A theatrical tribute to two Sivaganga women who defeated the British in 1780

The Mughal emperors, the British viceroys and generals occupy a major portion of our history books. Although they talk elaborately about the war waged by Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi against the British in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the contributions of many local chieftains and queens and the uprisings that they led during the colonial era have been forgotten. But what remains little known is that in 1780, 77 years before the Indian Rebellion of 1857, two women warriors defeated the British army in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu.

The first one was Velu Nachiyar (1730-1796), the powerful queen of Sivaganga and the second, her chief commander called Kuyili, a Dalit woman. Although Velu Nachiyar got some prominence in some history books, Kuyili has been forgotten by historians. Born in Sivaganga, Kuyili is said to be a milestone in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. To defeat the British, she herself jumped into their armoury after setting herself ablaze. She knew that if she wanted to defeat the British, she should first destroy their armoury. Kuyili was right, and her sacrifice coupled with the help offered by Hyder Ali, the sultan of the Kingdom of Mysore, eventually led Velu Nachiyar to reclaim her kingdom from the colonial army in the epic Sivaganga war in 1780.

Velu Nachiyar was in the news recently when a tableau featuring freedom fighters, including herself, the Marudu Brothers and VO Chidambaram Pillai, which was supposed to represent the Tamil Nadu government in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi were rejected by the Central government on ‘various’ grounds. As a fitting reply to the ‘insult’, the Tamil Nadu government showcased the tableau across the state on Republic Day even as the decision of the Centre raised criticism from people across the country. Kozhikode-based theatre director Bichoos Chilanka took the criticism rather seriously. He wrote a script based on the historic events during the time of Velu Nachiyar and Kuyili. A week ago, a documentary-drama called Veerathai (brave mother), directed by Bichoos, was screened in Kozhikode.

Bichoos, who wrote the script, chose his daughter Chinoos to play six characters, including Velu Nachiyar and Kuyili, in the play. With 10 actors from his group called Floating Theatre Nadakapura, Bichoos now wants to screen the docu-drama across India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The dialogues in the 45-minute-long play are in Tamil, spoken in the Sivaganga region during the 18th century. The language of narration will change depending on the place of screening.

For Bichoos, each screening is an attempt to revive the forgotten heroes and heroines of history through a theatre experience. Veerathai is a docu-drama which combines elements of a documentary and a drama. The technique helped when Chinoos had to handle the roles of Velu Nachiyar and Kuyili at the same time. While she played Velu Nachiyar in the original stage, she also did the role of Kuyili in the documentary screened on TV simultaneously.

Queen Velu Nachiyar was a multi-linguist who was also trained in martial arts. She had an army called ‘Udayal Padai’, which comprised only women. There is a story behind the name of the army. “When the British tried to follow the queen, a woman in the village named Udayal gave her a place to hide. The British later killed the woman for giving shelter to the queen. The queen named her army Udayal as a tribute to the woman. But the event was not documented by our historians. I am trying to revive those forgotten episodes through this play,” said Bichoos, who has been a theatre artist for the last 35 years.

Velu Nachiyar’s husband and king Muthuvaduganath Periyavudaya Thevar was an expert in traditional martial arts. He knew how to throw valari (an ancient hunting weapon) properly. Knowing his weaponry strategy, the Arcot Nawab, with the help of the British, chose to kill him when he was going to the temple unarmed. Even though many advised Velu Nachiyar that it was not safe to go and see the mortal remains of her husband due to threat from the enemies, she didn’t pay heed. With a torch in hand, she went to the site with her little baby tied around her neck. The play Veerathai begins with this touching scene. “The queen made a promise that she would reclaim the fort and Sivaganga not for herself, but for her people. With the Maruthu Brothers, she sought help from emperor Hyder Ali. She managed to build a powerful army within nine months,” said Bichoos.

The queen recruited Kuyili as her chief commandant after she was rescued by the Dalit girl twice. Kuyili’s mother was a trained hunter and her father a cobbler, who also worked as a spy for the queen. But there were objections to Kuyili’s recruitment because of her ‘Dalit’ origin. But the queen Velu Nachiyar was against all the existing caste hierarchies in society. She called them “religious lunatics” and asked them to get out of the Sivaganga Fort and the kingdom itself.

The queen was getting ready to reclaim the fort and it was on a Vijayadasami day, she chose to attack the armoury of the British. A part of the Rajarajeswariamman Temple was used as armoury by the British. And the entry was restricted. Since it was festival day, women were allowed to come to the temple with flowers and garlands and so members of the queen’s Udayal Padai, under the command of Kuyili, entered the temple. Kuyili chose this as the right time to attack the armoury of the British. She told her people to pour oil all over her body. She lit her body and then ran into the armoury. “The armoury was destroyed in a few minutes. This was one of the most courageous acts by a woman but it was not recorded anywhere. We are using the original fire in the play. We also follow the styles of ‘Thira’ (a ritual dance-drama performed in the Malabar region of northern Kerala) and some folk songs of Sivaganga in this play to attain maximum perfection,” he said. Why ‘Thira’? “Because it is close to some folk elements in the Sivaganga region,” he added.

Fire plays an important role in the play, which is played on the arena stage, where the acting area is surrounded by the audience. The queen attacked the British from six points. “When the British accepted defeat, Velu Nachiyar asked them to tender an apology and promise that no ‘foreigner’ would enter the Sivaganga region ever. The apology was the first of its kind in the history of India,” said Bichoos.

For 23-year-old Chinoos, playing six characters including the roles of Velu Nachiyar and Kuyili, was challenging. “Playing the scene in which Kuyili runs into the armoury after setting herself ablaze was risky because we used real fire on the stage. But it was my duty to take on the challenge to tell people the real history of our country,” she said. “Today, we live in a world of concocted stories. A deliberate attempt to erase history from the human mind is on. As an artist, my job is to create awareness among people about the history of our country. Otherwise, it will create space for fake ones,” said Chinoos.

Bichoos’ Floating Theatre has produced more than 55 plays so far. Years of continuous involvement with the medium of theatre by skipping meals and compromising sleep eventually gave chronic ulcers to Bochoos. A year ago, he recovered from a deadly Covid attack. But the ulcer inside his stomach spread fast. He was soon infected with a kind of fungus all over his body and his belly formed like a football. He couldn’t undergo the surgery that his doctor suggested due to lack of money.

Fighting health issues, Bichoos wants to screen Veerathai all over India. “The ulcers can wait,” he tells The Federal. “My idea is to screen the play across India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. We are in touch with various organisations in Chennai and Mumbai. Getting a proper stage is the problem, because the play involves a lot of ethical and martial experiments,” he said. Use of Urumi (a long, flexible, whip-like blade) and demonstrations of traditional art forms like Silambam and Kalari on stage need space.

“We request the chief minister of Tamil Nadu to take initiative in screening the play across the state,” said Bichoos, who lives in a rented house in Kozhikode. “I have to pay the rent for the last nine months. Even though many liked the play when it was played in Kozhikode recently, the production expenses increased my financial burden,” he said. Money, according to Bichoos, comes and goes. He is least bothered about his deteriorating health issues. “I want to screen Veerathai in as many venues as possible. It is a tribute to the forgotten heroes and heroines of our history,” he added.