The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A long journey into the past

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Thursday, Aug 09, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A long journey into the past

T.S. Ranganna

Byregowda has authored 21 works, of which nine are plays
He has unearthed stone implements from a cave near Ramanagaram

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

M. Byregowda

Bangalore: M. Byregowda’s has been a long journey: from playing the role of Anjaneya as a child artiste in mythological dramas to his serious pursuit of epigraphy, sociology, anthropology and folklore. If the death of his father, Muddappa, an accomplished dramatist, pushed Byregowda to take on the role of Anjaneya, he adopted another role to please less privileged children: writing plays for them. He has so far directed and put up 23 shows.

Mr. Byregowda, who has a doctorate on the migrant Iruliga tribe, has authored 21 works, of which nine are plays. There are also a collection of articles on folklore, another on Meras, who are also called Mogers, a sect among the Scheduled Castes in Dakshina Kannada district.

This former second division clerk in the Department of Treasury has done enough research on the Iruligas, a migrant tribal community from the South and North Arcot districts of Tamil Nadu. They settled in the caves near Ramanagaram in Bangalore Rural district for 500 years and apparently lived there till the end of the 18th century. He claims to have detected 1,500 graves dating back to 1000 BC at spots spread across Ramanagaram taluk.

Mr. Byregowda is now concerned that the acquisition of vast tracts of land in the area for development will wipe out all the vestiges of the Neolithic Age. He has urged the Department of Archaeology or the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) to preserve the sites and prevent excavation in the area. Some local people had also complained to the Department about this.

For Mr. Byregowda, the biggest achievement is his research findings in a cave at the Koonagal hillock near Ramanagaram, where he had unearthed more than 150 stone implements and weapons such as axes belonging to the Palaeolithic Age. Koonagal is six km away from Ramanagaram on Kanakapura Road. The carbon dating test by experts of the Archaeological Survey of India, Mysore, determined its period at 20000 BC, he claims. He had also found Chola and Hoysala inscriptions in the caves near Honganur, six km from Channapatna of 9th century A.D. He has a collection of 340 audio cassettes on megalithic sites and graves.

Mr. Byregowda, who is a Kannada lecturer at Christ College, Bangalore, has made documentary films on Iruligas, Jenu Kurubas and the Kaadu Kurubas. He has rendered folk songs for All India Radio and Doordarshan and has to his credit three short stories, whose dramatised versions have been aired by AIR and Doordarshan. More than 400 articles on epigraphy and archaeological sites have also been published by him.

During a workshop in Hoonagal, he played a big role in pulling out tribal and street children from their drudgery-filled lives and delighted them with tribal games and games that occupy urban spaces.

Having come from an artistic background, which was steeped in stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Mr. Byregowda says his studies had helped him realise that most folklore traditions and stories have their roots in the two epics.

He does not see folklore as something that is dying. In fact, he strongly disagrees with those who believe so. According to him, it is a process of constant rejuvenation, with fresh talent enriching it.

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