When Kumble spoke at Kumble

Yakshagana Academy Chairman and senior artiste Kumble Sundar Rao was felicitated at Kumble on January 15 as part of the annual festival-related programmes of Kumble temple. Felicitation was not new to 75-year old Kumble who carved a niche for himself in the Yakshagana world by his sheer mastery over dialogues. Yet, what he received at Kumble was unique because it was his birth place. He said it was a moment that he had been awaiting for too long and he would cherish it for the rest of his life.

The felicitation was preceded by a Talamaddale programme (see in picture) in which he played Karna against the lone other artiste Moodambailu Gopalakrishna Shastry as Krishna. The plot, of course, was Karnabhedana. Generally speaking, Karna's role in this prasanga is Kumble's masterpiece, but that day somehow Kumble appeared tired. Or for those who have already got used to listening to Kumble as Karna, it appeared as if he was trapped by his own previous versions of Karna.

The highlight, however, was Kumble's felicitation acceptance speech. The artiste, the activist and the analyst in Kumble came out in full life as he spoke relentlessly for over half an hour. He recalled the days that he had spent at Kumble, now part of Kerala. He spoke of a time when one could find an amateur Yakshagana association at every kilometre distance at Kumble. He remembered the senior artistes under whose tutelage he learned the basics of Yakshagana. He recollected the unforgettable anecdotes from his association with great artistes who are no more. He said that so much was the contribution of the Malayalam-speaking Kannadigas of Kumble region to Yakshagana that until only a decade ago the language of chowki (Yakshagana green room) in almost all professional melas was neither Kannada nor Tulu but Malayalam.

One more point from his speech may be of some interest to the readers of this blog:

That is, he said, if anyone wants to promote Yakshagana Talamaddale groups in Kumble region he would give a grant of Rs 5,000 towards the cost of musical instruments. This money is from his discretionary quota as chairman of the academy. Also, if anyone from any part of Karnataka has a good proposal to promote Yakshagana, he would help secure grants from the Government of Karnataka. He said he would personally arrange an audience with the chief minister to those who come up with such proposals.

Any takers?

Bangalore's Yakshadegula

Yakshagana fans in Bangalore should never miss a show by Yakshadegula troupe. There are many amateur Yakshagana groups in Bangalore but perhaps none can beat Yakshadegula. Its shows have a professional touch and maintain a standard necessary to attract new audience to Yakshagana in the capital city. I have my own reservations about Yakshadegula's government-sponsored Yakshagana shows for spreading social messages but when it comes to a mythological plot, Yakshadegula does really well.

On January 25, it presented Krishnarjuna at a temple in Banashankari. The three-hour show was well organised and left the 200-strong audience with a feeling of having their Sunday evening well-spent.

In order to make its shows appear more professional, the troupe managers may avoid using a plastic chair on the stage and spare some time to introduce their artistes to the audience...

Read more about Yakshadegula here

About the appropriateness of Mahishasura's entry

One of the main attractions in watching Devi Mahathme during the childhood days was the fiery entry of demon Mahishasura. While the usual entry point for all the characters including demon characters is the rear left side of the stage, Mahishasura enters from the front, making his way amidst the audience, holding a torch and raising a din. This would scare the children. Elders would say that the weak-hearted and pregnant women should avoid watching Devi Mahatme for this reason.

Most of us enjoyed this. I felt that some artistes playing Mahishasura did overact at this point but I never worried about its appropriateness. Recently a member of the Orkut Yakshagana community, referring to a Youtube video clip of Mahishasura’s entry, wondered if this was Yakshagana or some acrobatics. Initially I thought it was a cynical reaction. Yet, it set me thinking if these elements contributed anything to the artistic quality of Yakshagana. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced that it was mere commotion and did not add anything valuable to the art. Over the years more extraneous elements have been added to Mahishasura’s entry. In some cases, fireworks and non-Yakshagana musical ensemble are also lavishly used to enhance the effect.

Noted Yakshagana singer and scholar, the Late Damodara Mandechcha raised objections as early as in 1980 to these 'extra-fittings'. In an article published in the festschrift of Polali Shankara Narayana Shastry ( Yakshagana Makaranda page 210) Mandechcha lists many unnecessary paraphernalia making their way into Yakshagana. He expressed his total helplessness as bhagavatha in arresting such trends.

I personally think that Mandechcha was right and such elements can be refined to enhance the stature of Yakshagana….

Read Mandechcha's artice: page 208-9; page 210-11