Fourteen years ago, when the stage denied access to women who secretly pined to make an entry into Karnataka’s theatre legacy called Yakshagana, a young woman took her baby steps in the ‘men-only art form’ in the backyard of her house in Bangalore. By her side, imparting her first lessons in the musical theatre, was Srinivas, her husband, who excelled as a child Yakshagana artist and continued to do so even as a touring professional. Gowri looks back at those years and says, “It was different then. Women have come a long way.”
Gowri, the secretary of Karnataka Mahila Yakshagana, the first women-only Yakshagana troupe, recently wrapped up performing at Mahila Yakshotsava, jointly organised by the Karnataka Yaskshagana Bayalata Academy and Bangalore Mahila Yakshagana Sangha, that saw the participation of more than 10 women’s Yakshagana troupes.
Yakshagana, which is practiced in several districts of Karnataka, is believed to have seen an origin during the time of the Bhakti movement. Just like Shakespearean plays that were performed only by men, Yakshagana too abided by such a principle. But with changing times, much has changed about the art form. Performances that traditionally stole the whole starry night have now been clipped to a few hours to suit the convenience of the viewers and the artistes.
Plays that were centred primarily on the epics have now found new cutting-edge tales, even plots from movies. But most importantly, women who were once silent spectators have now become fireball participants. According to Gowri, that is the best thing about the transformation. “When I first started performing, people used to look at me and the troupe with raised eyebrows. They used to say that women don’t have the strength to perform the art form. It’s not so any more. Even the government has been supportive by giving us many opportunities,” says Gowri.
When Gowri first formed her troupe, there were just a handful of women who joined her. “There were about six women and three girls in the troupe. People were reluctant as they had never seen women perform Yakshagana. But we went on to perform in small circles and then took to bigger stages,” recalls Gowri. Now her troupe boasts of more than 35 women—some of them are more than 40 years old and the others are school and college girls.
Gowri believes that women can excel in Yakshagana just like men. “I believe it is easier for women to perform now. Earlier performers needed quite a lot of stamina as the show went on for the whole night. But now, the shows hardly last for a few hours. Women should take advantage of that,” says Gowri.
Learning is not a cakewalk though, she admits. “Yakshagana is a vast subject. There is no end to learning,” she notes. “I believe even after 14 years, I am still learning,” she says unassumingly. Her troupe that has toured the country on several occasions and even given performances in Germany and China still holds on to the principle that they don’t perform for money. “We like performing. And passion is what will keep any art form alive,” she signs off.