Yakshagana

Yakshagana is a classical folk art form of Karnataka. Actors wear costumes and enact various roles. Traditionally Yakshaganas would go on all night.

On a serene Thursday couple of days back, I had to make a choice - have a dekko at a Yakshagana performance nearby ... or watch 'Happy Feet' on DVD (finally !). Suddenly, I felt like exhibiting a fight for the protection of ancient Indian culture ... and surprising myself, I decided to go to the Yakshagana. Mind you, this was my second visit to this folk art; I liked it the first time, but that was way back in school, and ever since, folk art and me had developed such a rift in between them like JDS and BJP in our state (I have to mention this somehow !)

Although my hidden intention was to grab the samosas and chips that I thought would be served, I walked into the auditorium with mom and dad. After the usual blah blah from the organizers, a few attempts to extol each other, and not to mention, the fragrance of baked food enveloping the auditorium, which by the end of the show I realized, was not meant for us ... the magnanimous show began.

The theme was 'Samudra Mathana' ... an attempt by the Devas and Asuras to regain the treasures of Indra, with 'Amrita' (or ambrosia) which was obtained as a by-product, drinking of which results in immortality. It starts with the beating of drums, signalling the arrival of the characters on-stage. A narrator narrates the story in a song-like fashion, backed by musicians. The actors have limited dialogue too (which marks a difference to Kathakali where the actors don't speak at all). What is surprising is, Yakshagana is not limited to Hindu mythology; it has undergone various innovations which includes performances of Shakespeare's works.

The make-up I must say was outstanding; the play lasted for 2 hours, but I am sure the actors took more than 4 hours just to get ready. The entire costume is so intricate, a Goddess looks truly like a goddess, and a Rakshas looks truly like one. The actors, as I got to know later, were either software engineers, or bank employees, and were all women. Their performance has not been limited to India, extending from Germany to Kuwait. The movements are so pronounced, the action is so intense, that actors breaking the stage into pieces, with their powerful performance is quite a common phenomenon.

Overall, it was an outstanding play ... Yakshagana has its origin from around the 10th century. A common misconception is that, it is only limited to coastal Karnataka; its performed everywhere, even outside Karnataka, but of course, it lacks the encouragement of this generation of people, who'd rather go to a concert than such a show. Thats' the irony - the 'one' thing we feel proud about of our country, the 'one' thing due to which we feel that our country's the best in the world, and the one thing we fail to treasure, but do end up exporting it to other nations, is our diverse culture.