Five decades after its debut, Kalakshetra’s Ramayana dance dramas still resonate

As per Kaikeyi’s demand, Ram’s exile continued for 14 years. It took the same number of years for Rukmini Devi to complete her six iconic Valmiki Ramayana productions. He had said, “It is a strange coincidence that it took me 14 years to bring my Ram back to his kingdom.”

Almost half a century after that, Kalakshetra’s Ramayana series continues to entertain audiences thoroughly – this Margazhi season sees the entire series being staged after a hiatus.

Rukmini Devi brought together environment and aesthetics, myth and philosophy, plastic arts and dramatic rituals into a single sphere. His Ramayana series personifies virtues and dramatizes abstract concepts. Those who ridicule her for allegedly taking off her makeup may find tender moments between Ram and Sita. For those who scoffed that the Kalakshetra genre was too serious, the many scenes full of humor and wisdom were worthy of praise.

CP Shanta and Rama Devi as Luv and Kush in ‘Sita Swayamvaram’ staged in 1955. Photo Credit: Courtesy: Kalakshetra

In 1954 Rukmini Devi decided to make Valmiki Ramayana as a dance drama series. The work of selecting the verses and editing the script was given to Venkatachala Sastri, Adinarayana Sharma and S.Sharada. Rukmini Devi went as far as Mysore to convince 83-year-old Vasudevachar to come to Kalakshetra in Madras to compose music. First introduced in 1955, Sita Swayamvaram It begins with Ram and Sita’s children Luv and Kush narrating the story to Ram himself.

When Vasudevacharya composed the Katha in Ragamalika, veena player Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer had said, “If I were the Maharaja, I would give you a thousand gold sovereigns for the appreciation of this Ragamalika.” Even today many people are fans of the music of this series. There is so much depth in the music of Mysore Vasudevachar. The melody in the music is intense and enhances the full significance of each word. Within a song, the expression of changing emotions within a single raga is brought out powerfully. For the scene where the boatman Guha takes Ram, Lakshman and Sita across the Ganges, Vasudevachar composed a new raga called Gangalahari.

Shri Ram Vanagamanam And Paduka Pattabhishekam Were manufactured in 1960. Vasudevachar died just before his 100th birthday, and it took five years for Rukmini Devi to return to the Ramayana with Vasudevachar’s grandson Rajaram. Sabari Moksham (1965) chudamani pradanam was manufactured in 1968, and Mahapattabhishekam In 1970.

Rukmini Devi took many artistic decisions while creating these iconic dance dramas. For example, in Sabari MokshamThe scene where the nymphs were singing and dancing in a lake was portrayed through imaginative choreography.

Akshita Krishna and Samanvita Lakshmi as Luv and Kush and Rajkamal as Shri Ram in the dance drama at the 2025 Mahotsav. Photo Credit: Courtesy: Kalakshetra

Then, while portraying the character of Shurpanakha, Rukmini Devi did not imagine her transforming into a beautiful woman. Her explanation was that Shurpanakha already considered herself beautiful. Rukmini Devi observed that in Valmiki Ramayana, there is no mention of Lakshman drawing the line of fire to protect Sita. He changed the sequence of events slightly to make it suitable for the stage. Instead of reenacting the battle on stage, he used the clever strategy of apsaras narrating the scenes. He used minimal props to create the illusion of Hanuman flying across the ocean towards Lanka.

Rukmini Devi had said that the most tragic scene she choreographed was Agnipravesham, where Sita enters the fire to prove her purity. But when he heard Sitarama Sarma’s song for it, he agreed to include it. S.Sharada was witness to how Rukmini Devi choreographed the scene – she showed Krishnaveni, who was playing the role of Sita, how to convey hopeless sadness. This scene later became iconic.

These dance plays were also pioneering, as they were originally produced when there were no artistic reference points. For the costumes, Rukmini Devi created incredible color combinations. It is said that once she had fallen leaves in various stages of drying, and she wanted those colors for Jatayu’s attire. He was assisted by the best lighting designers who helped him bring the epic to life.

CK Balagopalan as Hanuman chudamani pradanam
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Kalakshetra

chudamani pradanam And Mahapattabhishekam There was no performance for the last two years. Emerging from the post-Covid shock, Kalakshetra shined this year. Several years later, all six episodes were presented as part of a single festival. Spectacular costumes, partial lighting changes, appropriate musical effects and deep involvement and joy from each artiste marked this season’s presentation, especially the energy brought by the new Hanuman, Jyotish Satish. He left the same impression as the previous two Hanumaans.

The third generation Kalakshetra artistes present the old productions as if they were freshly minted gold, the beauty and grace with which they were choreographed decades ago hits differently.