JOIN USA picture of unity on stage
The Yakshagana was based on the theme national integration and was performed by the artistes of Karnataka Kala Darshini.
National integration was chosen as the theme with the belief that art integrates humanity, and the barriers of religion, ethnicity and language take second place when one is viewing a work of art.
The Yakshagana began with the introduction of king Satyasena of Dharmagiri and him describing the reason for conflict between his state and Chandragiri, ruled by Chandrasena, over a disputed region in between the two states. This region houses a temple. After the heroic Satyasena made his appearance, Vikrant, a minister in Satyasena's court, took centrestage.
He represented the quintessential scheming crook in every story who eyes the crown. After the hero and the villain were introduced, out came the damsel in distress Sumana.
The storyline though essentially primitive, with events such as Sumana's chance encounter with Vikrant, his attempt to rape her and Satyasena coming to the rescue and they eventually falling in love. It still addressed a lot of hidden nuances like female foeticide, and the caste barriers in our society.
The performances were realistic and the witty dialogues had the audiences in spurts of laughter. The performance ended with a one-on-one battle between the two kingdoms over the issue of Satayasena’s proposal of marriage to Sumana who belonged to Chandragiri. It showcased how politics of a nation just requires a reason for conflict, which is unfortunately the case even in our country. However, like other happy endings, Bharat Mata intervenes between, Chandrasena and Satyasena, the two kings and they come to a peaceful agreement.
Sadly, this is hardly the case in real life. The performances were wonderful and each character was beautifully portrayed by the artistes.
The music rendered for the Yakshagana was brilliant and perfectly synchronised with the emotions represented by the artists. The musicians of Yakshagana are called Bhagavataru and the songs are based on eight talas, very characteristic to the art form. Based on the scene, the appropriate tala is used.
The rustic, folk narrative of the story transcended the audiences to a rural Karnataka set-up, under a banyan tree where performances such as these even to this day enthrall and educate people.