Thursday, 30 July 2009

Malthusian Theory in Karnavasana: a response to Dr Bilimale

Dr Purushottama Bilimale in his response to my previous post 'Malthusian Theory in Karnavasana' said he did not see anything unusual in it and it was part of an established trend in Yakshagana: giving a modern interpretation to mythology.

I largely agree with him. Yet, I think this is an important issue and needs to be debated. Hence, I give my detailed response (albeit a little late) with the hope that Dr Bilimale, being an expert on Yakshagna, will have more to say about it. I would also look forward to what others might have to say about it.

Dear Dr Bilimale:

Thanks for your response. I certainly agree with you that modern interpretation of mythology is good for Talamaddale and Yakshagana dialogues. Yet, I am afraid we are talking here about two different issues.

My point about the artiste in the role of Karna using Malthusian theory is different. If he were to say only that the nature would find its own solution when the burden of population on earth was too much, one would take it as a reflection of some modern thinking and yet relevant to the wars during the ancient times. Wars used to destroy millions of lives in ancient India after all.

However, this artiste said 'one economist had said it.' The moment he attributed it to one economist, the reference was obviously to Malthus because no other economist had said anything like that before the Mahabharata times. Now his reference was not to a line of thought but to a historical figure. Because Malthus is a 19/20th century economist. Moreover, the artiste said 'population doubles in every 25 years.' This is a Malthusian idea and Malthus arrived at this figure based on the realities during the industrial revolution. Thus, Karna making this obvious reference to Malthus and quoting verbatim from his theory in the context of the Mahabharata seem a little odd to me.

As long as the reference to the contemporary thoughts and philosophical strands is subtle and reflective, it is fine. The moment things are made obvious, it breaches the mythological framework within which a talamaddale artiste is supposed to operate.

I agree that artistes like Sheni, Kumble and Joshi do bring elements of contemporary issues and modern thoughts when they speak as mythological characters. But I have never heard these artistes making the reference to modern issues too obvious in their interpretation of mythology. If they did, I would say, it should never be a benchmark for others. Kumble as Karna in Ranaveelya Karnabedhana says this:

Eee samajakke jaatiya bhoota hididide; Hasivege ondu mushti anna kelidare jaati keltaare; Baayaarikege ondishtu neeru kelidare jaati yaavudu anta prashne maadthaare...

This reflects to an extent a contemporary social reality as much as the state of affairs at the time in which Karna is believed to have lived. That is the beauty of it.

When actor Rajakumar was in the captivity of Veerappan, Sheni played Hamsadhwaja in 'Sudhanwaarjuna' at a koota in Puttur. While taking exception to Sudhanwa's delay in going to the battle field, Sheni as Hamsadhwaja said:

Avamaana, avamaana, obba rajakumaarana prakaranadinda idee arasottigege avamaana (Sheni narrated this to me in an interview for Deccan Herald).

The dialogue suited perfectly as that of Hamsadwaja. Sudhanwa was a Rajakumara (prince) and the pun had reflected something contemporary. Sheni's reference to Indira Gandhi and Sanjaya Gandhi during the emergency times when he described Kaikeyi and Bharata was as much subtle (I have only read about this)

Recently while in Bangalore I attended a talamaddale 'Jambavati Kalyana' at Ramashrama in Girinagara. Ramashrama as everyone knows has been built by B Krishna Bhat. A young artiste, Shashanka Arnady, had played Jambavantha. While speaking after realising that Krishna with whom he had fought was none other than Rama, Arnady as Jambavantha said like this:

Krishna ninna aagamanadinda giriyallidda ee guhe Ramaashramavaayitu...

I thought it was an intelligent choice of words without compromising the subtlety or without straying out of the mythological framework. Anything more to relate Krishna to Krishna Bhat would have made it sound more obvious and thus awkward.

I have heard some artistes crudely pushing contemporary news into their mythological dialogues. That is really awful. In giving modern interpretation to mythology, I think, the sense of time should never be lost. The dialogues should remain in the context of mythology. This is what I was worried about when I heard Karna making obvious reference to Malthusian theory.

I think issues like this should be debated and the outcomes should be conveyed to the artistes concerned. As you yourself had observed in some other context, Yakshagana has lost a great deal for want of a tradition of healthy criticism.

Regards



Thursday, 23 July 2009

In high spirits at 64: Shridhara Bhandary

After a couple decades the other day I saw the performance of Puttur Shridhara Bhandary. He played the role of Manimantha in Inavamshavaaridhi at Udupi. Looking at his face and voice one can say the age (64) is catching up with him but when it comes to dancing he is the same old Shridhara Bhandary.

However, it seems he is a prisoner of punduvesha style of dancing which he is famous for. In this prasanga he wore rajavesha costumes but could not resist straying into punduvesha steps which seemed a bit odd. The role was that of a lusty Gandharva king. Yet, I thought, a bit of acrobatics that he tried a la some of the badagutittu artistes could have been avoided keeping in mind the overall tone of the prasanga...

Anyway, hats off to his high spirits...

Stage Indiscipline 2


Yakshakalaranga, Udupi, seeks to create awareness about the stage indiscipline in Yakshagana by displaying some pictures with apt captions....Here is one which was on display recently at their Yakshagana programme at PPC Auditorium, Udupi

Inavamsha Vaaridhi....


Inavamsha Vaaridhi, a new mythological prasanga based on the stories of the solar clan (sooryavamsha) was staged in Udupi recently. The prasanga had stories of several solar clan kings from Vaivatsvata Manu to Sriramachandra. It was an innovation in mythological prasangas and was thus a commendable effort on the part of Prithviraja Kavattar, a journalist-cum-amateur Bhagavata to have brought it to the stage under the aegis of Yakshakalaranga, Udupi. Ganesh Kolekadi composed the songs.

Yet, in the absence of a common thread binding the whole prasanga it came across as the presentation of a series of disjointed stories. The prasanga writer could have perhaps avoided this by a theme-based presentation, say, by making the sacrifice of various solar clan kings or events of their valour as the focal point of the prasanga.

One highlight of the show was the use of costumes in traditional tenkutittu style.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Yakshasinchana launched

Yet another Yakshagana group was launched in Bangalore on last Sunday: Yakshasinchana. There are around 10 already in the city, most of them in Badagu tradition including this latest one. I am not very sure if there is any need for the proliferation of such groups in the capital especially since they, barring a couple of them, pay little attention to maintaining even minimum standards when they perform. That said Rangasthala wishes all the best to Yakshasinchana.

As part of the inaugural members of Yakshasinchana performend Shamanthakopakhyana. Most of the artistes were amateurs. Overall the show did not meet my expectations to say the least...One who played Satrajita was heard listing out all the populist programmes of Karnataka Government such as taliyabhagya, raita sanjeevini, yashaswini, janaspandana etc., on the pretext of making his dialogues contemporary! The hasyagara used terms such as 'sammishra sarakaara'. The artistes obviously need to be told that making the dialogues contemporary does not mean blurting out newspaper headlines on the stage...

These apart, I think two issues merit attention. First, the hall was packed despite very minimum publicity for the event. Second, it is heartening to note that there are people who are ready to spend their time, money and energy to keep the art of Yakshagana alive in the metro by organising amateur artistes...

Stage Indiscipline



Hope the pictures are self-explanatory!! Aren't they?

Sunday, 21 June 2009

NIE article on Yakshagana

The New Indian Express in its Sunday magazine on June 21 carried an article on Yakshagana titled Headgears Get a Fresh Breeze. It is not a very well-researched piece nor does it say anything refreshingly new. However, it briefly touches the disturbing trend of the so-called innovations in Yakshagana, all as part of the efforts of 'poor Yakshagana artistes' in order to survive the odds that the 'centuries-old art form is facing in an era of increasing modernity.'!? Really? If you have missed it on Sunday, please read it below and leave your views...

Headgears get a fresh breeze

Kavitha Srinivasa

The only commonality one may figure out is longitudinal. But for the fact that both Goa and Canara belong the Konkan stretch, how do you relate Remo Fernandes with Yakshagana? Whatever, the popular rock and fusion singer from the erstwhile Portugese colony has of late begun lending his aesthetics to the traditional dance-drama that has roots in southern Karnataka.

So, no dropping your jaws next time you stumble upon a show of this pre-classical Dravidian theatre and sense that its background score has an unmistakable outlandish touch to it. It’s just one of the several new ways the poor Yakshagana artiste is trying in order to survive the odds his centuries-old art form is facing in an era of increasing modernity.


Well, to hear from the man who sought to find a new-age Yaksha in the gana part of his art, let us turn to K Krishnamurthy Thunga. “Remo’s musical scores from a Goan tribal song has been a successful experiment. It has widened the platform of the theatre, and added to its vocabulary,” says Thunga, who runs Yaksha Kala Academy.


Clearly, the social mapping at cultural events is changing. Today, you have Yakshagana troupes not just in Canara; the state capital Bangalore itself has half-a-dozen of them. Closer to its moorings, in and around Udupi, 30-odd troupes keep this art alive. Plus those in the districts of Shimoga, Uttara and Dakshina Kannada, and even northern Kerala’s Kasargod.


True, these may total a decent number, but the precariousness of their existence is evident. A chunk of the artistes are semi-literate, paid paltry sums and are made to carry forth the legacy for reasons that are anything by inspiring. Its seasonal nature is another deterrent, as Yakshagana is hosted outdoors between November and May. The shows come to a grinding halt by the onset of monsoons in the coastal towns of Uttara and Dakshina Kannada, where Yakshagana is a way of life.


All these have prompted many among them to innovate and tune their presentations to present-day tastes. That way, the experiments in Yakshagana these days are not confined to corporate shows held in star hotels. They are even breaking barriers beyond: even the all-night shows held outdoors have become part of the trend.


It’s lately that the art form has witnessed a flurry of changes. “This art,” notes Srinivas Sasthan, a member of the Yakshagana Academy, “should have a certified degree course complete with scholarships. It would help the students learn the form and maintain a uniform standard. After the course, they can maybe teach in schools.” The academy is planning to send a draft proposal to the state government.


The art form is no more the male bastion it used to be. If it was men who performed female roles in the days of yore, the gender equations have changed: today, even women do male roles. Of late, there are females who don roles of demons like the Lankan king Ravana. Sasthan himself has been instrumental in this reversal of roles. He believes in providing equal opportunities for women in his All Women’s Troupe, headed by his wife Gowri. Women have brought out the essence of vibrant characters like Dushasana, Drona, Bhishma, Kamsa and Bhima in full grandeur.


What’s more, the troupe is into creating awareness among villagers on social issues — of course, using their art as the medium. They have for a while now been staging shows on AIDS, girl child and literacy. “The remuneration depends on whether it’s a solo or group performance, but on an average the troupe earns Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 per show,” he reveals.


These days, recession has affected, well, Yakshagana too. Rues Thunga: “I generally get invitations for quite a few solo corporate shows in five-star ambience, but this year the demand has reduced.” He points out that presentations at such elitist venues have encouraged Thunga to encapsulate some shows to as short as five minutes. Arguably, not ideal for the aesthetics of the art, but a challenging task nonetheless.


It’s just not the stage conduct that’s challenging about Yakshagana. The attractiveness of the costumes apart, their maintenance is a difficult undertaking. For one, each costumes has four to five parts to it — each of them made of wood, on which the zari costume is stitched. None of these go well with the hot humid conditions where they have to survive. “Transporting them to the venues without insurance or security is a big risk,” points out K Mohan who trains his daughters and students under his Yakshadegula banner.


There are of course ticketed shows, ones that are held in tent theatres whose artistes travel along Karnataka’s coastal belt to perform during as many as 180 to 200 nights spread across six months. They rake in some moolah, but off-season the artistes have still to take to occupations like agriculture for a living. “The only saving grace,” shrugs Mohan, “is that artistes are sought after when devotees fulfil a vow. Temple authorities bring artistes to mark the devotee’s thanksgiving gesture. They are booked in advance and sometimes, the waiting period is for ten years.”


Perhaps therein lies the irony. The Yaksha­gana artistes are seen as vehicles to appease gods — but that’s only when there’s a personal profit behind it. As a community that unveils certain aesthetics in narrating mythological stories, they still fail to command respect.


kavita@epmltd.com