Telangana: Meet 3 heroes who are reviving dying art forms

Telangana, a state renowned for its vibrant art forms and cultural heritage, is grappling with the loss of traditional art forms such as Oggu Katha, Perini, and Chekka Bommalata.

These ancient art forms, which have been handed down from generation to generation, are on the brink of extinction due to modernisation and a lack of interest from younger generations.

Nevertheless, there are individuals like Oggu Ravi, Perini Raj Kumar, and Mothe Shankar who are devoted to preserving and promoting these art forms. Through their performances, workshops, and training programs, they are working tirelessly to ensure that these art forms survive and evolve, passing on the traditions to the next generation. The efforts of these artists not only preserve Telangana's cultural heritage but also celebrate the unique diversity of Indian art and culture.

Oggu Katha: The art of narrating the story

Chowdarapally Ravi Kumar, also known as Oggu Ravi, has brought a revolution in the traditional instrumental art of Oggu Dolu Vinayasam. He has been educating people about the importance of this cultural art and has conducted 21-day workshops to promote it.

According to him, "My dream is to set up an institute where people can learn the art and its importance. I have an acre of land in my hometown, so if I get permission, I'm ready to donate my land to the institute of Oggudolu."

Oggu Ravi hails from Manikyapuram village in the Jangaon district and is the grandson of the popular Oggudolu artist Chukka Sattaiah. Oggudolu is a traditional folklore art of Telangana where people belonging to the community of Kurma sing, praise, and narrate stories of Hindu gods such as Mallana, Beerappa, and Yellamma. "The tradition-loving and ritual-performing community moves from place to place, narrating the inspiring stories of their community god," he said.

Ravi's grandfather used Oggu Katha as a medium to tell message-oriented stories to people along with traditional art. His melodious voice attracted people from all corners of the world. Ravi recalls, "My grandfather was no less than a celebrity, not just for the entire world, but also for us. We used to wait for him in the corridors to see him when he used to come home town."

Ravi, who always had an interest in cultural programs since school, decided at a very young age to take the tradition forward. He says, "My grandfather taught me ethics and morals and always asked me to show empathy towards the art. Without morals, what's the point of carrying the culture ahead? So I compel my students to touch the feet of their parents before leaving the house/on any special occasion."

Ravi is working hard to keep art alive forever. He has trained more than 5000 people and proudly states that the art will be alive for the next 50 years with these 5000 people. Looking to the future, Ravi is eager to establish an institute for the art form and says, "After thorough research, I created a syllabus and submitted it to the Department of Language and culture." Ravi has performed on prestigious platforms in India, including the National School of Drama in Delhi and the IAS Academy in Dehradun.

Chekka Bommalata: Wooden-string puppetry

Chekka Bommalata, wooden-string puppetry is one of the rare folk art forms of India that uses human-sized puppets made out of wood. This traditional art form of Telangana has a history of six generations and several stories to perform. The puppeteers who perform are known as Bommalollu, and the one who is keeping the art form alive is the 40-year-old Mothe Shankar. Mothe Shankar who belongs to the Budiga Jangama caste is one of the two troupes that are keeping the art alive.

“My great grandfathers who belong to Naramet mandal of Ammapuram started this art and used to perform in the temple. They created a myth that god will shower us with rain if we perform this art in temples, and collected fare for the show,” he says.

"However, the folk art continued for five generations, and after thinking a lot Shankar took the responsibility of taking the art forward. Since it is our family occupation, we know how to do it from a very young age. Due to socio-economic reasons, we didn’t show interest towards the folk art initially,” says Mothe Shankar who also owns a photo studio and does photography for weddings and functions."

Chekka Bommalata is rare folk art, and not many know it. Working on it is also very tricky and so people don’t come forward to learn the art. “Many of my friends gave it a try, but after holding the wooden puppet weighing between 12-15kgs they never touched the puppets again,” says Shankar who also trained his brothers and motivated them to take up the art.

These puppets belong to his forefathers. They are passed from generation to generation. “There are about 12 statues, and we used them according to the characters of the story. However, Rama and Krishna will have the same idol, and the rest can be interchanged with make-up according to the characters of the story,” says Mothe Shankar who only changed the costumes and gave touch up with paints to the old wooden puppets.

Otherwise, the puppets were used without any major changes, and even outfits belonged to the older generation. Their shows are very interesting and capture people’s attention. One of their popular show is ‘Kolattam’ (dandiya). Coordinating and playing itself is a difficult part of dandiya, whereas Shankar easily performs and pulls the audience’s attention.

Currently, two troupes are active - one troupe is in Ammapuram village and the other is in Venkatapuram village, where Shankar performs. Both villages belong to the Warangal district and are from the same family tree named ‘Mothe’. In the coming age, Shankar’s will be the only family to perform this art, as other troupe’s the present generation quit performing. It’s only their parents who are performing.

Despite all odds, Shankar and his family seem to be fighting the battle to keep the art alive - at least by choosing to perform in the village. “My son Sai Ganesh who is pursuing a degree in electronics is good with this art and looks forward to taking this art form to next level,” says Shankar who has trained around 40 people in his village.

Perini: The Dance of Warriors

Ustad Perini Rajkumar, a native of Bhikya Thanda in Suryapet, has won the first-ever national award for the traditional classical dance form Perini Natyam. The dance form originated in the Kakatiya era but disappeared after the kingdom's fall in 1323 AD, and was later revived in the 1970s by Padmasri Nataraja Ramakrishna.

Growing up in a Banjara family, Dharawat Raj Kumar Naik's parents' involvement in the Teej festival and their performances of folk dances instilled in him a passion for art and culture at an early age. At the young age of 10, Raj Kumar's exceptional talent as a folk dancer garnered him national recognition.

Raj's passion for dance was noticed by his uncle, who took him to meet Afzal Pasha, a disciple of Nataraja Ramakrishna, to learn classical dance.

Recalling his experience, Raj says, "As soon as I met Afzal Pasha, I decided to stay with him and learn the art of dance. I joined as his student and learned Andhra dance."

Raj Kumar's natural talent and dedication saw him teaching the next batch of students at Afzal Pasha's academy within a year. At the age of 14, he attended a dance camp in Warangal, where he was introduced to Perini. "Under the guidance of Kala Krishna, I started learning Perini," he explains. "Padmashri Nataraja Ramakrishna was moved by my performance and dedication and decided to take me on a world tour for dance performances."

However, tragedy struck when Padmashri Nataraja Ramakrishna passed away. "After his passing, I was confused about what to do and in the meantime, I received an offer from Malaysia to work as a dance teacher to support myself financially, and immediately took up the job.”

After 5 years, Raj Kumar realized that he had to come back to India after seeing how much people abroad valued and respected their culture.

After much contemplation, Raj Kumar decided to undertake a 101-day journey called 'Perini Vaibhava Radhayatra' across Telangana to raise awareness about the traditional martial art form of Perini.

“This dance form was originally performed by warriors to boost their morale and confidence before going to battle. The vigorous dance movements and acrobatics of Perini require immense physical strength and endurance, and it is accompanied by percussion instruments like dappu, tappeta, and tambura,” he says

During his journey, Raj Kumar visited over 200 schools and temples, spreading the joy and beauty of Perini. His efforts aimed to promote the significance of Perini and its cultural heritage.

Raj Kumar's project Perini Vaibhava Radhayatra was a remarkable success, and he even had the opportunity to perform in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I thank Mamidi Harikrishna, for providing persistent support throughout my journey,” he says.

Currently, Raj Kumar trains 30 students and is focusing on his next project called 'Culture for Education.' This project aims to introduce art into the school syllabus with the help of the Telangana government. He says, “Moving away from culture is making us closer to illness. Having culture as a subject in schools can help us keep disciplined and also reduce stress.”

First Award in Perini

The ancient dance form Perini Sivathandavam from Telangana was recently awarded for the first time, acknowledging its cultural significance. This dance form is believed to have been performed by soldiers before going to war in ancient times. The sculptures near the Ramappa temple in Mulugu provide evidence of its history.

In the 98th edition of 'Mann ki Baat' on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the ancient Perini dance of Telangana, which originated during the Kakatiya era. During the introduction of the 'Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' winners, the Prime Minister mentioned Raj Kumar Naik who organized Perini shows in 31 districts of Telangana for 101 days.

"Today, people have started knowing him by the name of Perini Rajkumar. Perini Natyam, a dance dedicated to Lord Shiva, was quite popular during the Kakatiya dynasty. The roots of this dynasty are still associated with Telangana," Prime Minister said.