JEYPORE: At a time when several folk theatre forms are struggling to survive the onslaught of modernity and the youth shying away from them, a tribal artiste from Koraput, Karna Gouda has been training people for free to keep the unique and ancient Desia Nata (or Koraputia Desia Nata) alive.
Desia Nata is a folk opera which draws themes from mythology, Ramayan in particular. “But all the stories are socially relevant and usually staged during the Chaitra Parva (March-April),” says the 61-year-old Natguru (someone who combines in himself the qualities of playwright, director, and musician).
Some of the popular episodes in Desia Nata are ‘Subhadra Harana’, ‘Ganda Badim’, ‘Taranisena Badha’, and ‘Kumbhasura Badha’. There are many other stories that are based on the ordinary and rustic life of people in tribal lands. In the art form, the female roles are played by men.
Gouda, who belongs to Bamini village in Borigumma block of the district, has a troupe of seven to eight members. He himself composes music, writes dialogues and songs for the folk theatre form. He learnt the art form from his father and has been performing since his childhood.
Realising that youths of his village were not willing to learn the folk opera form, he decided to train them for free. He has been doing so for the last four decades. “Every day, young people of the village come to my house to learn Desia Nata. Popularity of this art form extends to bordering villages of Chhattisgarh as well”, says Gouda who teaches his students the nitty-gritty of the art form. All artistes in a troupe need to learn everything so that they can independently organise shows in future, says the senior artiste who has written over 400 Desia Natas.
So far, he has trained over 1,500 artistes in southern Odisha. These artistes have gone ahead to form their own troupes and currently performing not just in the State but also Chhattisgarh. Gouda ensures that his students keep all the traditional elements of Desia Nata intact.
For each performance, Gouda gets only `200 and fuel expenses. But that is no deterrent for this artiste, a farmer by vocation. “I earn decently by growing paddy and vegetables in my small land. Monetary gains from this art form has never been my aim. Instead, if my students keep the art form alive for future generations, that will be my biggest gift”, said the artiste who has also been felicitated by the Sangeet Natak Akademi for his endeavours.