Dramatic Skills of Bhasa - Part IV

4. kaÂukIy>  kaÂukIy>  means a chamberlain.  Actually  kÂuikn!  is 

the correct form. kÂuk< ySy AStIit kÂukI, - He one who wears a 

long robe.  He is generally represented as wise old man who 

employed with the king and in the ladies’ harem.

5.  AakazÉai;tm! >-  ik< ävI:yevimTyaid ivna paÇ< ävIit yt!,

                         ïuTva=nuKtmPyek> tTSyat! AakazÉai;tm!.

According to  xnÃy> the author of  dzêpkm!  who defines dramaturgy   AakazÉai;tm!  is a stage-technique.  In this, a character 

on a stage use to address some-one who was not actually introduced.  

He continues to pretend  to listen the answer of the absent one and 

he repeats the same for the benefit of the audience.

In dUtvaKym! ,  duyaeRxn> pretends to see ivk[R> and  v;Rdev>  who are not 

actually introduced in the stage.  Both of them are supposed to be 

on the way to the council-chamber.  Éas>  continues this stage technique AakazÉai;tm!   till the arrival of  k&:[>  in the court of  duyaRexn,  

He pretends to invite each and every one who are his gurus, 

supporters, friends and brothers.  In this same idea,  sudzRn> 

the weapon of Lord k&:[>   arrived the stage on the call, he invites 

all other co-weapons of lord k&:[>  and send them back to their abode. 

Éas‘s Theatre

Éas> called his theatre as s¼Itzala,  He never used the such as 

naq(zala naq(m{fp naq(veZm àe]ag&h etc., to denote theatre.  s¼Itzala 

would obviously a music hall.   

There is further proof to show Éas‘s stage techniques for the guidance 

of the actors such as rwveg< inêPy  (having acted speeding up the chariot) ; rwadvtIyR  (having acted getting down from the chariot); pu:papcy< naqyit 

(acts plucking of flowers);  pir³My (having walked about the stage);Aakaze 

(speaking loosing towards the sky); àivZy ( having entered); %pivZy 

(having seated);AaTmgtm! (to himself); in:³My àivZy (having gone out 

and again entered); Apnyit (removes);  punivRcayR(having thought again);

Conclusion:

It is indeed a very imaginative use of simple stage direction is keenly 

given by Éas> which are not differed from Ért>,   The possibility of 

stage directions and techniques are fully explore and skillfully 

exploited for the dramatic purpose in the plays of Éas>.

(This is a lecture given by me at Stella Mary's College for women, Chennai.)