New play on memories of Kuvempu

A play adapted from noted Kannada writer K P Poornachandra Tejaswi’s book will be staged in the city to mark his 85th birth anniversary.

The play is adapted from Tejaswi’s ‘Annana Nenapu’ and goes by the same name. Published in 1996, the book is a memoir on his father and Jnanpith laureate Kuvempu as told through the author’s eyes. — more as a father figure and a grandfather to his children than a literary great. It also covers Kuvempu’s response to the socio-politics of the day.

The book is written in a non-linear format but Kannada writer Karanam Pavan Prasad has adapted it for stage in a linear format. The play will trace Kuvempu’s journey from the time his sons Tejaswi and Chaitra were young until he departed in 1994. Tejaswi’s days in Mysore (before he moved to Mudigere), the humour he shared with his father, his banter with his childhood friend Kadidal Shamanna, his time at the University of Mysore when his father was its vice-chancellor, and his early photography days, will also feature in the play.

The troupe wanted to adapt Tejaswi’s ‘Chidambara Rahasya’ in 2020. But soon, the country went into a lockdown and the production came to a halt. “We started working on ‘Annana Nenapu’ in May 2022 and completed the production in about six months,” says the play’s director Hanu Ramasanjeeva.

Usually, Kuvempu and Tejaswi’s characters are seen with grey hair on stage. But this play harks back to their younger days, says Hanu, who is also playing the part of Tejaswi. Mahesh S P essays the role of Kuvempu.

On September 8, 7 pm, at K H Kalasoudha, Banashankari. Tickets available online