Play infuses life into village theatre

Post harvest, in most of the villages, farmers after months of backbreaking work smoothly transform themselves into artistes.

It has been a tradition when farmers after several months of hard agricultural labour take a break and unravel the creativity in them. And it is entertainment time for the villagers.

Interested farmers form a team, appoint a teacher and begin their rehearsals for that final performance.

The performances which earlier used to be an indispensable part of village life, have now become a rarity.

However, a few performances here and there seems to have kept alive this otherwise dying tradition.

Recently, the performance of “Mooruvare Vajragalu,” a historical play at Bhaktarahalli village in Shidlaghatta taluk was well received by a jam-packed audience.

Attracting audience

Bright decorations, costumes that transform one into the times of Mahabharata, opulent stage and accompanying musicians drew a large crowd.

Under the guidance of Maruthi Krupa Poshita Nataka Mandali, a bunch of theatre enthusiasts adorned themselves as Krishna, Arjuna, Balarama, Bheema, Dhuryodhana, Shakuni and others performed “Mooruvare Vajragalu,” to a spellbound audience.

JD(S) district unit president M Rajanna after inaugurating the play said: “ Such performances help in keeping alive traditional art forms. The concepts of justice and fairness can be taught better through plays such as these. Staging plays in addition to encouraging farmers who double up as artistes during leisure time is an effort to protect and nurture our culture.”

The all pervading influence of television, cinema, village plays have been relegated to the background. Added to this, staging of a historical play costs anywhere between Rs one lakh to one and a half lakh. Monetary constraints coupled with drama teachers who can be treated as almost extinct and other factors make staging of village plays a tough task. Against this background, efforts should be taken to encourage rural artistes and thus nurture village plays as an art form, said Rangaswamy, a makeup artist.