‘The Rise and Fall of Ravanan’ was a retelling of Kamba Ramayanam by two scholars and a musician

Kambar’s Ramavatharam oregon Kamba Ramayanam with astir 10,800 verses is 1 of the top literate works successful Tamil, and is an impeccable showcase of Kambar’s mastery implicit poetic forms specified arsenic agaval, venba and adiyaar.

The programme, ‘The Rise and Fall of Ravanan’ held precocious astatine Narada Gana Sabha, featured scholars Priya Ramachandran and Mohamed Rela and Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan with Mudikondan Ramesh connected the veena (the instrumentality was an integral portion of Ravana’s persona) and Akshay Ram connected percussion. The format sought to marque Kambar accessible done expositions successful English, portion the euphony conveyed the emotive and aesthetic halfway of the text, thereby opening the acquisition to non-Tamil-speaking audiences.

This thematic attack evolved from an earlier presumption of prime verses from the Kamba Ramayanam earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2 years ago. Subsequently, the absorption shifted from isolated verses to character-driven explorations — archetypal Vali and now, Ravana — done Kambar’s motivation and poetic lens.

Ravana, arsenic the scholars noted, cannot beryllium dismissed arsenic a accepted antagonist. He is Brahma’s descendant, conqueror of worlds, master-musician and a devout Shaivite. His autumn is rendered neither done martial decision nor divine curse, but done a motivation rupture. Kambar’s Ravana is undone by an mean pistillate from wrong his ain household. The presumption focused sharply connected this azygous facet of Kambar’s imagination: Shoorpanaka arsenic the catalyst of Ravana’s tragic descent, revealing the poet’s nuanced and layered knowing of quality frailty.

The presumption besides looked astatine a decisive infinitesimal from the Sundara Kandam. After Hanuman’s rampage successful Lanka and his capture, Ravana is revealed successful afloat splendour, 10 heads engaged successful parallel thought, from governance to obsession. Repelled by this dissonance, Hanuman assumes the relation of a teacher, expounding the quality of Parabrahmam, the 1 without root oregon end, ‘Moolamum naduvum eerum illadhu.’ The Surya raga rendering of the verse subtly invoked Rama’s star dynasty.

Equally striking was the instrumentality to Ravana’s archetypal quality successful the Aranya Kandam. Here, helium is simply a ruler successful cleanable equilibrium, devas reduced to servitude and the cosmos beneath his feet. Rendered done ‘Puliyin adal udaiyan’ successful raga Saramathi, this country precedes Sita’s entry. Then arrives Shoorpanaka astatine Ravana’s court, chemoreceptor severed, signalling his unravelling. Her communicative of 2 ascetics, who routed Kharan (younger member of Ravana) is greeted with laughter by Ravana. Skepticism gives mode to intrigue erstwhile she speaks of Sita, ‘En vaayin utra kutram’, sung successful Suryasri, describing Sita’s radiance, and divine grace.

In Kambar’s ‘Bagathil oruvan vaithan,’ rendered successful Ranjani, Ravana wonders wherever specified quality should dwell — body, caput oregon soul. Here, Kambar seals the infinitesimal of unsafe reverie with ‘Karanayum marandhan.’ Gurucharan’s prime of raga Gamanasrama deepens its value and austere.

The presumption straight moved to the archetypal time of warfare successful Yudha Kandam. Rama and Lakshmana get with a afloat vanara battalion, prepared for sustained warfare. Ravana, however, steps into conflict without strategy oregon counsel. His logic is fatal yet revealing: if Rama is slain that day, the warfare ends. Ravana fights not arsenic a general, but arsenic a antheral driven by wounded desire.

By dusk, Ravana has mislaid his chariot, weapons and army. Rama’s acquisition to retreat and instrumentality the adjacent time inflicts a coiled deeper than defeat. In ‘Varanam porudha marbum,’ Kambar strips him of consolation — elephant tusks worn arsenic trophies, shoulders that lifted the Himalayas and Shiva’s sword bring nary comfortableness to the vainika, who surpasses Narada. Set by Sikkil Gurucharan successful Kharaharapriya (Harapriya) — the raga Ravana sang portion lifting the Kailasa.

Ravana speaks astir Rama’s powerfulness to Malayavan: Rama’s arrows depart the bow similar a primal instauration — ‘Urpathi aiyane okkum,’ rendered successful Saveri, recalling Tyagaraja’s ‘Ramabaaṇa sauryamu’. Ravana sends Kumbhakarna to battle, and goes to Ashoka Vanam and admits decision to the tune of ‘Thorpitheer’ successful Hindolam.

The calamity narrows to Indrajith. After Atikayan’s fall, Indrajith accuses Ravana, fights with ferocity, and exhausts each weapon. Unable to carnivore his father’s destruction, helium pleads for Sita’s release. Ravana refuses, this was depicted done ‘Munnaiyor irundarellam ippagai’ rendered successful Atana and ‘Vendrilan endra podum,’ successful Dharmavati. Indrajith returns to battle, looks upon his begetter 1 last clip and is decapitated by Lakshmana.

Ravana runs to the battlefield connected proceeding of Indrajith’s decease and finds lone his son’s limb amid corpses. He presses it to his thorax and howls — ‘Maindavo.’ Kambar captures this successful ‘Sinathodum kotram,’ sung successful Vasanta, the second fractional moving into Vasanta Bhairavi.

Mandodari past arrives and successful ‘Anjinen anjinen’ declares that Sita who seems to beryllium similar nectar is poison to the 1 who is not her husband. Her words onslaught Ravana harder than immoderate weapon. Desire gives mode to fury. Ravana gets acceptable for his last battle. In ‘Allan sivano’ (Behag), Ravana realises Rama arsenic the Vedic source, frankincense remembering Hanuman’s brahmopadesam. Choosing decease implicit surrender, helium falls to Rama’s arrow. Kambar mourns — ‘Vemmadangal vegundu” (Mayamalavagowla) — noting that successful death, Ravana’s rajasic and tamasic veils autumn away, leaving axenic sattva — helium glows 3 times much than helium did aft the penance. Kambar describes Rama’s arrows done the verse ‘Mukkodi vazhnalum’ rendered successful Senjurutti. Seeing Ravana’s downfall, Mandodari reflects connected fate, quality and chastity — ‘Ganthayurku anianaiya’ (Pavani).

On the blood-soaked tract Ravana lies still. Rama approaches and, seeing scars upon his back, speaks of cowardice. Vibhishana erupts, defending his brother’s heroism done ‘Aaiyiram tholinanum’ successful Kannada: nary antheral could fell Ravana but for his fatal tendency for Sita.

The programme culminated successful ‘Por magalai, kalai magalai, pugazh magalai’, arsenic the hands that wielded weapons, veena and fame yet touched Bhooma Devi.