The Hindu : Karnataka News : Stage set for ambitious Bahuroopi theatre festival

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Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008
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Karnataka

Stage set for ambitious Bahuroopi theatre festival

Staff Correspondent

The theme will be on tribal culture and theatre

Curtains to go up on January 12
Problems faced by the tribal community in the face of liberalisation to be discussed

MYSORE: The ambitious “Bahuroopi” national theatre festival, being hosted by Rangayana for the past five years in December, will be held from January 12 to 18 to coincide with 20th year of the commencement of Rangayana.

It is one of the major theatre festivals in the country and is organised with a specific theme. “Akka” the first festival was developed keeping the problems of women as the theme. The second featured the downtrodden and the exploited with a slant for equality in society. The third centred round the problems of children and children’s theatre. The fourth focussed on the impact of liberalisation on indigenous culture, and the on the agrarian crisis and the suicide of farmers. This time it will focus on “tribal culture and theatre”.

Rangayana has started preparations to hold Bahuroopi on a grand scale from August itself. A Rs. 35-lakh proposal was sent to the Government to conduct the festival. Previously, the Government had sanctioned Rs. 20 lakh. This time it has been decided to conduct the festival in Mysore and at the Dharwad unit of Rangayana to meet the aspirations of the people of North Karnataka.

More funds

In view of this, it was decided to seek more funds for the festival. The festival will discuss various problems faced by the tribal community in different parts of the country because of successive Governments ushering liberalisation, said, Director of Rangayana Chidambara Rao Jambe. “It is necessary to understand the diversity of tribal culture. We have a democratic responsibility to protect it, at a time when culture is being looked at and defined in tune with the changing socio-economic scenario,” he said.

As a part of the festival, Rangayana has planned to host a handicrafts mela, exhibition of folk arts, film festival, theatre festival and seminars. The folk and handicrafts exhibition will be inaugurated on January 12. Martial Arts of Manipur, Bodo of Assam, Gutipuva of Orissa, Tamasha of Maharashtra, Kalaripayat of Kerala, Dollu Kunita and Yakshagana of Karnataka, would also figure.

Films on theme

Feature and documentary films focussing on tribal culture would be screened at the film festival, which would be inaugurated on January 14 at Sri Ranga Auditorium. English, Hindi, Assamese, Manipuri and Kannada plays would be staged in the National Theatre Festival which would be inaugurated on January 14 at Bhoomigeetha open air auditorium, he said. A national seminar on various issues relating to tribal culture, such as “Tribal Culture-Past and Present”, “The Role of NGOs in Tribal Development”, “Tribal Community and Communication” and “Tribal Community and Oral Narratives” would be held on January 16 and 17 at Maneyangala auditorium. Experts on the subject including, P.K. Mishra from University of Shillong, L. Joychandra Singh of Manipur, Debendrachandra Bodo of Assam, apart from writers, intellectuals and journalists would discuss the problems being faced by tribal communities in the country. Jnanpith recipient U.R. Ananthamurthy will deliver the valedictory address, Mr. Jambe said.

The national theatre festival at Dharwad will be held in Basavaraja Rajguru Auditorium from January 12 to 18“The total budget for the festival is Rs. 47 lakh and we sought Rs. 35 lakh from the Government. However, Department of Kannada and Culture was gracious enough to sanction Rs. 25 lakh,” said Mr. Jambe.

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