News & Notes
Bengaluru Round-Up

The summer in Bengaluru has been infamously unprecedented. Thankfully, the arts scene has given audiences and art connoisseurs respite. With a diverse palette to choose from, audiences of varying sensibilities have found a match with art and artists this summer in Bengaluru.
This edition’s event roundup highlights the dynamic shift in the presentation and appreciation of art, exploring how five diverse art forms have transitioned from primarily outdoor or community settings to indoor, air-conditioned proscenium stages. Each art form carries a distinct origin and has undergone a unique evolution to reach its present mode of curation. Although there isn’t a scholarly article detailing the reasons and realities behind the evolution of art spaces, this writer aims to pause and ponder our current position in this ongoing transformation and contemplate its implications for the future.
The Mahindra Percussion Festival,
in its second edition, opened to a
nearly full house at the grand Prestige
Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing
Arts over a March weekend. Touted
as a ‘platform for diverse unexplored
marginalised voices traversing various
music genres’, the festival brought
together experimental collaborative
work in percussion to the forefront.
Charu Hariharan’s ensemble opened
the festival. Layering traditional
rhythmic structures with melodic patterns, Charu presented some of
her original tracks before proceeding
to present pieces born out of
collaboration with the Jenu Kuruba
and Kozhikode Nanthalakootam
communities and the Girijana
Samagra Abhivridhi Kalasamsthe. The
technical prowess of the musicians
is, without doubt, superior. Beyond
that, one does wonder how the aural
quality of such music changes when
the paradigms of performance change
from informal community to formal
proscenium spaces, from the largeness
of open arenas to the confined prim
silence of auditoria. While we must
appreciate the intent to integrate rarely
heard folk music and mainstream
audiences, one hopes that a festival
of this magnitude can eventually lead
audiences to the outdoors to engage
with rustic authenticity- where the
music is not confined by state-of-theart equipment.
The festival featured a galaxy of
percussion maestros, each bringing
with them a unique sensibility
that was eagerly lapped up by the
audiences. The festival seems to have
ticked a few boxes by invigorating
audiences and warming them up to
what all percussion can offer.
From Southern Bengaluru to the quietly busy Malleswaram, the MES Kalavedi Festival of Dance, curated by Seshadri Iyengar, allowed the Bengaluru audience to experience Yakshagana through the innocent charms of the Junior Ensemble of Yakshakala Academy. Yakshagana, a traditional regional art form, has undergone significant changes over the decades. Performances have shifted from all-night events to just an hour, prompting content adjustments and a shift in performance intent. Despite an increase in female students and other changes, Yakshagana continues to evolve while retaining its timeless relevance and offering solace.
Yakshakala Academy presented some young talent under the steering guidance of senior Academy members and Krishnamurthy Tunga – FounderDirector of the Academy. Tracing the story of Vrishasena, the warrior son of Karna from the Mahabharata, the artists wove the past and present subtly. One often hears artists of various genres of dance claiming to present ‘rare’ stories. If only they looked more keenly at these theatrical genres that have - for several generations - presented elaborate retellings of the same rare stories with brilliance and tongue-in-cheek wit. Yakshakala Academy has some promising talent that is bound to blossom in this tradition. In an age where local languages are ignored in daily transactions, thankfully for these art forms that have retained the need to converse in Kannada, one retains the ability to think in the language, express in the language and thereby access an indigenous reality that is not too distorted.
Yakshagana was followed by Avijit
Das’s sprightly performance in
Kuchipudi. Accompanied by live
musicians, Avijit presented three
pieces choreographed with a keen
eye on the aesthetics of Kuchipudi.
Kuchipudi is no new entrant to
the proscenium. Content within the idiom has been enormous
and diverse for decades, with the
venerable masters leading the way
and several practitioners following
suit. Avijit, too, in his capacity, brings
a fresh perspective to storytelling
in Kuchipudi. A plea by Bhooma
Devi to Vishnu to protect her from
Hiranyaksha was incorporated in a
‘story within storyline’ - featuring
Gajendra Moksham and other
anecdotes from the Puranas.
He presented ‘Gopala Krishna’ through the popular Chitike vesithe and ‘Balakrishna’ through the evergreen Krishna Nee Begane Baro in Nanda’s voice. In all three pieces, Avijit presented Kuchipudi with much restraint and classicism. Does the journey of dramatics in this idiom reflect the evolving urbane aesthetic eye for restraint and minimalism? We could discuss, debate, deliberate, or simply experience it.
Piyush Chauhan and Sweekruth BP (Kathak), Janki DV, Anand CS, Lavanya Ananth (Bharatanatyam), Gopika Varma (Mohini Attam) and Usha Datar ( Mohini Attam, Kuchipudi and Kathakali) were also featured on the third day of festival held at MES College Auditorium. Guru Usha Datar was felicitated with the Kalavedi award.
A Harikatha performance by Sharat
R. Prabhat on a sultry Sunday evening
in May 2024 transported the audience
to Ayodhya- through the eyes of
Bharata – eagerly waiting for Rama’s
return from his exile in the forest.
Written originally by his grandfather, Gopinath Das, Bharata Bandu Prema has been adapted by Sharat to suit his vision and audience. Much like in older performances by his predecessors, Sharat had the audience in tears as they ‘saw’ the descent of the pushpaka vimana and Rama reuniting with his beloved Bharata. Harikatha exponents excel at singing, dancing and dramatised spoken words. However, instead of overemphasising the technical qualities of any of these art forms, they place the story at the altar. It is probably this quality of surrender beyond human excellence that transports the audience.
Today, Harikatha has morphed versions in English and has presented at elite gatherings, conferences, festivals, and air-conditioned auditoria. While that could be a hook to attract audiences, the colonial hangover of English storytelling should eventually give way to Harikatha in all its glory.
All of these art forms may have travelled into the auditoria for audience comfort today. Hopefully, we gain the wisdom to look beyond the façade of material comfort into the rustic authenticity of these art forms and their roots – our commune.
JANANI MURALI
(Bharatanatyam dancer and freelance
writer)