‘Change’: A threat to traditional entertainment?

A tiresome Friday is followed by a much-awaited weekend. A movie in the multiplex, a hangout with friends, a party, a drive, some shopping, great food and quality time with the family! Looks like a perfect one! In a way, this is what entertains most of us. But for many in the villages, for men and women who toil hard for a meager amount, ‘entertainment’ is altogether different.

And ask the people in the remote villages in coastal Karnataka and they would definitely mention the name of Yakshagana, a dance-drama theater form with its roots in Karnataka, mainly found along the coastal belt and believed to be more than 400 years old. This art usually depicts stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas to convey a message to the audience. For many here, it is the sole source of entertainment. The grace with which the hands move, the powerful dialogues and expressions, beautiful costumes of vibrant colors, brilliant make-up accompanied by melodic ragas and loud percussions that include chande and maddale – it is a festive atmosphere for the audience! And the most amazing part of Yakshagana is that it is traditionally performed throughout the night till the sunrise. And it is these innocent people who are keeping alive the originality of this traditional art form.

"A Yakshagana artist dressed in his beautiful costume and vibrant make-up"

"Costume accessories worn by the artists"

It is said that the only constant is “change”! But I seriously wish there were some exceptions. Because change is closely linked to competition, speed and demands constant adaptability. And in the context of traditional and time-demanding art forms, change could be a threat to the beauty, intricacy and originality associated with it.

After meeting “Guru Bannanje Sanjiva Suvarna”, a master artist and a selfless teacher of “Yakshagana”, I had to rethink what entertainment is all about!

"Guru Sanjeeva Suvarna"

Born to daily wage workers in 1955, Mr. Sanjeeva had experienced poverty since childhood. His father was a ‘coolie’ and his mother worked in the fields. He belonged to a caste that was considered a so called low-caste in the society. As a child, he had to wander in different places doing whatever little job that came his way – cleaning cars to tailoring to sweeping floors. He had seen many hardships at a tender age and his infancy was deprived of education, play and fun. He had to take shelter at various places, making strangers his friends and unknown places of stay, his home.

At the age of 14, he landed up at a village called Bannanje, close to his native village. He stayed at a house where he took up the work of taking care of the cattle. The house was owned by a wealthy man who was a singer by profession. The sound of music created an interest in the mind of young Sanjeeva, who used to witness elaborate Yakshagana programs in the villages that were performed throughout the night sending out a message to its audience. He started accompanying his master where he danced and also played some percussion instruments for the troupe. This brought an interesting twist in the life of Mr. Sanjeeva. The next few years were spent with 7 to 8 ‘gurus’ (teachers) where Sanjeeva used to work for them. In turn, he got food and shelter and more importantly a platform to learn Yakshagana. He also spent 20 years with the great author Dr. Shivarama Karanth and still lives by his words – “Never follow money. You do your duty with honesty and wealth will follow you”.

Yakshagana in the 60s and 70s was not meant for the upper class people in the society. They neither made any efforts to learn the art nor were they a part of the audience. Because it was meant for the low caste people and ‘Shudras’ in the society. However, after Dr. Shivarama Karanth started encouraging Yakshagana, words spread about his involvement in this art. The upper class and the educated started developing respect and acceptance towards the art and the artists.

"A glimpse of Guru Sanjeeva Suvarna's school"

Earlier, Yakshagana could be learnt only through ‘melas’ in temples. It used to take 10-12 years to become a trained artist. A singer had to train himself for 15 years. In 1971, the ‘Yakshagana Kendra” was started to promote this art. Eminent personalities like Dr. Shivarama Karanth and Mr. TMA Pai were involved. The children who joined this school were mostly from the villages who had done a few years of schooling. After a few years of training, they used to join the ‘melas’ to learn more. After the death of Dr. Karanth in 1997, when talks were going on to shut down the school, Mr. Sanjeeva came up with the idea of giving formal education along with training in Yakshagana with a belief that an educated artist could do more towards the growth of the art besides making them confident individuals. This initiative that started with training 6 children now has 46. No fee is collected from the students. In fact, only kids from economically weaker sections of the society are selected. The students are now doing an excellent job both in their studies as well as Yakshagana. The first batch of students is now doing engineering besides being artists. A few have also turned into full time performers and a handful of them are earning in lakhs.

The day at the school begins at 4:30 in the morning and includes prayers, yoga, formal education and a few hours of Yakshagana training in the early morning and late evening. The institution has been growing with the support of government and mainly the local public and organizations.

"A student performing the art"

Mr. Sanjeeva has directed many plays including a version of Shakesphere’s Macbeth. He has also trained many foreigners from Italy, Holland, Germany and France in this art. In fact, a student of his, Ms Katrin Binder from Germany did her PHD in Yakshagana. She has also been teaching Kannada at a German University. As language was a barrier between the two, she had learnt Kannada and then was trained by Mr. Sanjeeva. Such has been the dedication of students to learn this art while many are moving away from traditional art forms.

Even today, Mr. Sanjeeva has trained and still teaching hundreds of students without charging them any fees at his school. He has been teaching school children during summer holidays. He has also trained mentally challenged kids in Yakshagana. The age group of his students range between 6 to 80 years. Money was never a criteria in his life and he follows the same principle even now. He says he only requires enough resources to satisfy his hunger and nothing more. He does not believe in accumulating wealth for his future generations.

Mr. Sanjeeva says that before the introduction of formal education in India, Ramayana and Mahabharata formed the basis of our knowledge and provided a framework for us to live our lives. They served as a rule book that conveyed the do’s and don’ts and warned us about wrong doing and its after math. Yakshagana has been a means of entertainment to the innocent people that narrated stories from our epics. The audience earlier used to get so involved that they seriously applied the lessons learnt and values demonstrated in the plays to their lives. Such was the impact that Yakshagana had.

" A background artist playing a percussion"

" Traditional headwear worn by the artists made of natural fibres still used in only a handful of institutions that maintain originality of the art"

Yakshagana has been traditionally a night long performance. And even today, in a few villages, Yakshagana is still a major source of entertainment and attracts thousands of people who spend the whole night watching the acts. Sadly, we audience in the cities demand everything at the click of a button. Speed is the order of the day. What we look for in entertainment has also changed. So, among the Yakshagana performances in the cities, rarely do we see anything that lasts more than 3 to 4 hours.

"Costume accessories worn by the performer"

The art has been very much appreciated and encouraged by foreign nationals and artists. The local people made a lot of efforts so that this art reaches out to a larger audience. However, very little effort has gone behind reviving Yakshagana as a whole, towards a sustained growth and strengthening the base of the art. Mr. Sanjeeva very sadly says that the very purpose of the birth of this art is quite different from why it exists and what purpose it serves today. He says that a major responsibility in terms of the growth of Yakshagana lies in the hands of the artists. He says, “Only if a performer takes up this art wholeheartedly, without any intentions of accumulating wealth can it make a difference to retaining the art in its actual form.”

He says Yakshagana has the strength to change the attitude and personality of people and the society at large. Sending out a message to aspiring and young artists, he says “Choose any form of art. But let the artist in you make a difference in the lives of others. Let it influence and create a positive impact on the audience not just for an hour or two but send out a message that they can carry for the rest of their lives.”

The meaning of entertainment has undergone a metamorphosis with time and is ever-changing. Music, dance and drama formed a major source of entertaining audience then and even now. Earlier it used to have a message and touch not just your senses but also your mind and soul. Thanks to our rural India, they are still keeping alive such traditional art forms and believe in soul-touching entertainment. Hats off to such ‘gurus’ like Mr. Sanjeeva, who dedicatedly stand strong to preserve, protect and pass on such amazing traditional theatre forms that have the power to change people!

So let’s decide what matters more – entertainment that keeps us happy for an hour or two or the one that sustains itself in the form of a message or value for a lifetime?