Parshwanath Upadhye’s ‘Nagamandala’ shows how life is like a game of snakes and ladders

Nagamandala, presented by Parshwanath Upadhye, Adithya and Shruti Gopal.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sanathana Natyalaya and Nrityaangan, dance schools based out of Mangaluru, presented ‘Nagamandala’ by the Bengaluru-based Punya Dance Company, which is headed by Parshwanath Upadhye, and co-headed by Adithya PV and Shruti Gopal.

‘Nagamandala’ is inspired by Girish Karnad’s play by the same name. It is based on a folklore from North Karnataka about a woman yearning for love. Parshwanath Upadhye has added songs to it and some flourishes. He shares the credit for the gripping choreographic narration with Shruti and Adithya.

The narrative

Rani is newly married and is full of eager expectations. Her husband avoids her and closes the door on her again and again. She tries to prepare a love potion with a magical flower from the forest and gives it to her husband. But, that potion spills on an ant hill outside and is consumed by the king cobra that lives inside that. The cobra is smitten by passionate love for Rani, and it takes the form of her husband, and visits her. Rani feels very happy that her husband has finally started showing interest in her. But the husband closes the door on her again. She is intrigued as to why the husband who gave her so much love is avoiding her now.

There is no perfect end to the story. One is left wondering what will happen to Rani once she finds out the truth. The reason for the husband’s spurning his wife’s attention is also not stated clearly. Perhaps it was meant to be a reflection of the unexplained complications in some marriages.

From Parshwanath Upadhye’s ‘Nagamandala’, with Shruthi Gopal and Adithya PV.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The presentation was filled with energy and grace. Shruti was the quintessential woman, full of love and desire and she powerfully presented her disappointment, anger and frustration, each time her husband ignored her. Parshwanath Upadhye played the husband, a typical chauvinistic male who refuses to even recognise the presence of his wife and is indifferent to her feelings. Adithya as the shape-shifting king cobra blended the powerful movements of the male and that of the love-smitten snake. One almost felt sorry for the cobra.

Skilful presentation

The three artistes took the spectators into their world with their skillful and dedicated performances. The light design by Keerthi Kumar, which almost became a character in the production, played a big role in creating the mood and ambience. The story was narrated through Gigi Pada, a popular folk art form of North Karnataka, with the local Kannada dialect as the medium of narration, and set to powerful and haunting music. The spectators lost themselves in a world in which reality and fantasy blended seamlessly.