Agnivarsha: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR AGNIVARSHA

The premier theater company Rasaranjani staged this quality production. The theme
is an extract from the epic Mahabharata, and was originally scripted in Kannada
by playwright and thespian Girish Karnad. Dr D S N Murthy, in a most thought provoking
manner, forcefully directed the version translated into Telugu by Dr Bhargavi
Rao. The fable in a gripping choreography and composition sustained the interest
of the audience through out.

The scene takes off when Dharmaraja, in his exile, meets sage Lomasa who tells
him the marathon of 'Yavakreethopakhyanam'. Bharadwaja and Raibhya are two close
friends who've studied at the same gurukul. Raibhya has 2 sons, Paravasu and Aravasu,
both very educated and disciplined. Bharadwaj's son is Yavakrita, and he's jealous
of the 2 sons of Bharadwaja. Deciding that he wants education easily, he does
penances to propitiate Lord Indra, and despite advice to get educated through
a guru, he coaxes Indra to give him knowledge without any effort. This makes him
pretty egoistic as well.

Now Paravasu has a very beautiful wife called Visakha, and Yavakrita covets her.
A king invites Paravasu to be the adwaryudu for a yagna that he is performing,
and when Paravasu is there, Yavakrita tries to molest Visakha. In the nick of
time, Raibhya creates a demon that kills Yavakrita.

There is also the hero Aravasu, the second son of Raibhya, who rises above egocentricity
and chooses to propitiate Indra, who offers him a boon, to grant rain in the famine
lands instead of the life of his beloved tribal woman.

This touching play has many twists and turns that the actors carry so naturally
that the audiences are engrossed in the theme. The play further illustrates generic
human tendencies - weaknesses, strengths and emotions. G B Ramakrishna Sastry
donned the lead role, while Padmapriya, Gouri, Murthy and others made a well-knit
cast. This swift yet pondering play is worth watching.