After a 10-day feast for theatre lovers, Bahuroopi festival draws to a close

Shilpa P. | NT

The Bahuroopi multilingual national theatre fest of Rangayana in Mysuru concluded here on Sunday. More than 15,000 people visited the 10- day event.

On the concluding day, an English play “The square root of a sonnet” by CFD team of Bengaluru, directed by Prakash Belavadi was staged. The other plays staged on this day included two Kannada plays - “Maththe Mukyamanthri” by Kalagangothri team of Bengaluru, and directed by B.V. Rajaram, featuring veteran actor Mukhya Manthri Chandru, and “Kaamaroopigal” by Sanchaya trust of Bengaluru, directed by Ganesh Mandarthi. All plays were well attended.

Noted orator Hiremagalur Kannan spoke on “Mother in Kannada poetry” on Sunday. And thinker and orator Chakravarthy Soolibele delivered a valedictory address on Sunday evening.

Rangayana director, Addanda C Cariappa, deputy director of Rangayana Nirmala Matapathi and others participated in the valedictory event.

During the event, 13 multilingual plays by teams across the country, and 20 Kannada plays from the State were staged at Vanaranga (which has the seating capacity of 500 people), Bhoomigeetha theatre (210 people), Kirurangamandira (200 people) and Kalamandira (800 people). All these venues had 70 to 80 per cent attendance every day.

Kannada plays including “Uchchishta” by Ananya team of Bengaluru, directed by S.N. Sethuram, and Malayalam play “Old man and sea” by Rememberance theatre group of Thrissur in Kerala was a huge draw, according to Rangayana sources.

At least 1,500 people per day visited the fest on all ten days, and enjoyed plays, rich music and rhythmic dance by folk teams, debate, poetry and more. Food lovers savoured lip-smacking indigenous food including Jolad rotti, mirchi bajji, girmittu, Mangalore buns, Goli bajji, Melkote puliyogare, sugar pongal and others.

Film buffs enjoyed 24 movies of different languages from across the world including five movies from India which were screened in an international film fest hosted as part of Bahuroopi. The book exhibition was a treat to book lovers.

Art lovers enjoyed demonstration of indigenous arts and crafts by cottage industries including pottery, shopping of handicrafts products, traditional handloom sarees with kasoothi work and others.

Folk performances by 500 theatre artistes of 27 folk art troupes, including 21 folk art teams from across the State, and performances by six folk art teams from other States via Nagpur Central zone cultural centre, Tanjore south zone cultural centre including Baastar dance by Chhattisgarh team, Daangaaliya by Maharashtra team, Bogaliya by Madhyapradesh team, Thaangtha by Manipur team , Kalaripayattu by Kerala team, Gotipoova, Thaangtha by Odisha team were fully packed by audience on all ten days.

Folk art troupes, hosted by Rangayana, also performed near the small clock tower in the city, and dasara exhibition authority premises.