RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Ayyavariki dandam pettu. Ammagariki dandam pettu... With these familiar chants, the Gangireddula artists once brought festive cheer to every village street in Telugu states during the Sankranti festival season.
Wearing colourful turbans and traditional attire, blowing the boora and leading a beautifully decorated bull, they went door to door, praising family lineages and blessing households.
Today, however, the age-old folk tradition Gangireddula show or culture is slowly losing its audience and its soul.
On ordinary days, Gangireddula performers still roam villages, but Sankranti was once their golden season. The arrival of Haridasus and Doddu Basavannas signalled that the festival had truly begun.
From the start of Dhanurmasam bulls adorned with bells and ornaments were a common sight at every doorstep. Performers sang melodious verses on the Sannayi made the bull dance to rhythm, performed acrobatics and received offerings from grateful households.
Across the erstwhile East Godavari district nearly 15000 people belong to the Gangireddula community organised under about 25 associations.
But as public interest wanes, many are being forced to abandon their ancestral occupation and migrate to other livelihoods in recent years. Boddu Raju of Paslapudi village in Rayavaram mandal told TNIE, that diminishing patronage has pushed many families to the edge. We are being compelled to leave our caste based occupation.
Haridas performers are also adapting to changing times. Instead of walking village to village, many now travel on motorbikes, carrying their musical instruments and seeking offerings through UPI apps like PhonePe. It is interesting but also painful, a Haridas performer Meesala Raju told TNIE.
With many middle-class and affluent farming families migrating to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and other cities for education and jobs, public reception in villages had declined sharply. He told with emotion, our art is struggling to survive.
The next generation shows little interest, choosing education and careers in other sectors, leaving this traditional art at risk. Echoing similar concerns, Bodduu Prakash from Pithapuram area, said that youth are no longer willing to take up the art. With falling income, youngsters are turning to daily wage work or selling plastic materials, he said.
Performers say the decline has many reasons, but television, YouTube, digital media and other modern entertainment top the list people no longer step out or spare time to watch folk performances. What was once a lively community event has become a forgotten spectacle.