnizes a gandharva marriage with her. He then has to leave to take care of affairs in the capital. She is given a ring by the king, to be presented to him when she appears in his court. She can then claim her place as queen.
The anger-prone sage Durvasa arrives when Shakuntala is lost in her fantasies, When she fails to attend to him, he curses her by bewitching Dushyanta into forgetting her existence. The only cure is for Shakuntala to show him the signet ring that he gave her. She later travels to meet him, and has to cross a river. The ring is lost when it slips off her hand when she dips her hand in the water playfully. On arrival the king refuses to acknowledge her. Fortunately, the ring is discovered by a fisherman in the belly of a fish, and Dushyanta realizes his mistake – too late. But is able to find Shakuntala and their son by chance, and recognizes them.
Directed by young Ravinder Sharma, today’s performance staged with financial support by Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, was conspicuous for its lyrical quality achieved through liberal use of background music that not only supported the overall mood of the scenes but also guided the transition from one scene to the next. The female actors trained in classical dance like Kathak, also added to the overall charm through their graceful movements and groupings on the stage. The two beautifully composed songs were also highly appreciated by the audience. Employing the techniques of the Sanskrit drama tradition, the play was performed with minimal sets.
The artists who acted in the play included Mridul Raj Anand as Dushyant, Neha Bhogal as Shakuntala, Suneedhi Sharma as Anusuya\Janani I, Poonam as Prymvada\Janani II, Vikram Khatri as Madhavya\Sadhu, Kanika Sharma as Gautami, Ajay Tamangh as Machhwara,Kartik Sani as Sarthi, Abhishek as Kotwal, Rajat Gupta as Sainak and Shavac Makin as Bharat\Sarvadhaman.
The music was designed by Brij Mohan and Surinder Manhas, while Tapeshwar Dutt designed the lights, sets by Dr Kamal Sharma, costumes by Krishan Bala, make-up by Shammi Dhamir and stage management by Daya Ram Daya.
Minster for Culture, Raman Bhalla, the chief guest of the show, highly appreciated the performance of Samooh Theatre and assured the artistes that Government is committed to provide the suitable infrastructure for proper showcasing of cultural expressions in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier Dr Sudhir Mahajan, the founder director of Samooh Theatre gave details about mission and activities of his group.
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