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silappadhikaaram .....a story of women of substance
"…[Cilappathikaram] should be familiar to the whole world and admired and be loved by all in the same way as the poems of Homer, the dramas of Shakespeare, the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals of France and the sculptures of Greece…the epical poem Cilappathikaram, which by its 'baroque splendour', and by the charm and magic of its lyrical parts belongs to the epic masterpieces of the world....." — Czech Professor and Tamil Scholar, Dr. Kamil Zvelebil "The greatness of Silappadhikaaram lies in the fact that every time one reads it, one finds new areas for analysis and understanding." — A R Venkatachalapathy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies "The epic's sense of timeless identification lies in the fact that this is a story of ordinary people, although linked to the lot of kings. In his mind, Ilango Adigal traveled the distance from the life of a prince to that of a saint, and was still so aware and sensitive to the life patterns in the streets and homes, in the cities and villages………. There is a statement made about Milton, that he conceived his work like a Titan, but finished like a jeweler. I think that description fits the writing of Ilango Adigal as well." — P L Palaniappan, Former Director, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) – Litterateur and Scholar "Silappadhikaaram is not just poetry. It is a combination of iyal-isai-natakam, dance-music-drama. This is a supreme example of theatre. While one can find literary classifications such as paalai (desert) to describe Kannagi's state of mind, this is really a drama, one that can find its place amongst the finest in the world… Ilango Adigal displayed the most subtle understanding of human nature and reactions through the epic." — Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, writer/poet (and lyricist for this production) "Ilango Adigal clearly wanted to project a certain moral structure. Truth/dharma will punish an unjust king; even gods will bow to the wishes of a chaste woman; and one cannot escape one's karma — the consequences of one's past deeds" — Mannar Srinivasan, Scholar, Roving Editor of ‘Sruthi', India's premier dance and music magazine "[Silappadhikaaram]… deals with human frailty, and human strength. What is striking is the beauty of its descriptions. The words (representing the language of that era) are difficult to understand and understanding alone is not enough. We had to get the essence and spirit behind them….We worked to make this production a visual treat, keeping in balance the demands of dance as well as those of the story." — G. Narendra, Choreographer "To deal with such an inspiring story, I studied the raga nomenclature, the janyas, or derivatives, and then composed relevant pieces to suit each scene, each character, going along with my own imagination and intuition as well." — BOMBAY JAYASHRI RAMNATH, leading Indian Classical vocalist, Music Director for the production of Silappadhikaaram "Silappadhikaaram gave the opportunity to express myself, where static and dynamic art forms connect. I saw the dance, backdrop and music as one complete whole…..all the elements of the production had to fuse harmoniously. We were all engaged in the making of something that took us along with it. Silappadhikaaram created a tide, alai, in us, lifting us through so many emotions." — A.V. Ilango, Set Designer for the production of Silappadhikaaram "Working on a mega-production of this nature, both ingenuity and engineering came into play. Translating everything required for the production into three-dimensional sets and props…Balancing the needs of a traveling troupe and creating elaborate sets, as befitting the detailed descriptions in the epic, called for plenty of innovation and imagination." — Depikka Nagaraj, Set Producer for the production of Silappadhikaaram |
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