An enduring experience to Kodavas who see it
Addanda Cariappa and his wife Anitha Cariappa in the Kodava play ‘Baduk’ at Bhoomigeetha in city.
Kodavas of Kodagu district in Karnataka are a small ethnic community. The name of the district, smallest in Karnataka, is eponymous with the native Kodava people who live in their land of thick rainforest with hills and valleys. These hardy Kodava people speak a distinct dialect of a language which has no script and have a culture of their own. For centuries, they have been living here ruled by Nayakas, some of whom are Kodavas, with each having his own territory and later ruled by Lingayat kings for about 250 years till British took over in 1834.
The claim to fame for this small community, present population 1,20,000 in Kodagu, is as warriors, hunters and agriculturists. The iconic figures among the warriors in the British army and later in the Indian army from among the Kodavas (known by the British as Coorgs and the land as Coorg) are Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa, the only C-in-C of Indian Defence forces and General K.S. Thimayya. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru when he came to Coorg had famously described Kodagu as a ‘Land of beautiful women, oranges and Generals.’
The Kodavas are ancestor and nature worshippers which is evident from their daily practice of praying and folk songs remembering the lives and achievements of their ancestors annually observed by each clan with a distinct name. They have only two festivals of their own celebrated with gusto — special hunting expeditions, non-vegetarian food-fare, community singing and dancing — Kailmuhurta (transplantation of paddy fields) and Huthri, harvest festival. The influence of Brahminical Hinduism is of later intrusion. Let it be.
However, the point of concern is the stagnating of Kodava culture to its ancient mores to the total exclusion of culture of other majority communities that include theatre, music (other than folk), dance, fine arts etc. that would further showcase Kodava ethnic life and culture. It is here that I found the two-hour play in Kodava language called ‘Baduk’ meaning simply ‘Life’ in english, meaningful as much as enjoyable. The Kodava language being an admixture of words from the languages of neighbouring districts, the drama can be understood even by non-Kodavas. After all, in theatre body-language too contributes in enabling the spectators to understand the play. Happily, it was so with the play I saw last evening at Bhoomigeetha in Rangayana.
The play is all about an old couple, with their sons and daughters away in pursuit of their own life and career. This couple live in Kodagu all by themselves in the sunset years of their life, fending for themselves, fighting among themselves, negotiating peace, calling for cease-fire; but all the same living a life in their own private space and on their own terms. Poignant and also humorous at times as the play unfolds. That’s life. Finding happiness in contentment. No complaint against children who are not able to be with them in Kodagu, but not wanting to sacrifice their own way of life — in the matter of food they take and the manner of activities they engage themselves in daily — by staying with their children in rotation, as happens in many cases.
The beauty of the play is in the way the playwright has delineated the life of Kodava people as lived in the dim past and could be seen even today in some houses tucked away in remote areas. As for me, being a Kodava myself, I spent the two hours of the play rather vicariously living my days spent in Kodagu till the age of 19. I had seen it all as depicted so honestly in the play, except for the theatrical exaggeration inevitable in a play. The ambience of the Kodava household, the existential love of every Kodava and Kodavathi for food — non-vegetarian — being vainglorious about the ancestry of each one, the domestic bickerings and the reconciliation etc. The play will tell you about the kind of vegetables that are grown in Kodagu, the medicinal value of some of them etc. The words and verses of Kodagu’s Haridasa Appacha Kavi, a legendary writer of many great plays in Kodava language of the last century, are liberally used here to good effect. In fact, the play tells the viewer that it is possible to make life a real celebration even if it is only between an 80-plus husband and a 75-plus wife.
The play is highly nuanced in some scenes — one where they receive a letter from their son, a Major in the Army at J&K; the collapse of the tamarind tree planted by this son soon after receiving his letter, the death of the protagonist of the play and the widow not forgetting to plant a tree in her late husband’s name etc.
The play was originally written in Telugu language under the title ‘Mithuna’ by Sri Ramana. It was adapted to the life and times of a typical aged Kodava couple under the title ‘Baduk’ by Addanda Cariappa so creatively that only he could have done being the son of the Kodava clan and Kodava soil.
Addanda Cariappa is a big name in Kodava language theatre and that stamp of excellence is seen here in this play, where he himself plays the lead role ably supported by his wife Anitha Cariappa with Chediyanda Medappa in a minor but significant role. This real life husband and wife, in a sense I guess, replay their real life many years in advance in this play. And what a performance. Their training in theatre at the famous Ninasam, Heggodu, of legendary K.V. Subanna, has not gone in vain. It has done a miracle for this couple so deeply steeped in the art and craft of theatre. Probably after Haridasa Appacha Kavi, Addanda Cariappa is the only person who has distinguished himself so brilliantly as a playwright, director and an actor.
It is comforting to know, in this world of pride and prejudice, he has been recognised and honoured with a number of rewards — Karnataka Nataka Academy Award; Kodava Sahitya Academy Award; Kannada Rajyotsava Award and the prestigious Bhasha Samman Award by the Central Sahitya Academy of Government of India. In my humble opinion, probably, he was the only person who justifiably occupied the office of the President of Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy. However, it is not to deny the service of other Presidents.
This is one play all Kodavas must see, specially those old couples living together all by themselves and Kodava youngsters who have lived only in cities, never experienced or heard of life in the Kodava household in Kodagu.
There is one more show today at 6.30 pm at Sriranga auditorium in Rangayana.
Tailpiece: A suggestion to Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy: Institute a prestigious Haridasa Appacha Kavi Award (like Dadasaheb Phalke award) with a money component of Rs. 1 lakh plus and give away the first award to Addanda Cariappa at a grand function presided over by either the Governor or the Chief Minister of the State.
e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra….Abracadabra / Saturday – June 06th, 2015
