A new gen of Avadhanis

People come together to compose verses.

Vidwan Bachandra Bhat performing Ashtavadhana.

Avadhanis 

On a Sunday afternoon, a group of engineers gather in Bengaluru. Their meeting is not of the leisurely kind. In fact, they have come together to construct Kannada and Sanskrit verses. Like a lucky draw, bits of paper that have subjects ranging from the weather and traffic to classical topics decide the theme for each member.

The rules are clear here — no pen or paper is to be used and the poems must be constructed mentally, with metric line rules that have been followed for thousands of years. The group meets under the banner of ‘Padyapaana’. This practice of extemporaneous and spontaneous creative versification is called Avadhana.

The meeting consists of four rounds, each lasting about 30 minutes. The language shuttles between Halegannada (old Kannada) and Sanskrit. The atmosphere is full of joy, laughter and light banter. The works of Kannada poets like Pampa, Ranna, Kumara Vyasa, Nagavarma and Sanskrit poets like Valmiki, Vyasa, Kalidasa, Bhartrhari and Bhavabhuti are inspirations behind the versification in these sessions. In fact, the members have been pursuing classical literature since 2011. Mistakes are pointed out, corrections are suggested, and innovative ideas are put forth by all the participants.

The roots of this Avadhana tradition lie in Sanskrit. By the 12th Century CE, the form was crystallised in Kannada. The art form had royal patronage in the bygone era. However, over the years this dwindled and the art form almost disappeared. An Avadhana session can have eight scholars posing questions when it is called “Ashtavadhana” or can have a hundred scholars involved when it is called “Shatavadhana.”

The art form needs multitasking, out-of-the-box thinking and spontaneous wit. The performer engages in an educative and immersive conversation with the pruchchakas or the people posing questions. It has three elements — creation, retention and entertainment.

Rekindling interest

Scholar R Ganesh, who is a Shatavadhani, rekindled interest in the form in 1981, after noticing that the metrical composition style was all but forgotten. He also oversees the ‘Padyapaana’ meetings. "This art form can constantly evolve to suit changing times while preserving its originality," he says.

With the help of K B S Ramachandra and Shreesha Karantha, a website called ‘Padyapaana’ was created to aid R Ganesh in connecting with those interested in poetic composition.

Those who displayed interest had little to no exposure to the form. To educate them, Ganesh taught the basics and nuances of prosody and aesthetics — both integral to such composition.

Ganesh Koppalatota, for instance, had just moved to Bengaluru in relation to an engineering job. He had a deep poetic passion from an early age. It was at Padyapaana that Koppalatota found like-minded enthusiasts to improve his poetic skills. The encouragement he received prompted him to perform Avadhana in Kannada. To date, he has performed at twenty-four events across Karnataka.

Padyapaana’s efforts have inspired many like Ganesh. Hailing from Dakshina Kannada, Ramakrishna Pejathaya, currently an assistant professor at Chanakya University, began performing the art form in 2014. He has performed in various locations in North India, driving curiosity towards the art form.

Novel components

Novel components such as Chitrakavya, Pratimala, and Ashu-rupaka-anuvada have elevated the standard of the art form in Karnataka. These entail composing verses under overwhelming constraints, playing Antyakshari in Sanskrit, and translating a passage from a classical play and presenting it dramatically — all amid a rigid set of rules.

Intrigue in Avadhana has truly gathered momentum between the early eighties, when a revival was attempted, and the present generation of youngsters. “We have been watching the Avadhana performances through live streaming for years,” say Ramprasad K V and Pratap Simha, from the USA. Ramprasad and Pratap both perform an ingenious art called Gamaka. They are hopeful that one day, the Avadhana could be staged on an international platform.

For youngsters who joined Padyapaana and graduated to become Avadhana performers, the process has been highly satisfying. Today in Karnataka, there are more than a dozen of Avadhanis who perform in Kannada and Sanskrit.

Shashi Kiran B N, one such performer, says, “Padyapaana and Avadhana have offered me a great vision of Indian classical literature and of the infinite capacity of the human mind to create and respond to beauty.” Shashi has won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for his work in translation in Sanskrit.

A schoolteacher in Panchalinga village of Sirsi Taluk, Chitra Pai, who pursued Avadhana, encouraged her students by showing them video recordings of performances. The students also learned the style of metrical composition and performed a Balaashtavadhana in their school.

Another talented and enthusiastic youngster, Arjun Bharadwaj, who pursued Greek and German language studies while studying at Zurich, is now pursuing Sanskrit poetry and participating in Avadhana. He has been awarded the Kuvempu Bhasha Bharati award for his work on the Mahabharata. The silent, unpublicised work by Padyaapaana has shown how such efforts can help in the revival of ancient art forms.