The months of October-November were cultural months as I had some dose of our Indian culture and it was so much that I have got a culture shauk (meaning interest in hindi). It was my first Diwali after marriage and we went to Dombivli for the Diwali celebrations. Going back to Mumbai always has a special feeling and what’s even more important is the celebrations of festivals which are in much grandeur as compared to Bangalore. It was 19th October 09, the Bhaubheej day of the diwali which fell on Monday and my friend had invited both of us for a Marathi drama at Gadkari Rangaytan Mandir, Thane at 6.00 am, which takes atleast half an hour from Dombivli by train. We actually had planned to visit Prabhadevi but god was not willing to give his darshan it seemed and destiny made us to visit this place for drama early morning! I knew that Marathi theatre always gives out best performances and therefore I was much enthusiastic about this drama which was named as MARATHI BANA which means a glimpse of Marathi culture.We were told to not to take photos or shoot a video of the drama and hence I cannot post the pictures of the exceptional performances. It started out with some songs of Marathi folk followed by ganpati stuti,lezim,. There was a koli dance(kolis are fishermen native to Mumbai coasts and they have a typical dance named as koli dance)….it reminisced me my preschool days when I was made a koli fisherman for the fancydress competition and the efforts put by mother to look like a koli every inch! Marathi bana also showcased festivals like ganesh chaturthi,gokulashtami,deepavali,gudi padva(the new year of Hindus)and the significance of each one .After an hour and half the curtains were closed and everyone dispersed from their seats. I was surprised as how a Marathi cultural drama can end without showing Gondhal(a religious performing art done before goddess with narration of mythical stories,or praise for the heroes). I was saying this to my husband who then said,”Dear it is tea break after which the next part of the show begins.” The later part was full paisa vasool since it had Gondhal,Tamasha and drama on Indian marriage. There were also jokes on Indian politicians as well as message for the youngsters not to ape western culture and preserve the rich Marathi heritage. The cultural program was done by 125 artists without a single fault and I would like to add what my husband said about the drama- A truly professional art by the artists! As each performance was going on I was at the edge of the seat,cheering and clapping for the artists and so were many spectators…such was the aura of the performance!
After the show ended we were all in praise of the artists and what made me more happy was the fact that my husband ,a kannadiga ,cannot understand Marathi but still enjoyed every bit of the show. This is what he said, “Music and language has no boundaries! As long as u can enjoy it, language cant become a barrier and so does art”! I also feel that one simply needs enthusiastic eyes to capture the performance and musical ears to listen to the linguistic,regional drama…only these will help to translate the joy!
The next culture dose was at Nandi
hills where we were invited by Guru’s cousin Dr Arvind who works in ATREE. ATREE was hosting the International Canopy conference.It was a from 26 october 09 till 31st October 09 and 28 of October was dedicated to Nandi hills where the trustee of ATREE ,Dr Ganeshaiya,a professor at GKVK was going to deliver his lecture on The Role of Natural Resources in fuelling emergence and decline of Empires. Nandi hills is 60 kms from Bangalore and is rich in flora and fauna and is a botanist’s delight. The talk was arranged in Bhoga Nandishwara temple situated at the base of the Nandi hills. This temple is of archaeological importance and depicts the Dravadian Architecture,something that all temples in South India have in common. I have heard talks sitting in the a/c rooms of seminar halls but this talk was a different experience as it was arranged at the pushkarni of the temple. The ambience was perfect and so was the talk! Dr .Ganeshaiya talked about how wealthy Vijaynagara empire of South India reached its pinnacle and thereafter declined due to improper biological resources. The day was perfectly made beginning with the visit of Devanhalli fort and ending with the thoughtful talk of Dr Ganeshaiya amidst the sun setting at Nandi hills.
The next cultural program I attended was on 5th November 09 at the J.N.Tata Auditorium of IISc. 1st November is celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava day and 5th November was declared a holiday to celebrate Karnataka Rajyotsava. IISc also had arranged a cultural program wherein it had arranged several competitions related to Kannada language. We assembled inside the auditorium at 3 pm sharp as the committee was supposed to distribute prizes to the winners of cultural competition and my husband was amongst the winners. After the prize distribution, began a short drama by the IISc staff which poked fun at persons who consider themselves kannadigas but can neither talk nor understand the language. This was followed by a drama from the much famous Prabhat group which showcased the cultural activities of Karnataka and kannadigas from the beginning of 3rd century till today. It began by poem of KUVEMPU(national poet of India who is a kannadiga). The drama also included the works of Pampa,Purandaradasa ,Bahubali and his brother Bharata. Well the drama was definitely an eyeopener to me since I know very little about Karnataka literature. It has definitely made me to go back to my history books and has ignited me to explore more about the kannada literature and historical events. The drama ended with a skit from Bhagavadgeetha wherein Arjuna asks questions to Krishna and how Krishna make him realize what ultimate truth is!. The drama ends with the much famous saying: KARMANYE VADIKARASTE MAA PHALESHU KADACHANA.
I am getting enriched culturally and this cultural shauk will not die down!
