Saturday evening was filled with delightful performance of Cambodian Ramayana. The story of Ramayana was told in a ballet form leaving the audience mesmerised. Organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the Cambodian Ramayana was performed by Cambodia Reamke Performing Art Troupe 2, the artists gave a splendid performance at Bharat Bhavan. It was a part of International Ramyana Mela 2015.
The story begins when Ream leak and Chupa leak goes into the forest to test their powers. What the twins did was fire an arrow using a large tree known as doarm rang. As the twins shot their arrows it destroyed the trees and caused a large roar which sent shockwaves to Preah Ream. Worried and fearing that there could be another army of giants that lay un-defeated Preah Ream dispatched Hanuman and a white horse and ordered that anyone caught with the horse would receive the death penalty.
Hanuman later sees the twins taking turns ridding the horse. Then the makes and assault on them. The twins go into battle against Hanuman. In the battle, Hanuman was defeated by the twins. After beating the monkey general, they tied him up and cast a spell on Hanuman, which no one could take off. Hanuman woken from the beatings by the twins and quickly returned to the royal palace to ask for help.
None of Preah Ream's brothers could help in taking off the spell. Only Preah Ream (lord Rama) could take off the spell himself. Mainly though the actions and emotions are conveyed through the stylised dance scenes and hand and facial gestures, which the close-in shots enable us to see very well. The various angles and juxtapositions of the photography truly add to the dance itself.
The Bhopalites enjoyed the show whole-heartedly and excitement. The audiences loved the show. As the story of Ramyana was showcased through the ballet dance, it was a unique presentation that left the audience enthralled.
It is a bit difficult to perform with heavy headgears and highly decorated costumes but the artists managed do perform the show with perfection. The stage setting and lighting added life in the performance leaving the viewers mesmerised.