At the preview of the Yakshagana ballet Abhimanyu Vadhe , jointly brought over by the Karnataka Kala Darshini and the Shivaram Karanth Research and Study Centre-Udupi, at the Kannada Bhavan, Lexicographer G. Venkatasubbaiah came up with an interesting observation.
“As an examiner, I noticed that students rarely failed in South Canara region. I have no doubt that this aspect revealed their deep exposure to Yakshagana that includes an understanding and perception of life drawn from our mythological tales,” the chief guest said.
Abhimanyu Vadhe , originally conceived and choreographed by Shivaram Karanth, had 11 artistes. They brought the inherent glory of the moving episode of Abhimanyu’s role in the Chakravyuha drawn from the Mahabharata.
The team giving the background score was led by Bhavagatharu Sudhir Rao Kodavooru.
The score tunefully explained the thoughts for taking the audience across the art form.
The background team too added to the majesty required for the dance with instruments such as maddale, chande, violin and saxophone to bring out the grandeur.
The ballet will be staged on August 16 at 5 p.m. at Kalagrama, Mallathahalli; on 17th at 4 p.m. at K.H. Kalasoudha, Hanumanthanagar; and 18th at 5 p.m. at Maratha Hostel, Bull Temple Road.
Karanth’s study centre is into serious work for reviving the art and works of the Yakshagana expert, who spent his entire life on propagating the art form. The Shivaram Karanth Research and Study Centre is now led by Malini Mallya as Director, who was the old-age assistant and secretary to Karanth in his last years.
The centre’s meticulous assimilation has helped bring out 421 volumes of Karanth’s work, which serve as study pieces for artistes and art lovers, says Ms. Mallya.
“I have personally gone through the bibliography of his works and the staggering collection of his creative and non-creative areas of work runs into nearly 50,000 pages, which is much more than Tagore’s work that runs to 12,000 pages. Even Karanth might not have realised that he had left behind such a vast legacy,” she said.
Karanth was intrinsically associated with the traditional Yakshagana from 1934, and had brought up a dedicated troupe by the 1950s.
His creative mind saw him gradually bring in the Yakshagana Ballet, pioneering a new choreography and music that almost reformed the dance form to become popular, globally.
While the violin replaced the harmonium to convey pathos, the inclusion of Sax helped the energetic and dynamic moves of dancers get more attention, explained Ms. Mallya.
“Karanth’s work was recognised by the National School of Drama in the early 1970s that introduced scholarships for the art form to move forward,” she recollected.
