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MUSIC ACADEMY

Photo: V. Ganesan

EARTHY: Yakshagana by Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali.

Making every heart in the Music Academy auditorium skip and rejoice with the light-footed brilliance of the actors was the repertory group from Hegde’s institution, Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali Keremene, now headed by his son Keremene Shambhu Hegde and grandson Shivananda Hegde.

The troupe staged Jarasandha Vadhe, built round the episode from the Mahabharata of the mighty Jarasandha’s death at the hands of the Pandavas with the help of Krishna. Guided by Krishna’s plot, the Pandava brothers Bheema and Arjuna along with Krishna, all disguised as Brahmins, use the guise of a Rajasooya Yagna for the salvation of the soul of their deceased father Pandu, to infiltrate into Girivraja, the capital of Jarasandha’s Magadha Kingdom.

Disturbed by the natural disasters overtaking the Kingdom after the Pandava destruction of the giant drum made out of the demon Masha’s body, guarding the city with its sound frightening away enemies, Jarasandha’s suspicions are roused by the back door entry of such speechless ‘brahmins’ who lack the eloquence for which the caste is noted.

Not a dull moment did the play have as the participants, danced and dialogued their way through the story. After being treated to so much straitjacketed classical austerity, the earthiness of the Yakshagana theatre received resounding endorsement from the audience. Robust and yet full of delicate artistry, this popular theatre has all the distilled artistic verities. Traditional in its form while accommodating what is needed to appeal to more urbanised theatre clientele, Yakshagana samples modernity on its own artistic terms.

Starting with the Poorvaranga, and the skipping delight of a male as female, Achyuta (Krishna) enters. Each character entered marking a distinct presence, whether a fleet footed Arjuna (Nagesh Gowda) or a rough and robust giant in Bheema (Shripad Hegde). Difficult to beat was Satyabhama (Subramanya Hegde) in her authoritative charm, a demanding wife, lovingly confident of her attractions and under no illusions about spouse Achyuta’s penchant for resorting to questionable means in accomplishing ends helping the Pandavas. The bantering between Subhadra and Krishna was one of the most enjoyable scenes - Subhadra’s attitude of sparing no punches and aiming barbs of loving sarcasm making for a saucy delight in dialogue and rhythm.

As for the singing by Anantha Hegde the Bhagwath, the high pitched voice production (to reach audiences seated far in the open fields where shows are performed without amplifying devices) emoted in misram-s of Kalyani. Bhairavi, Mohana, Hindolam, Athana and what have you and the excellent Chenda and Mridanga percussion by N.G.Hegde and Gajananan Hegde heightened the mood of the Natya Sangeet.

At the top of the ladder thrilling with its nuancial movements, abhinaya and spoken word was Shambhu Hegde as Jarasandha. The off-the-cuff, sustained double speak, the biting sarcasm at “Kapata Achyuta”s wiles, the shrewdness and undaunted courage as death by subterfuge overwhelms him combined with the expressional range made the characterisation unforgettable.

With no props, how action restricted to a small free space evokes the feel of a lake, a forest, of Indraprastha, of the outskirts of Girivraja speaks of art of the highest order. And what fine costuming sense with striking ornaments like Yade Kattu, Bhuja keerti, Veeragase, Tolbahu and elaborate headgear!

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