‘Daklakatha Devi Kavya’, one of the recent productions in Kannada theatre, tells the rarely heard tale of the little known community of Dakkaligas, a nomadic people. Based on K.B. Siddaiah’s long narrative poem (khanda kavya), the play, directed by K.P. Lakshman, a graduate of the Intercultural Theatre Institute Singapore, received a good response across Karnataka and outside wherever it was staged. Among other places, it was staged at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala held in Thrissur earlier this year.
While the content is unique, so is the presentation of the theme in the play. Two lead characters appear on the stage playing tamate (hand drum) and are-vadya (urmi), instruments not too often seen on the stage of traditional theatre. At one point the lead woman character lights a beedi, again a gesture not commonly seen on traditional stage.
Invisible on stage
“I hardly see instruments like the tamate and arre-vadya in the theatre productions. Seldom do I see female characters use swear words on stage. My plays have all that because they exist in life, especially among the subaltern classes,” says Lakshman. Similarly, he questions the absence of references to non-vegetarian food in the plays. “Is it not part of our food culture? As with any other food, we celebrate eating meat on special occasions. It is part of our life and culture,” he notes.
Lakshman’s other production “We the People of India”, written by Dr. Rajappa Dalwai, has a character who explains the fundamentals of the Indian Constitution by narrating how people in rural areas meticulously share meat after slaughtering an animal on special occasions.
Born into a poor Dalit family at Kachanahalli in Nelamangala taluk of Bengaluru Rural district, Lakshman grew up listening to folk stories and songs from his mother and other elders in the family. He took part in drama shows in school. However, his interest in theatre grew in 2008, when he attended a theatre workshop organised by a troupe – Bhoomi – in Tiptur in Tumakuru district.
Three meals a day
“I was very happy in the workshop because I was getting three meals a day there. Those days, at home, we rarely had three meals a day,” he recalls. He got his diploma in mechanical engineering and joined a company. However, his passion for theatre compelled him to leave his job. He joined Neenasam at Heggodu in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga. He spent a year at the drama school. For a couple of years, he worked at Adima Cultural Centre in Kolar, where he acted in many plays and worked on building a repertory.
He travelled across the State as part of Neenasam Tirugata for a couple of years. Later, he joined the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore, a reputed institute, in 2016. He associates the year he joined the institute with the death of Rohith Vemula, a Hyderabad Central University Dalit student. The research scholar ended his life, leaving a death-note after he was suspended from the university.
The years he spent in Singapore, where he was trained as an actor, took him to different places. He did many productions for different firms and organizations, including “We the People of India.” “Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s writing is a cultural pedagogy for me. He is my teacher. We have tried to convey the spirit of the Constitution through common language,” he says.
Poetry of Siddaiah
Later, he picked up the poetry of K.B. Siddaiah, a dalit poet. “I was in Tumakuru city the day Siddaiah passed away. I attended his funeral. His friends, well-wishers, and those who read his poetry had gathered in large numbers. They were all singing his famous poem – Ee Naada Manninannli Manna Janara Kateya... The poem narrates the stories of atrocities committed against Dalits. It was a different experience for me. Until then, I had not read his poetry. I started to read, and his poems started to resonate with me. The process resulted in the play. Along with me, the actors too are all co-creators of this play,” he states. Recently, Lakshman has worked on another play - ‘Dweepa’ - adaptation of Athol Fugard’s ‘The Island.’
Lakshman believes in the transformation that theatre can bring. “I know that theatre has the power to transform those involved in the production process as well as the audience. I look for new ways to reach to the people,” he says. He has associated himself with the Jangama Collective, a group of young artistes. He intends to adapt great texts of Kannada and other languages to theatre. Bringing Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ on the stage is also one of his plans for the coming days.
Lakshman strongly believes that theatre can influence the audience, which has the power to bring about changes in politics. “Right now, the government-funded theatre productions are all promoting violence. The posters they design to promote their productions also celebrate violence. I feel disturbed. I hope my two plays can register opposition to the trend prevailing now. We cannot bring about change in politics directly. But people can do it. We are trying to reach out to the audience,” he said.
