The Thumb by Our Theatre Collective reimagines Mahabharata through power, knowledge and choice
Our Theatre Collective’s latest production — The Thumb — revisits the story of Ekalavya and Dronacharya from the Mahabharata, looking at knowledge, power and choice behind Ekalavya’s famous sacrifice. The play follows Ekalavya’s kin, The Collective, as they question what happened before and after he gave his thumb. The production brings together music, movement and performance traditions from Kerala, Bengal and Manipur. Vivek Vijayakumaran, the director of the play, speaks about the production’s take on Ekalavya and Drona, the different ways the thumb-giving scene is explored and the role of listening in the production.
The Thumb revisits the story of Ekalavya and Dronacharya from the Mahabharata. What first drew you back to Ekalavya’s story?
The process began with a text by Anand (P Sachidanandan) in his book Vyasa and Vigneshwara. There is a sequence where Abhimanyu — upon entering the chakravyuha — meets Ekalavya’s ghost and they discuss knowledge. I had read it 15 or 20 years ago and wanted to return to it. Ekalavya talks about how education is always incomplete: you are taught how to shoot an arrow, but not how to bring it back, much like Abhimanyu entering the chakravyuha without knowing how to get out. While exploring other texts, I came across Kuvempu’s A Throat for a Thumb, which examines Dronacharya asking Ekalavya for his thumb and his reasons for doing so. I thought it would be interesting to bring the two texts together and explore what could emerge with the actors.
What was the central question you were exploring with the actors?
Initially, it was the difference between knowledge and education. We spent a little over two weeks working with the actors and arrived at a 14-minute presentation. After that, we had a long discussion and became interested in the question of why Ekalavya gave his thumb. What really transpired in that moment for him? When we met again, Ekalavya’s community or the collective, began to take centre stage. What would they feel about their chief or leader giving his thumb? What were their thoughts and questions about it? That was when we felt we had a play.
How did you approach Drona and Ekalavya differently from the usual story telling?
We saw Ekalavya as somebody who dared to imagine or find a way before and after the act of giving the thumb. He is someone who can think beyond the existing system of thought and imagine something different. At the same time, we saw Dronacharya as somebody who chose between systems and relied on systems. A system had failed him, but he did not know a way outside it, so he held on to it. We wanted to understand his backstory and what propelled him to ask for the thumb.
The production brings together performance traditions from Kerala, Bengal and Manipur. How did you arrive at this form?
I have always been interested in exploring forms that are unlike anything I have done before. For Ekalavya’s world, I found value in Bengal’s dotara and its connection to the baul tradition. For Drona, I was drawn to Kerala’s edakka and ottamthullal, a storytelling form with an element of satire. I thought it would be interesting to marry a stoic character with a more playful form. The collective’s body and movement are inspired by Kalakshetra, Manipur’s approach to working with the body and voice.
What are some of the unexpected ways in which the play approaches this familiar story?
The moment when Ekalavya gives his thumb is played out in four different ways. He gives it in all four, but we explore the different journeys that could have led to that moment. Ekalavya’s mother also has a stronger presence, while we have two Arjunas: one before and one after the Kurukshetra war. Arjuna is introduced missing his target, presenting him as a fractured figure who later realises he is called the best artist because another artist was removed from the world. There is also a scene exploring the biological evolution of the thumb and how it shaped our ability to hold and create. So the question becomes: when you ask for the thumb, what are you actually asking for?
What’s next for you?
I have something exciting coming up. There is a play I did called Bhima, which premiered in 2015 and ran until 2018. It had a successful run in many places in India and at festivals, including one in Colombo. It is coming back in November for the Interlax Theatre Festival, with the show on November 22. I will slowly shift my focus to getting myself trained again and looking at that script. It is very exciting to revisit it after almost eight years.
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