Contemporary dance performance choreographed by Mandeep Raikhy

Hallucinations of an Artifact brings the Dancing Girl figurine from the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2300-1750 BCE) to life through dance and artificial intelligence. It pushes back at the multiple assertions that have been made on behalf of the figurine over the years.

New production conceptualized by P. Rajagopal and Hanne M. de Bruin inspired by and in response to the classical ballet La Bayadère and the representation of the oriental woman performers in Europe; Tamil script & direction: P. Rajagopal

Guest performance of Sangeetha Payithiyam, a musical-comedy-satire written by Pammal Sambanda Mudaliyaar & presented by Shraddha Theatre, Chennai.

Direction: G. Krishnamurthy

Writing - Adaptation: Swaminathan

Music: Janani, Kavitha, Vidyalakshmi

Produced by: Prema Sadasivam

தியேட்டர் ஷ்ரத்தா வழங்கும் பம்மல் சம்பந்த முதலியாரின் சங்கீதப் பயித்தம் (நகைச்சுவைகலந்தஇசைநாடகம்)

இயக்கம்: ஜி. கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி
எழுத்து & நாடகமாக்கம்: சுவாமிநாதன்
இசை: ஜனனி, கவிதா, விதியாலக்ஷ்மி
தயாரிப்பு: பிரேமா சதாசிவம்

On the 18th day of the war, Sahadeva kills Sakuni and Dharmaraja kills King Salya. With the exception of the Kattiyakkaran (Herald-cum-Clown), Duryodhana is the sole survivor on the Kaurava side.

Bhima has vowed to kill Duryodhana. To escape Bhima’s fury, Duryodhana hides himself in the Sabarmati River. Submerged in water he invokes the Sanjivani mantra that will enable him to bring his armies back to life. But before he can complete the mantra Bhima discovers him and flushes him out.

In the culminating duel, Bhima kills Duryodhana by hitting him on the thigh – after Arjuna, as instructed by Krishna, signals Duryodhana’s true weak spot to Bhima.

The Festival concludes with the coronation of Dharmaraja and Draupadi.

On the 17th day of the war, Duryodhana makes Karna his army-general. Before going to the battlefield, Karna takes leave of his wife Ponnuruvi who despises him because of his perceived low caste. On her request, he reveals that he is Kunti’s son and the elder brother of the Pandavas.

After coming to know that he is of royal descent, Ponnuruvi changes her mind and asks him to join the Pandavas. Karna refuses and tells her he will forever remain loyal to his friend Duryodhana, who helped him when he needed it most. Foreseeing his own death on the battlefield, he advises Ponnuruvi to join the Pandavas after the war is over. They will take care of her.

 After a tearful farewell Karna leaves for the battlefield where he is killed by Arjuna who is unaware of the fact that Karna is his half-brother. Before he dies, Krishna shows Karna his Visvarupa and promises him that he will be reborn to fulfil a final unfinished duty and to attain moksha in his next life.

On the 13th day of the war, Guru Drona vows to capture Dharmaraja. Krishna knows that and so he asks Dharma’s brothers to protect him on all four sides. Drona then sends an army to distract Arjuna and lure him far away from Dharma. Forced to leave his position, Arjuna appoints his16 year-old son Abhimanyu to protect Dharma instead.

Abhimanyu humiliates Drona and kills Duryodhana’s son. Enraged Drona orders the formation of the Chakravyuha. Knowing how to enter this labyrinth-like army formation, but unaware how to get out of it, Abhimanyu is caught in the Chakravyuha.

Duryodhana, Drona and all senior warriors on the Kaurava side then engage Abhimanyu in a unequal fight during which they cut off his hands, legs and finally sever his head. The 13th day of the war ends with Abhimanyu’s unjust death.

After 12 years in the forest and one year incognito, the Pandavas send Krishna as messenger to Hastinapura to demand their country back. Before setting off on his embassy, Krishna consults the Pandavas and Draupadi on what he should say.

When Krishna enters the assembly of the Kauravas, he is met with a deafening silence. This is followed by a fierce argument between Duryodhana and Krishna. It highlights, in exquisite Tamil, Krishna’s war-inducing peace initiative, which ends in Duryodhana slapping his hand on that of Krishna as a declaration of war.

During the 13th year of their exile, the Pandavas live in disguise in the kingdom of Virata. Draupadi is the beautiful servant-maid of Virata’s Queen, Sudesna. Seeing her, Sudesna’s younger brother, the powerful and lustful Kicaka, desires her.

Draupadi tricks Kicaka into a night-time meeting with her, but arranges it in such a way that he will not embrace her but Bhima disguised as Draupadi. Bhima violently kills Kicaka, tearing him into two.

Duryodhana believes that the Pandavas must have died in the forest during their exile. He sets an unusual date for their death ceremony in order to prevent them from going to heaven in their afterlife. This ceremony will also declare the Pandavas dead and prevent them from re-entering civil society, even if they were still alive.

To stop the ceremony, Krishna sends Draupadi in the disguise of a Kuratti or a lady of the Kurava clan to Hastinapura. Draupadi tells fortune to the Kaurava Queens. She ends her séance by predicting that their husbands will be killed in an upcoming war. Unhappy with the prediction, the Kaurava ladies refuse to pay her and send her instead to King Duryodhana.

Suspecting she might be Draupadi, Duryodhana jails the Kuratti. To rescue her, Krishna sends Arjuna disguised as Kuravan. Kidnapping Duryodhana’s wife Bhanumati, Arjuna negotiates the release of Draupadi-the-Kuratti and demands that his wife gets paid her proper coolie.

All-night performance by the Kattaikkuttu Sangam’s Repertory Company

On the advice of Vyasa, Dharma sends Arjuna to obtain the Pasupata weapon from Lord Shiva by performing penance. On his way to Mount Kailasa, Arjuna’s resolve is tested by Krishna disguised as the enchantress Mohini. Arjuna rejects Mohini’s advances; Krishna reveals his real identity and blesses Arjuna.

 Subsequently, Arjuna is accosted by a beautiful forest temptress, Kantaperanti. He spurns her advances too. She lies to her husband that Arjuna has raped her. They fight and, finally, Arjuna pardons him at Peranti’s pleading.

 At last, Arjuna gets the Pasupati weapon from the hands of Lord Shiva and Parvati in the garb of hunters after they have challenged him about the killing of a boar.

All-night performance by the Kattaikkuttu Sangam’s Repertory Company.

After the royal sacrifice, Duryodhana becomes increasingly jealous of the Pandavas' eminence. He also wants revenge for the humiliation he experienced when he fell and Draupadi ridiculed him.

 He sends Vidura to invite the Pandavas to Hastinapura. Meanwhile, he constructs a special, five-pillared hall where a fraudulent game of dice takes place between Sakuni and Dharmaraja or Yudhishthira. During the dice game, Dharma loses his country, his brothers and himself. At last, he stakes and loses his wife Draupadi.

Duryodhana orders his younger brother Duhsasana to bring Draupadi to the court. Draupadi refuses and Duhsasana drags her by the hair to the assembly. There Draupadi wants to know whether her husband Dharmaraja lost her in the game of dice prior to or after losing himself. The royal assembly remains silent except for Vikarna who objects against Draupadi’s mistreatment and is forcefully removed from the court.

Duryodhana commands Duhsana to disrobe Draupadi. Draupadi surrenders to Lord Krishna. A furious and mad Duhsana pulls and pulls at Draupadi’s sari but is unable to disrobe her because for every sari he removes a new one appears. Astonished and afraid he falls down exhausted.

Draupadi vows that she will not tie up her hair until she has dressed it with Duryodhana’s blood and combed it with a rib taken from his body. Realising the desperate turn of events, Duryodhana’s father King Dhritarashtra  promises to return everything that Dharma has gambled away. In the final scene – an innovation added by P. Rajagopal to the traditional play - Draupadi challenges Duryodhana to a last game of dice directly opposing her. It is this game she wins, enabling her and her husbands to go into 12 years of exile as free people.

All-night performance of Draupadi Kuravanchi (குறவஞ்சி) by the Kattaikkuttu Sangam’s Repertory Company at Pullalur Village near Takkolam.

The Pandavas hear from the trouble-stirring sage Narada that their late father has not gone to heaven. To help him do so, they have to carry out a sacrifice. With the advice of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhima are able to defeat King Jarasandha, who keeps 366 kings imprisoned.

After the kings have been released, they agree to help the Pandavas with the royal sacrifice. On the day of the royal sacrifice, Duryodhana slips and falls, mistaking a polished floor surface for a lake. Draupadi and her lady-friends laugh at him. Duryodhana feels humiliated and, as we shall see in the next episode, plans revenge.

During the sacrifice Krishna is given the first honour. King Sisubala rises in fury, objecting that the first honour cannot go to a mere herdsman. A fight ensues during which Krishna kills Sisubala by  severing his head with his chakra.

During this violent encounter Krishna cuts his finger. Draupadi offers him the outer-end of her sari to stop the bleeding. Krishna promises her that whenever she needs it, he will return the favour in kind. He does so when he replenishes her sarees in the next episode.

King Panchala has vowed to marry his daughter Draupadi to Arjuna. Lamenting that the Pandavas are dead, he now wonders how he can fulfil this vow. Draupadi too loves Arjuna from her childhood and wishes to marry him.

On the advice of his astrologer, who assures him that the Pandavas and Kunti are alive, Panchala arranges for the marriage of his daughter. Potential grooms have to bend a mighty bow to win the hand of the girl - a feat that only the sons of Kunti can accomplish.

Arjuna and his brothers arrive at the contest disguised as Brahmins. Many kings, including Duryodhana and Karna, try and fail to bend the bow. Finally, Arjuna does so and marries Draupadi.

Kattaikkuttu Workshop for Young People of Alchemy Theatre Chennai

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. With P. Moorthy as Saindhava, R. Mahalakshmi as Draupadi and S. Tamilarasi as Duhsala.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. Final scene from P. Rajagopal’s original all-night play Veriyattam in which King Kaliyugasuran is questioned for the destruction and deprevity he has brought about. With P. Moorthy as Kaliyugasura, S. Tamilarasi as Singi, M. Duraisamy as Chinnakannu, K. Venda as Vempui Rani, A. Bharathi as Varamun and R. Mahalakshmi as Vandapotu.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. The Dosastory from P. Rajagopal’s original all-night play Veriyattam. With P. Moorthy as sepay Chinnakannu, M. Duraisamy as Chinnakannus’ wife, Chinnatay, K. Venda as Varamun, A. Bharathi as Vandupotu and R. Mahalakshmi as Vandapin.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. The Terukkuttu (தெருக்கூத்து) scene from P. Rajagopal’s original all-night play Veriyattam. With K. Venda as Varumun, M. Duraisami as Vandapotu, P. Moorthy as Vandapin. A. Bharathi a the Terukkuttu kattai vesam Vetam and R. Mahalakshmi as the Terukkuttu’s female character Valli. Furthermore, P. Rajagopal in the role of Vattiyar, S. Tamilarsi carrying the karakam, and A. Dillibabu and A. Selvarasu as mridangam players.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. The villain king Kaliyagasuran and his four ministers meet the Kuratti Singi. From P. Rajagopal’s original all-night play Veriyattam. With P. Moorthy as Kaliyugasuran, S. Tamilarasi as Singi, A. Bharathi as Dusthabuddhi Mantiri, K. Venda as Nasthabuddhi Mantiri, R. Mahalakshmi as Kasthabuddhi Mantiri and A. Dillibabu as Isthabuddhi Mantiri.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show.The Abhimanyu-Uttara scene, written by P. Rajagopal as addition to the all-night play Abhimanyu, in which Abhimany takes leave from his young wife Uttara before leaving for the battlefield. With S. Tamilarasi as Abhimanyu, R. Mahalakshmi as Uttara, A. Bharathi as Dharmaraja and K. Venda as the Kattiyakkari.

Presentation of the Annual Report and Financial Statements of 2022-2023. For Member-artists only.

Weekly Kattaikkuttu Show. Scene from Arjuna’s Tapas featuring two enchanting characters — performed by our women artists. With A. Bharathi as Perandan and K. Venda as Berndi, P. Moorthy as Arjuna and R. Mahalakshmi as Kattiyakkari.