Bahuroopi fest: Rangayana gets impetus of documentation

Bahuroopi-2020, the national theatre festival of Rangayana-Mysuru, is getting the impetus of documentation. Besides the authorities of Rangayana, students are documenting all activities related to the festival on a war- footing.

Director of Rangayana Addanda Cariappa said that Bahuroopi is the flagship event of the repertory, but, so far, it did not fare well on the documentation front. “This year, we have concentrated on this aspect also. We are also using drone cameras to record the happenings during the six-day festival,” he said.

In addition, students of the department of Media studies, from Bengaluru-based Jain University, are camping in the city and are documenting most of the happenings on a daily basis. Sudhindra, Samhita, Pallavi Kulakarni, Anusha, Rithika, Anthara, Varsha, Divya Akshay and Sagar are guided by associate professor Bhargavi D Hemmige, assistant professors Dikila Bhutiya and K P Divya Kumari, and former CFTRI scientist Sreemathi Hariprasad.

The students are seen clicking pictures, video recording, talking to people, interviewing artistes, celebrities and dignitaries. They are typing, editing reports, proof-reading, editing pictures and videos in their makeshift office at Kuteera, on Rangayana premises.

Pallavi Kulakarni said that they are in Mysuru since February 13, the eve of the inauguration of Bahuroopi and will be here till February 20, a day after the valedictory, to document the activities of Rangayana.

They are bringing out an eight-page, bilingual, Kannada-English, bulletin ‘Bahuroopi’ everyday. It is circulated free of cost at the information centre, every evening. They are screening a documentary film ‘Gandhi Path’, which they produced before coming to Rangayana. They are also bringing out a video bulletin on each day’s events, from morning till evening, which is exhibited at the entrance of Bahuroopi during evening hours.

Pallavi Kulakarni said that she is interested in photography, but she is also doing reporting and editing of reports for ‘Bahuroopi’.

“Bahuroopi is a lifetime experience. The real light and shadow play is experienced on stage of theatre. It is a challenging situation and an excellent learning experience,” she said.

Rithika said that as students, exposure of such events is significant. “We learn theory in classrooms. Documenting of Bahuroopi is their practical application. We learn about practical problems and benefits of team work here,” she said.