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| A Scene from Karnakatha Directed by Rout |
......Bharatmuni
has provided enough materials to understand the detail pictures of Prekshagriha—Theatre--
in Natyashastra. Accordingly he has also codified the performances and their
presentations in different types of theatre houses. Out of four types of[i]Abhinaya—acting— one
major aspect is dedicated to Aharyabhinaya also, which
means performance with the help of other external elements. It broadly
includes; makeup, hair style, costumes, ornaments and jewelleries, stage props
and other scenic elements. While he has discussed about all these things with
specific descriptions along with their designs, he didn’t talk much of
scenography and scene making. In the context of Indian theatre we only know
about an empty space. It is true that Indian theatre performance never allowed
external scenic elements in the performance. Neither any set nor any hand props
were used to communicate the story to the audience in Sanskrit drama. Bharat
has given emphasis on a neutral space where all the scenes can happen. But the
stage which seems blank from its outward look is really empty? The answer is
no. Bharat has never indicates towards an empty space.
We all know that modern theatre is segregated into many disciplines;
acting, stage-design, costuming, light-design, makeup, choreography, etc. This
is a western concept which we have adopted from the British. This division
requires specialization in each field to achieve perfection in that discipline.
But Natyashatra never discussed on these compartmental divisions.
It indicates towards a wholistic theatre which can be achieved
in its entirety. Scenography is also a segment of this wholistic performance
theory. The speciality of Classical Indian drama lies in its performance which
is presentational in its style of presentation rather than representational, a
common practice in Occidental culture. An Indian performance never adopts life
in its true form. It never perceives life from its external viewpoint. In
theatre the life is presented through metaphor and symbols. Stylisation in the
presentation is a common practice in Indian theatre. The principle of
presenting a [ii]patra-
character- on stage is also applied to the spatial presentations and scene
makings. The Aristotelian concept of space- unit of space- can’t be
implemented in Indian theatre. The space and the locals are constantly
established by the actors’ performance ability along with the power of the text
and their physical expressions. An existing local can be transformed into
another by a ritualistic performance of the actor- [iii]parikrama-in
front of the audience as per the demand of the text. The performance never
carries out anything with it; be it a space, character or a plot. For that
reason there are many locals, events and characters exist in one given time and
space in a single performance. Everything is expressed through the actors’ way
of presentation in an allegorical and symbolic approach.
Paul Kuritz in his legendary book on “The making of theatre history”
analysed;
[iv]“The Indian stage used little scenery. The makeshift nature of the
performance required few scenic items; it exploited instead the Indian love for
symbolism, imagery, and costume. Sanskrit texts didn’t even indicate scenery,
though female stagehands may have changed the yavanika to suggest various
rasas—white for erotic settings, yellow for heroic, a dull colour for pathos,
multicoloured for farce, black for tragedy and red for violence. The
Indian ranga was, like the world, a neutral place where many different
locations existed simultaneously. Indian theatre thus aimed for less illusory
imitation than the Greek theatre.”
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| Abhinaya through hasta mudra |
The Scenography in Indian theatre follows the strong concept of make
belief in which text plays an important role. The actor establishes the scenes
with the help of narration and the expressions which can be achieved through Chari-
foot movement and Mudra -gestures, postures and mime. For
example if a performer wants to establish a scene inside a forest, he has to
enact the atmosphere of the forest through his physical gestures and body
movements. By the power of his presentations and the subsequent narration, the
audience would understand the situation. To
have a clear understanding on Indian scenography we can
exemplify a scene from the classical play [v]Abhijñānaśākuntalam, where [vi]Dushyant the great Indian king enters the stage on a
chariot following a deer inside the jungle,. As we have already discussed, the
performance area is a neutral empty space where the whole world can be created
out of imagination and this particular scene is not an exception. The performer
who is holding the patra of Dushyant would enter into the stage
with elaborate foot movement – Chari- showing as if coming on a
chariot. He would establish the horses and the cart by his hasta mudra and Natya.
After establishing his entry with the help of movements, he would create the
environment and the scenes (jungle) through his body movement and text. In the
similar way the deer could be created out of hand gestures and movements. For
the entire performance where scenograpgy is an integral part would be well
received by the audience, whom in Indian term is called Rashika- A person who
is able to receive the rasa (sentiment). In the whole episode of performance
the audience mental participation to imagine the scenes is essential. In other
words the Scenography in Indian theatre is the outcome of the imagination of
the audience which can be established by the ability of the performance.
Classical Indian drama is full of with this kind of
imaginary visual practices which are created with the help of text and
performances. In another example of establishing the war field in the beginning
of the play [vii]Urubhangam (Breaking
the Thigh), a chorus of three soldiers enter into the stage and establish the
atmosphere of war field through narrations and mime. In the similar situation
in [viii]Madhayam
vyayog the fight between Bhima and Ghatotkacha (Father and son) was
established by pantomime and natya. The scenic visuals of the dense forest and
mountains are well established by the actors’ physical presentations. In other
way round, emphasis is given to costuming and makeup. The imageries are so
intricate and spectacular that puts Indian drama as one unique performative
practice in the world platform. With the exploration of costume, makeup, headgear
and natya, Indian theatre is able to establish aesthetics of performance
tradition over the years.
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| Performance of Kathakali |
We can’t completely deny with the fact that Indian
drama completely rejects the scenic elements. There are few properties used by
the actors in the name of scenography. In the ritualistic practice of [ix]Purvaranga- prologue
befor the play, the performers enter the stage with Jarjara dwaja and
fix it on the up stage near vedika. This colourful flag, visually
enriched was placed on the stage to mark the performance as a celebration,
since the colours in the flag represents the colours of life.Rangapatti is
another symbolic prop which was used for the entry and exit of the characters
in different scenes. The entry of actors behind this colourful curtain provides
visual elevation to the actors which add to the grandeur of the performance.
There are evidences of using some hand props by the subordinate characters
like; paricharika- female attendants and servantsor chatra
dharini (who holds the royal umbrella).
The scenography in Indian drama is more related to
the spiritual experiences than the bodily visual experiences. It flourishes by
the power of choreography and Natya. With the help of all the elements the
performance is able to transmit Rasa (sentiment) to the audience.
(Excerpts from my underwritten book "POETICS
OF SPACE IN PERFORMANCE"
[i] Aharya abhinaya:
Chapter-XXI, Natyashastra
[ii] The literary meaning of
Patra is container. An actor in Indian theatre is always compared with a Patra,
means a medium which can carry any ranga (colours or emotions) and can be able
to reflect the colours in its purity. Broadly we can compare Patra with characters.
[iii] Parikrama is a ritualistic
practice of the Hindus. The Hindus encircles the temple yard three times while
visited the deities. Probably the concept entered into the theatre practice
where an actor changes his locale by encircling the stage as a ritual.
[iv] The making of theatre
history by Paul Kuritz, Pg: 79
[v] A play written by the great
Indian poet Kalidasa.
[vi] A mythical king and the
father of Bharata on whom the name of the country Bharatavarsa (India) is
adorned.
[vii] The play is written by
Mahakavi Bhasa in 2nd century BC. Thirteen number of plays
written by Bhasa has been discovered yet.
[viii] Another play written by
Bhasa.
[ix] It was a
ritual, performed before the Ranga (play). It consists of certain activities
which includes Jarjara sthapane, Nandi patha, Vishkambhaka etc.
Dr. Satyabrata Rout / Associate Professor; Dept. Of Theatre Arts, University of Hyderabad/India. Studied at National School of Drama. at present Lives in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh you can contact him on satya00191@yahoo.co.in .Copyright reserved.
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