A rare Yakshagana script said to have been written more than a century ago with tubers, fruits and vegetables as its characters has now been performed in Tenku Thittu style of Yakshagana and is available on a social media platform.
A joint production by Siribagilu Venkappaiah Samskritika Prathisthana, Kasaragod, Kerala, and Kannada Natya Ranga, Hyderabad, its video with about two-hour performance was uploaded on the YouTube channel on Wednesday night.
According to Siribagilu Ramakrishna Mayya, well known ‘bhagavatha’ of Tenku Thittu school, and founder of the prathisthana, Kerodi Subba Rao of Udupi who lived between 1863 and 1928 had written the script.
“When exactly he wrote the script is not known,” the told The Hindu adding that the Kannada Natya Sangha has been founded by the descendants of the family of late Mr. Rao. “It is a very rare script in Yakshagana,” Mr. Mayya said.
The story line revolves around the king of tubers, Palandu (means onion), and the king of fruits and vegetables, Chuta Phala (means mango), arguing and fighting over their supremacy. The two kings who declare truce finally approach the third party, Lord Sri Krishna, appealing to him to decide and declare who is supreme. Sri Krishna takes three days to decide the matter thinking that the solution to such issues will emerge on its own naturally. The mango, engulfed with ego, rots after three days and falls from the tree while the onion remains intact. When the rotten mango was given “re-birth” by Sri Krishna the mango realises its real self, strength, weakness and limitations and sheds its ego.
The spiritual message of the performance is that none is superior or inferior. One has to understand one’s real self and live accordingly by helping the needy as much one can.
The characters of the performance led by King Chuta Phala representing fruits and vegetables include jackfruit, tamarind, pumpkin, ash gourd, lady’s finger, leafy vegetable ‘harive’ and the ones representing tubers and led by King Palandu include radish, elephant yam and sweet potato.
The artistes who played the lead characters include Radhakrishna Navada Madhuru as King Chuta Phala, Jayaprakash Shetty Permude as King Palandu and Vasudeva Ranga Bhat Madhuru as Sri Krishna.
Mr. Mayya said that he learnt that the same ‘'prasanga’ had been staged in Badagu Thittu stylein Uttara Kannada about three decades ago.
