This stage production, combining elements of “Vazhapu” (street) music-drama and traditional folk theatre, was written, choreographed, and staged by the writer Pankayamanalan for the London Tamil School. It was performed to reflect the thirst for freedom and the sacrifices made by our people in the homeland during the 1980s and 90s.
The actors who played Yama, Chithraguptan, and the souls of the dead performed exceptionally well and received a lot of praise.
Friends Santhikumar and Sreepalan performed the roles of Yama. Later, I heard that Sreepalan’s son performed the play in Australia. I remember even seeing the video recording of it. It’s painful that I don’t have it in my possession now.
Following that, the play was remade and staged with a new title, “In the Court of the God of Time”, as part of the Navaratri celebrations. It was performed by our Paasaiyur brothers. It’s a joy to know that the audio recording of this play is preserved as a documentary record by our Tamil community.
Furthermore, in 2007, for the Muththamilaram event of the Tamil community, the play was rewritten and modernised by Pankayamanalan and staged again at the Winston Churchill Hall. This time, Thambi Udayanan played the role of Yama and Thambi Pirithiran played Chithraguptan, and they thrilled the audience with their brilliant performance.
Brothers Joe Wilson Irayananthan, Thambigal Ramesh, and Jeyanathan, who always bring our musical plays to life and infuse them with emotion through their unparalleled musical skills, provided the background music and songs for this performance.
It is also noteworthy that a small excerpt from this play was performed at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Tamil community on October 5, 2024. Udayanan played Yama and Manivannan played Chithraguptan, and the performance was enhanced by the background music and songs provided by Ramesh, Joe Irayananthan, and Anacletus Joseph Alagiah Jeyam.