Ballet box-office

A scene from the ballet

By Sneha Dey

The opening scene of the ballet is set in a village fair showing people swaying in excitement. The drum rolls and suddenly, King Dasharath, wearing a multi-hued square mask and dressed in heavily designed lemon yellow costume paired with golden head gear, arrives. Thus, the tale of the Ramayana begins. The folkloristic ballet version of Ramayana was keenly watched by a bunch of enthusiasts. Performed by Bhopal-based Ranga Sri Little Ballet Troupe, the piece was a part of the third edition of Kathayatra, a mega three day story festival organised by Bhaasha Foundation.
Started by Late Shanti Bardan way back in the year 1952 with a budget of merely `187, the troupe, which now includes the third generation of performers, has seen its own share of bitter-sweet experiences over the last six decades. According to Ram Prakash Tripathi, the treasurer of the troupe, “We have performed for eminent personalities such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamar Abdel Nasser and Josip Broz Tito. It is the only troupe in the world that is still running steady in the business despite all the financial upheaval.”
Speaking of the group’s production, Ramayana, that was first performed at Jai Hind College, Mumbai in 1953, Tripathi explains that although the basic storyline of the epic has been kept intact, it is not based on the Ramayana as scripted by Kalidas or Tulsidas. “Our’s is an amalgamation of all the versions. We wanted to show national integration through this ballet and that is why characters like Ram and Sita have been portrayed as national symbols of valour and strength,” says the 70-year old.
The ballet, a visual treat, shows the journey of Rama from Ayodhya to Lanka and back to Ayodhya after the battle with Ravana. The dance sequences, beautifully choreographed by Shanti Bardhan, comprised human puppets. Apart from the prismatic masks, eye-catching accessories and dance styles, another interesting feature that catches one’s attention are the twists-and-turns in the plot. “The diversions have been done deliberately to break the monotony of the epic. For instance, the scene in which Hanuman comes to Lanka and sets it on fire, has been tweaked; we’ve included a sequence wherein the demons of Ravana’s court get a dream that a little monkey suddenly flies into Lanka and sets it on fire. The scene shows how that dream affects them and what immediate precautions they take,” says Tripathi. The ballet ends with the victory of Rama in the battle of Lanka with Ravana and the final homecoming of Rama, Sita and Laxmana back to Ayodhya.