Bahuroopi National Theatre Festival to be held from January 11 to 18 in Mysuru

Manipur theatre person Heisnam Sabitri Devi to be presented with ‘Belli Bahuroopi – Rangagowrava’

Mysuru: The eight-day Bahuroopi National Theatre Festival will be held on the premises of Rangayana, the government-sponsored theatre repertory, on Hunsur Road, in Mysuru, from January 11 to 18.

It is the silver jubilee celebration of the festival and it will be a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar.

Theatre person from Manipur Heisnam Sabitri Devi will be presented the ‘Belli Bahuroopi – Rangagowrava’ to mark the silver jubilee celebration. Besides, a two-day national seminar on ‘Bahuroopi Babasaheb – Walk Towards Equality’ will be held on the last two days of the festival – January 17 and 18.

CM to inaugurate

Addressing a media conference, in Mysuru, on Wednesday, Rangayana Director Satish Tipaturu said, this year the duration of the festival has been increased from the usual six-day to eight days and the government has also increased the grant to Rs 1 crore, compared to Rs 25 lakh last year. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the national festival on January 12, Monday, at 5.30 pm, at Vanaranga, in the presence of Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj S Thangadagi, MPs Yaduveer Krishnadtta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Sunil Bose and MLA K Harish Gowda.

Satish said, multilingual theatre festival, national symposium, film festival, folk performance, books exhibition, handicrafts exhibition, desi food fest, painting exhibition, street play and special programme for Makkala (children’s) Bahuroopi will be held in seven venues on Kalamandira and Rangayana premises - Boomigeetha, Sriranga Rangamandira, Kindarijogi stage, Vanaranga, Karnataka Kalamandira, and Kirurangamandira.

“The entire festival revolves around Ambekar and it is being held in association with Dr B R Ambedkar Training and Extension Centre of the Social Welfare department and Dr B R Ambedkar Research and Extension Centre of the University of Mysore (UoM). The national theatre festival will feature 24 plays, including 12 in Kannada, while the Children’s Bahuroopi will have six plays, including three in Kannada,” Satish said.

“Eight streetplays will be staged at various venues across Mysuru city on four days, starting prior to the festival, from January 9 to 12. Twenty-two films will be screened, as part of Bahuroopi Film Festival. While Malayalam film ‘Dr Baba Saheb Amedkar’, directed by Jabbar Patel, will be screened from 2 pm at Sriranga Rangamandira on January 11, three shows will be held on the remaining days – 10 am, 12 noon and 2 pm,” Satish said.

Painting, music

He said, “Under ‘Visual Narration of (Bannagalalli) Bheemayana’, artists will unveil paintings on Ambedkar's life, while music programme 'Babasaheb Sangeeta Smriti', will feature musical and vocal performances by theatre artist H Janardhan (Janni), Aniruddha Wankar from Maharashtra, Picchalli Srinivas, and Punjabi singer Ginni Mahi, to introduce Babasaheb's ideology to children, in an easily understandable manner. The ticket price for the plays is Rs 100, while the tickets for children for 'Makkala Bahuroopi' will be Rs 50”.

Honorary advisor to Dr B R Ambedkar Training and Extension Centre of the Social Welfare department Basavaraju Devanur said, six books on Ambedkar, published by the centre, will be released during the festival. “They are aimed at even children, to reach Ambedkar to the maximum number of people, from all sections,” he said.

Member of Ranga Samaja, the governing body of Rangayanas across Karnataka, H S Suresh Babu, Director of Dr B R Ambedkar Research and Extension Centre of the UoM S Narendra Kumar, professor J Somashekar, Deputy Director of Rangayana M D Sudarshan, Joint Director of Kannada and Culture Department V N Mallikarjunaswamy, conveners of film festival section B N Shashikala and K Manu, Geetha Montadka, and K R Nandini were present in the media conference.