‘Banyan’, the renowned organisation that deals with mental health care in India, staged a play titled Flame of the Forest in Chennai last week. Flame of the forest is a dance-cum-play in two acts written by Gowri Ramnarayan based on Kalki Krishnamurti’s epic novel Sivakamiyin Sapatham.
The story revolves around the turbulent times Tamil Nadu faced during the reigns of Pandyas and Chalukyas in 7th century south India.
The play, interspersed with bharatnatyam numbers, narrates in the first act the story of how the Pallava emperor Mahendravarman gets cheated by Pulakesi who had long been eyeing the province of Kanchi ruled by Pallavas.
A celestial bharathnatya dancer called Sivakami who is in love with Mahendravarman’s son Narasimhavarman is kidnapped by Pulakesi and later rescued in the second act. Mahendravarman, who extends a hand of friendship to Pulakesi and later gets betrayed, shows how a troubled mind cannot go to war as he is depressed and he sends his son to fight before he dies.
The CEO of Banyan, David said, “The play was not just a fund raiser as it has a deeper message. We hoped to club in all of Chennai’s regional audience and the response has been very good.”
The play touched upon the emotional trauma of all the characters who were yet connected by cultural values and love. All the characters shows a reflection of every human being.
