R. Chudamani in Auroville

March 30th saw an unusual theatre production, an English adaptation of seven short Tamil stories by the late renowned writer, R. Chudamani. The Madras Players, Chennai’s acclaimed English theatre group, presented the 90 minute-long production as a seamless narrative of intimate peeks into the lives of orthodox urban middle class Tamils.

Chudamani, who passed away in 2010, has written more than 600 short stories. Considering that she wrote them in the 1960s and 1970s, her themes are very contemporary, and often focus on the challenges of women and their unspoken sensitivities.

In ‘A Trace of Envy’, an old man looks to get his aging daughter married and instead confronts societal pressures. ‘He Came as a Guest’ deals with a young woman married to a man many years her senior, who experiences a sudden attraction to a young visitor. It is momentary in nature but supported by an understanding husband. In ‘The Visitor’, a young widow who gets proposed to by her daughter’s prospective suitor feels shocked, yet secretly flattered. ‘Seeing in the Dark’ deals with a daughter facing the dilemma of wanting to look after her blind father yet also wanting to have a partner and lead a life of her own. In ‘The Fourth Stage of Life’, two ex-husbands discuss the life and life choices of their ex-wife after her death. In ‘Tirumanjanam’, a priest’s young, widowed daughter wants to adopt a low caste boy, and the ensuing conversation between father and daughter on God and divinity leads to a transformation. In the last play, ‘The Image’, a young woman on the threshold of an arranged marriage struggles with her identity and finally discovers it.

For those in the audience of similar background or upbringing, the stories were rich in nuance and subtleties, as the unsaid and implied had as much impact as the spoken words, something that many non-Tamil Aurovilians may have missed. What made the production particularly powerful was the ‘physical presence’ of Chudamani herself, played by actor Nikhila Kesavan, who also had adapted the stories for stage. It was a brilliant technique to weave the disparate stories together, as Chudamani plays different roles in different stories – listening, observing, acting, narrating, being the inner voice, or an invisible friend and catalyst. The presence of Chudamani’s own writing table and chair, loaned to the Madras players, brought a subtle aura.

The plays and the actors made a strong impact on the Auroville audience.

Several years ago, I came across Chudamani’s obituary in The Hindu. It made a deep impact on me. Suffering from spinal tuberculosis, Chudamani had been confined to her room for decades; yet she continued to write her empathetic prose showing resilience and a tremendous strength of character.

I commend the Bharat Nivas organizers for bringing this play to the awareness of the Auroville residents. I hope that many more Tamil and other Indian language plays in English translation will be performed in Auroville as it provides valuable insights into Tamil and Indian culture.

Prabha Sridevan’s book ‘Seeing in the dark’ was the basis for five of the seven plays in this production. It contains English translations of twenty-five short stories by Chudamani, and is available from Amazon.in