Continuing the mission
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Interview Pisapati Narasimha Murthy owes his success in Telugu traditional drama to his knowledge of Vedas and epics
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Different path Pisapati holds a special place.
`Pisapati Narasimha Murthy' is a big name in Telugu mythological theatre. Sit with him for a couple of hours you will grow wiser and knowledgeable on theatre of the past present and future. He strongly believes that unless and until the script of a play is Sanskritised, you will never be able to enjoy the drama. Pisapati occupies a special place in Telugu traditional drama for the very reason that he treads a different path, altogether, in verse rendition, which has now become what is called `Pisapati Bani'. The specialty of it is laying stress on the `sahitya' part of the verse and presenting its import perfectly to the audience consumption. "Only then the audience enjoy the dramatic output of a poem," he argues.
Pisapati brought changes in the make up given to Sri Krishna. Previously they wore `mukhmal' coats of blue shades. But Pisapati got a blue silk dress stitched close to the skin and wore it, so that he looks bluish, like Krishna. This has become a trend, which continues even today.
Pisapati is born into a family of Veda scholars. He was born on July 10, 1920 in Vantaram Agraharam in Bobbili Taluq of Srikakulam district to Lakshmana Murthy and Suramamba. His paternal uncle Peddibhotla Ramanadham was a great Veda scholar of his times, who wielded great influence on Narasimhamurthy.
Success mantra
The secret of his success, he says, was his knowledge of Vedas and epics, which he learnt by heart.
"Believe me. I had researched into the life of Sri Krishna from his birth till his end. When I entertained doubts about the style and process of presentation of the role of Sri Krishna in Mahabharata plays, in which I was playing the role of Sri Krishna, I referred to the authentic texts," he reveals. He points out at many mistakes in the way the role of Sri Krishna is being presented.
"The crown he wears and the flute he carries are questionable. He never carried the flute along with him while he was bargaining peace with Kauravas. And the crown he wears did not exist then. It was only a turban with peacock quill, like his elder brother Balarama had. They were following Yadava tradition then. What all are added were the creation of later day performers on the stage and screen," he explains.
As to the rendition of a verse, more in prosaic style, he says he adopted it to make the verse more intelligible to the audience. These days the stress was more on raga after quickly finishing the four lines of the verse. In olden days a verse was rendered in a particular raga synchronising with harmonium being played in the pit before the stage. These days, the harmonist leads the rendition of the verse, not the artiste. The harmonist serves the role of a guide to the dramatist on the stage in providing hints of the `raga' and `sruthi' and even the text to the dramatist. The harmonium sounds like a prompter than an accompanying instrument.
"My style of rendition of the verse depends upon the dramatic element embedded in the lines of the verse. I stop rendering suddenly and then interpolate it with an extempore dialogue and then continue again the rendition of the verse. My `raga' rendition towards the end is brief. But if you observe you notice the `Aarohana' and `Avarohana' of the `raga' right in rendition part," he explains.
Pisapati played in socials and historical in the beginning. But stuck to Sri Krishna's role after he won `best performance award' for his portrayal of Krishna in 1949, at Guntur in the presence of the co-author of Mahabharata play Chellapilla Venkata Sastry. From then on he became full time artiste. Andhra University conferred on him an honorary doctorate `Kala Prapoorna'. Telugu University also presented him with its annual award.
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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