“No one is significant, no one is insignificant.”
- KuVemPu (translated from “ಮಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮದುಮಗಳು")
Preface:
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Kannada receiving its first Jnanapith for Sri Ramayana DarshaNam authored by Rashtra Kavi KuVemPu, and so does his novel “ಮಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮದುಮಗಳು" (MalegaLalli MadumagaLu) a novel described by many as the finest novel in Kannada literature till date. 29th December 2017 marks KuVemPu’s 113th birth anniversary. To mark all these memorable spirits Bengaluru Centre of the National School of Drama and the Department of Kannada and Culture are jointly presenting the fourth edition of the theatre adaptation of this 750 pages- magnum opus by KuVemPu, starting 29th December all upto 31st Jan 2018.
When a friend of mine sent a poster of ಮಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮದುಮಗಳು pure theatre show, at Kalagrama, Bengaluru, I wasn’t sure if I will book my tickets and be present there on 29th night of December. It wasn’t easy for me to decide on -“9 hour long play all throughout the night”, that too in an open to air theatre. But yes, I took a chance and felt “adventurous" in spending a night in open air, far from home in a crowd of unknowns. I took my sister along and the friend was there too.
First- hand experience:
 |
| Typical village set - stage 2 |
158 characters, 58 scenes, 30 songs and 70 artists from different districts and dialects unfolded the novel in 4 massive open air stages set at Kalagrama - meaning we (audience) need to move along with the play to all 4 stages, roughly for 2 hours each at different part of the play. This play was my first ever live theatre experience. (I know it’s unacceptable for anyone who’s in Bengaluru from long and have some degree of affection towards Art & Literature to have not visited “RangaShankara” even once. 2018 is here and you know what my goal is ;) )
The stage was all set, the show was about to begin, I still doubted if we can stay all awake and survive the cold winter night in the open air with just a pull over hood. The characters unfolded themselves and the background to each passing character was given by “Jogappa” – a person native to village who presents stories from far lands to the villagers – stories can be a piece of fiction or pertaining to real people. The whole art of story telling lies in making the story exorbitantly real and suiting to the social morals and evils so much that it becomes a part of the unheard society without hesitation.
 |
Stage 2- where a vibrant drama laughter
took place |
Set up in 19th century, MalegaLalli maDhumagaLu - particular to malenaadu region - depicts the conflict in the complex traditions and the fascinating modernity, an internal fight between an individual and the society, a suppressing upper hand and an oppressed lower cadre of the society - a common sight anywhere in the world from 19th century. There is no important character in this novel; every character has its own role to play. The whole play revolves around these ideas and doesn’t lose its relevance to the present day society at even times.
Although the author says “No one is significant, no one is insignificant.” in the novel, to me the brave and kind heart “Gutthi”, innocence of “Aitha” and the charm of “Peenchulu” stood out! The person who played the dog character “Huliya” was immensely impressive. What an artist he is, he never hesitated to eat the soiled rice, never delayed to howl and squeal -like a dog, imbibing the mannerisms of a dog, playing the dog –which is an important role in the play.
 |
A scene from stage 4 - place
where the dots get connected. |
However when I look at this play as a piece of art, it is the dedication of the entire crew behind and more prominently the artists- that shows up-front. Like I mentioned earlier it was freezing outside, we- audience were all fully covered top to bottom, a few had their helmets on while a few (may be from their previous experiences) had even arranged a quilt and pillows wrapping themselves in blankets, while the artists had bare minimum clothing to suit the “ಮಲೆನಾಡು” outfit from the 19th century – a blouseless Saree, a humble panchae, mostly!! The artists didn’t show a sign of chill or shiver in their body even when the cold breeze hit the mic making hushhhh noise. They were so well trained and ready that they all seemed to be super heroes at that moment, beating the cold and not showing a sign of it affecting them; their voices were so loud and clear as they delivered their verses. They ran around the place yet their voices never heaved a sigh or gasp for breath! At the stage 4 - the river scene was set up, as the play advanced there came a time when Gutthi jumps into the river in search of Huliya, oh my god! To me this was the highlight of the play.
 |
| The End of the play where the artists were introduced! |
Lighting, live music and the artists, what a commemoration of a novel in the theatrical setup of the 19th century backdrop. I am yet to sink in the ideas behind the novel but as of now I have only given a perception per-se my vision on the play. Finally! Yes, I did survive the cold night, so did the others who gathered there. Sleep deprived for a good reason.
