Sphoorthi Theatre

 It was a great opportunity to watch the live performance of Theyyam in God's own land-Kerala State along with other Research scholars from around the world during the Centre for Performance Research and Cultural Studies in South Asia-C PRACSIS International conference ‘Body, Space, and Technology in Performance’ organized by D r. C.S Biju at Trissur, Kerala in 2010. ‘Theyyam’ is a famous ritual art form that originated in North Kerala and brings to life the great stories of our State. It encompasses dance, mime, and music. It exalts the beliefs of the ancient tribals who gave a lot of importance to the worship of heroes and the spirits of their ancestors.   The term Theyyam is a distorted form of 'Dhaivam' or God. It is a rare combination of dance and music and reflects important features of a tribal cultural dance as a whole. This folk dance is believed to be a divine expression and the local residents of Kerala invoke the blessings of God through this dance form. This...

I conducted a one-week training workshop on Puppetry at Nizamabad. Two Gonds tribe youth who are pursuing their higher education also accompanied me. I was moved by their involvement, commitment, and sincerity. Gonds tribes (Tribes known as Adivasi) are spread across Telangana, Maharashtra, and are also in Madhya Pradesh. They speak the  Gondi language -- it's  new and quite funny. Interestingly, the Gondi language belongs to the  Dravidian family of languages and is related to Tamil and Kannada.   I liked the language and as an eager language learner, I am now learning this language at a low pace. I love their music and songs. During my interaction, I could gather lots of information about the harmonious living nature of these Gonds , Eco-friendly practices, culture, eating habits, and so on. Let me introduce the two young Gonds One Mr. Soyam Bheemarao --I call him "Doctor"-...

The Medaram Jatara, also known as the Jatara fair festival, The tribal jatara, also known as Girijana tribes, is regarded as the largest of the several tribal communities. Tribal jataras are not only prevalent in India, but also extend to many regions in Asia. The religious festival is observed biennially in the village of Medaram, located in the Tadwai mandal of the Warangal district in the state of Telangana. The Medaram Jatara commences on the day of the full moon, also referred to as Suddha Poornima, during the month of Magha. The months of January and February align with the Magha month of the Hindu lunar calendar. The jatara, a religious festival, is scheduled to take place from February 8th to February 10th in the year 2012. On the eighth day, the sacred deity Saralamma or Sarakka would be ceremoniously transported from Kannepoyinapalle village to the designated jatara site. On the next day, another deity named Sammakka, who is regarded as the maternal figure of Sara...