Rooted in culture

A combination of drama, music and dance, Yakshagana is one of the toughest forms of dance and not many youngsters opt to learn it. However, Sharvani Hegde, a second year BSc student of genetics at MS Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce, is a cut apart. “I have been into it for nine years. In fact I remember the exact date in 2005 when I started learning it. It was May 9,” she gushes.

With her grandmother being a Talamaddale dancer, Sharvani feels she was meant to learn Yakshagana at some point of time in life. “I was always a restless kid. So it was my mother who thought of my putting my energy to good use. At that time, I didn’t know what Yakshagana was. So when a dance camp happened, she told me to go for it. Slowly as I started my regular classes, I fell in love with it.”

Explaining the art, she says, “Yakshagana consists Tenkutitu and Badagutitu. I specialise in the latter which is famous in Udupi.” The form involves wearing heavy make-up and wooden costumes along with dancing and reciting a lot of dialogues. So it’s surely not an easy affair as she notes, “It requires a lot of stamina. So being a short person, I’d often feel tired in the beginning. But now, I feel my energy has increased.” Sharvani adds, “Since the costumes are wooden, you can get hurt if you just hit each other by mistake. It could be very painful.”

Many a time, the heavy costumes leave her legs aching but her love for the art just has just increased by the day. “I have performed in Chennai and all across Karnataka in places like Mangalore, Chitradurga, Badami and Mysore. In Bangalore, I have performed in Raj Bhavan, Reserve Bank and BEL Factory and even for some delegates from London,” she gushes. Her most memorable performance was in front of the MD of Oxford University, Neil Tomkins.

“He had come to my school and simply loved the performance. After the show, he told me that he loved my costumes and expressions. He asked me if he could take a picture with me! It was just the best feeling ever,” she smiles. Balancing academics with her passion is tough but Sharvani knows both are important.

 “I have to do everything. I make sure I complete my academic work for the day and not leave it pending. During exams, I don’t perform,” she says. Will she pursue Yakshagana professionally after graduation? “I don’t know about that but I know I will not leave it for sure. I love to be on stage and I want to bring the dance form up,” she answers. Her dream is to perform at the Akka World Kannada Conference in the USA. “I am ready to perform anywhere. I have performed to create awareness on AIDS, blood donation and even done Hindi Yakshagana shows,” she points out.

 “According to me, learning Yakshagana means learning something from our part of the world. There are so many things in the world to learn but it’s impossible to learn them all. So I feel we must learn at least what our culture has to offer us,” Sharvani sums up.