Girls, irrespective of age, on Tuesday, displayed their new found talent in beating nagaari, a native drum, much to the applause of their parents and VIPs like Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya.

Beating nagaari, a huge drum carried with the help of a rope tied around the waist, is mostly the forte of male artistes.

The girls performed during the cultural programme organised as part of a summer camp for pourakarmika children at Ambedkar Nagar, here. The credit must go to a team of artistes, led by theatre person Srinivas G Kappanna, who claims to have trained the children in taking on the challenge. It is also the first-ever summer camp for pourkarmika children, that started from May 1.

The girls, who let their hair loose went on to beat the drum to the hilt, with the sound reverberating the colony. It was indeed a showstopper, for close to 300 children attending the camp, displaying their skills in various dance forms.

The cultural show began with the children dancing to ‘Chellidaru malligeya...’, a popular folk song dedicated to Male Mahadeshwara. It was followed by dance performances for ‘Shivanu bhikshakke bandha...’, ‘Elegalu Nooraru...’ calling for unity among masses. A group of boys performed ‘kamsale dance’.

Unlike the privilege enjoyed by professional artistes, for whom costumes are a must for any performance, the children showcased their talent in their daily wear.

Overwhelmed by their performance, minister Anjaneya advised Kappanna to make it a regular event. He appealed to Kappanna to organise similar camps at his (Anjaneya) native Gandhinagar in Davangere district. To make it a regular event, the minister also sought a proposal on the estimated cost and the number of children to be involved in the camp. Addressing the gathering later, the minister claimed, most of the art forms originated from oppressed classes in the society. As I belong to the same community, I don’t have any hesitation in identifying with them.

Keri Habba

On May 22, ‘Keri Habba’ will be organised under the summer camp, where a melange of activities are conducted, including setting up of temporary eating outlets, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, said Kappanna.