“Su-Charita” the real life story of extreme trauma and love brought to life on stage by the genius of Hamsa , Vishaka , Neil and the team

By Raj Natarjan & Suchitra Kumar

Raj – “I am rarely overcome by emotions and cry looking at a drama or a movie these days but this drama “Su-Charita” had the power to bring tears into my eyes as with the other 200 audience who witnessed this amazing drama at the Pioneer Theatre, Castle Hill on 16^th October.  I soon realised that this was no ordinary drama because it was portraying the extreme trauma and suffering that the parents underwent when their only child bid goodbye after enduring pain and suffering for a long time from one of the rarest diseases.

This is the story of Sucharitha and Vijaykumar—Roashan’s parents. Sucharitha (known as Suchie), originally from Chennai, India, spent her formative years in Chennai, Mumbai and then London as her dad had a transferable job. Suchie returned to India from London, married Vijaykumar (known as Kumar), an engineer with an IIM degree, in Chennai and immigrated to Australia in 1990 and has been living in Sydney since then.   Roashan was born in India in 1985 and the life was joyous for the new migrants until they could see their son Roashan visibly changing in front of their eyes from a normal child with a healthy appetite to a boy who would take hours to eat and squint in the daytime constantly. Suchie and Kumar realising that there is something seriously wrong with their son’s health visited the doctors again and again but those visits proved futile as they failed to diagnose the real problem and Roashan collapsed on 28^th Dec 1991. He was diagnosed, purely by chance, by a visiting Canadian doctor that Roashan has a rare disease called AAA syndrome which stands for:

• Adrinal Cortisone Deficiency – Zero production of Cortisone by the body
• Acalacia – Narrow Gullet
• Alacrima – Dry eyes

So rare that only12 such cases were previously recorded in the World and Roashan was the 13^th with AAA syndrome and the 12 previously diagnosed are living a fairly normal life with medicine, eye drops and a surgery. But in Roashan’s case fate decided to roll a different dice – an undiagnosed syndrome resulted in 98% brain injury and life changed for the worse for this healthy child to a wheel chair bound boy who neither could see nor talk, requiring 24 hour care. Suchie and Kumar had to find a way to accept the cruel hand that life dealt, learn to cope with their grief, care for their son and also accept and love this new version of their boy Roashan until they bid goodbye to him on 2^nd Mar 2017.

Heartbroken Suchie was searching for a way to gather strength to the bear this unthinkable loss and somehow find peace of mind. Suchie joined the “Chinmaya Mission”, Sydney a religious organization of Indian origin which has been spreading life changing teachings of well-known Indian scriptures, Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads and doing transformational spiritual, educational and charitable activities. Suchie says that it is Chinmaya Mission which has been helping her to carry on with life and gather strength to accept the tragedy and find that elusive peace of mind. Suchie says that she is also very thankful to NSW and Australian Governments for providing channels of care through caring and helpful people in the health care sector.

Suchie has the talent to write poetries and stories in Tamil as well as English. As a way of finding peace, Suchie restarted her love for poetry and many of her poems reflect her love for her son, Roshan and the trauma of losing him. Suchie wanted to pay homage to her son but didn’t know how until fate guided her and one of her friends, Sumi Krishnan introduced her to Neil Screymour (Play write and a Stage actor). Neil heard Suchie’s sad story and read her poetries and came up with the idea of weaving Roashan’s story through her poetries to stage a drama “Su-Charita”.  A chance conversation with Hamsa Venkat, a renowned South Indian Classical Dance teacher and a choreographer resulted in the idea of a Musical. Ms Vishaka Iyer, Hamsa Venkat’s daughter formed a team to take up the challenge of Choreography and “Su-Charita”the musical was born which fulfilled the life time ambition of Suchie.”

Well Suchie herself decided to write about her feeling and emotions after this drama was staged and therefore without much editing I have presented here what Suchi wrote:

Suchitra – “Su-Charita – Oct 16th 2022 – Pioneer Theater I was on Cloud 9 that day is but an understatement.

I always wanted to do something for my son –to show the pride I had for him and thank God for entrusting him to me, for the love, dignity and trust Roashan gave me, gratitude for the scores of hands that made him comfortable, and, the hearts that prayed. Last but not least to appease the guilt I have too.

I could not have asked a better channel, better expression of art form and a greater set of people who gave birth to this project – Sumi by introducing me to Neil who sowed the seeds for Su-Charita. Dialogues and events to be woven around my poems as a Drama was the intent.

With Covid both our attempts to stage the drama didn’t come to fruition. The Drama became, this Musical Version of Su-Charita purely by a chance conversation with Hamsa Venkat. You see mine and Neil’s third attempt to stage it left us short of actors. Since Vishaka was taking part in the drama I had called Hamsa to tell her Drama might not be happening.

From that conversation and with Neil’s (acted as Kumar) blessing emerged Su-Charita The Musical with the actors, dancers tearing the curtain down to bring to stage Hamsa’s vision, Vishaka’s choreography and in addition with the Musicians – enhancing, uplifting and melting us along with the actors and the dancers. The lights throwing a kaleidoscope of colours depicted truly the emotions as cued by Hamsa Venkat, and each actor and dancer who then made it their own on the stage was MAGICAL.

When Vidhu as Suchie opened the scene to the rendition of my first Tamil poem “Yengigarthu Manadhu” dance I could feel “me” being born. Until then you’ll see I hadn’t watched this. My first day of watching Su-Charita was also Oct 16th.

My heart and my mind transported itself back to my younger days as Aadhya portrayed the little Suchie with so much gaiety running around always looking for fun and dare and mum and dad throwing in their vex and complete love for their daughter all rolled into one .. Airport scene was WOOOOW. I felt like I was journeying excitement contagious.

Then came London Suchie Scene with Vishaka and the dancers dancing to Boney M and Abba and what a beautiful musicality and rendition. Take a bow to the music team. I loved the attention that Vishaka gave to pretending to copy the dance movements when she just hit London first, and then, acing the movements later on. Sadness in the voices and the dances in itself. When Vidhu the 3rd Suchie walked in playfully and interacted with Neil as Kumar I loved the laughter and lightness and the Marriage – Infact, I turned around asked Kumar – “was our marriage this much fun”?

Everyone I’m sure melted with me when little Rishaan walked, danced, ran in and that scene was pure joy. Family scene with Neil, Ganpathy uncle where love shone through and spilled to everyone from the stage.

From there onwards the smorgasbord of emotions portrayed left me crying, and at one point, I became the Suchie and wanted to run out. Depth shown in the wheel chair scene by both parents Vidhu and Neil on the stage while they were lifting Roashan from the bed and sitting him on the wheelchair made me actually feel Roashana in my arms.

The dancers while portraying the depression scene, the dance in itself with the twirls and the fight put up to suppress the dark thought between Vidhu and Vishaka was SUPERB. Couldn’t have better portrayed the blackness felt at that time inside with constant to fight at the same time to smile and go around the world. The last scene – just the phone call and the emotions and the music and the writing “Free I’m with the voice of the child” …I felt my Roashan Mohana Krishna deliberating on that choice and running Free and suddenly I felt him inside my very soul and all around that moment.

As Sucharitha or Suchie, Kumar and my parents would not change anything other than what was portrayed. In true Indian style if I was to stand everyone of the actors, dancers, musicians, Hamsa and do a sashtanga namaskaram (prostrate) my gratitude would not be enough in helping us create a small Legacy for Roashan Mohana Krishna for all the love and the dignity that he showered on us.”

Raj – “Hamsa Venkat once again proved that she is not just a dance teacher but a visionary and young Vishaka’s choreography is amazing for a girl of her age and as for the script full marks to Neil who has brought out the true essence of Suchi’s Poems expressing pure joy and love for her son and how can we forget the amazing expressions and sensuous dance of Vidhu, Neil and co-dancers. Memories of the drama “Su-Charita” will remain for a long time in my memory and also those who were fortunate to witness on 16^th October.”