Return of the Bayalaatas

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Return of the Bayalaatas

 

G S Bhat traces the spurt and decline of the free-show troupes, or

Bayalaatas in Yakshagana through the years.

 

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There is a hint of impending monsoon in the air. It is time for the

Bayalaatas (free-show troupes) who staged performances day and night

in places, stretching from the coast to the Malenad region to shut

shop, albeit temporarily.

 

Setting out in November after gauging the consistency of the rains

and returning to base by May-end is a tradition among these troupes.

The troupes however, stage shows at the patron temples (seveyaata)

for example, Dharmasthala Mela, Idugunji Mela etc, both at the time

of beginning the tour and at its end. The artistes, staff and workers

are paid their dues by the Yajamaana (owner) and everybody returns

home. Thus ends the annual tour of that year.

 

About five-six decades ago there was no system called the tent-troupe

system in this form of dance-drama. In fact, the Moodalapaya type of

Yakshagana still does not have this system. Instead, free open-air

shows known as Bayalaatas were staged. Rich men, landlords and others

used to get the troupes to perform; the Bayalaatas used to stage

shows wherever required.

 

 

The main artiste or Bhagavatha used to head the troupe. Spectators

made their own seating arrangements and used to watch the performance

which began late in the night till the crack of dawn. A sense of

satisfaction used to pervade the whole set-up– the artistes, the

patrons, the audience et al.

 

Amidst this system emerged the tent-troupe (dere melas) system. An

owner-cum-organiser came into being in place of the main actor

managing the whole troupe. An attitude of investing money and reaping

returns replaced the traditional way. The actor-oriented theatre

transformed into a material-oriented theatre, requiring investment of

lakhs of rupees. A huge tent, elevated stage, easy chairs, lights and

sound system, generator, car, tempo, lorries– all became vital to the

new system. The demand for workers and actors increased. Yakshagana

became an industry.

 

The tent-troupes began hiring open spaces in different towns and

obtained license to perform during six months in summer. Performances

were widely publicised and the audience was charged for each show.

The Yakshagana had found its market; local contractors who supplied

the essentials started making profits. The `70s and `80s of the last

century came to be known as the golden period of these troupes.

 

Several changes and legacies accompanied this period. More than 10

camps were born one after the other. This created an illusion that

organising tent-troupes was far more profitable than any other

enterprise; so much so that the tent-troupe system appeared to be the

only remedy for all the ills that ailed the system. People did not

heed the words of caution about the excessive commercialisation of

the medium.

 

This state did not last for long. The 90's heralded the decline of

the tent-troupe system. There were more camps than there were

spectators. The `industry' had to face an artificial scarcity of

artistes and performers. The tent-troupes were reduced to stage shows

in the same places year after year. The performances did not witness

territorial expansion. Organisation and co-ordination attracted huge

investment. The artistes' salary became expensive. And the actors

failed to enthuse the discerning, leading to a dip in `box-office'

collections.

 

Gimmicks unheard of and untenable to theatre (pertaining to

Yakshagana) made their presence felt. The troupes began imitating

cinema, plays and circuses in antics and the artistes themselves grew

more confused in their goals.

 

The audience's taste became adulterated. Commercialisation became the

bane of the art. Traditional artistes gradually faded away. People

who wanted to enjoy Yakshagana in its purest form were now left

bereft. There was general apprehension that the tent-troupe system

had finally met its end. Many such tents closed down permanently and

artistes had to struggle for their daily existence. There were talks

on adapting experimental theatre for the sake of pure enthusiasts.

Suggestions on restricting the show duration from all-night

performances began gaining ground. Commercialisation, the tradition

of Yakshagana theatre and individual creativity could not be

balanced. The chasm between the tent-troupe system and

experimentation widened. The tours of these tent-troupes in the first

half of this decade, however brought out certain characteristics.

 

Gaining lost ground

 

Earlier, the free show troupes (Bayalaatas) which enjoyed audience

attention prior to the advent of the tent-troupe, had started

declining even as the tent-troupes became stronger. The patronage of

rich landlords and temples were no longer available. But now, when

the situation was reversed, they began gaining their old glory to

some extent.

 

A single owner started to run not less than four free shows

simultaneously. These free shows also became material-oriented.

 

Excepting the tents and charging the audience, the rest of the

equipment, property and make-up was deemed as necessary by these

troupes too. Important tent troupes converted into free-show troupes.

There emerged a commercial aspect to this system; organisers began

investing and reaping handsome returns from the free show troupes.

Sponsors who could spend more than the tent troupes began showing

interest on these free show troupes.

 

The quality of performance became similar to that of the tent-

troupes; gimmicks associated with the latter slowly gained entry into

the former. Most importantly, the audience got to see performances

free. Today, these free-show troupes have become a parallel force to

the tent-troupes.

 

In the meantime, artistes who had lost demand and people who intended

to have revised performances began building their own small troupes.

Such troupes began performing frequently all through the year in

halls booked for the purpose. A few of them roped in popular artistes

and staged shows for weeks together, based on popular episodes. These

weekly and fortnight shows can be described as the

resurrection/rejuvenation of the Mokkam system (camping at a

particular place for days together) which was in vogue before the

advent of tent-troupe system. Subjects of mythological and non-

mythological nature began to be extensively used. However the

Idugunji mela alone adhered to staging shows featuring only episodes

based on mythology, of fixed duration.

 

The rest adapted to both the forms. The tent-troupes committed

themselves to staging new episodes of all-night duration as they

realised that to remain in contention, new episodes which were

necessarily non-mythological and full of comedy had to be staged.

 

Episode writers who could write on these subjects were also

discovered. To cite an example, during the last touring season, the

staging of Eshawara Parameshwari by Sri Guruprasadita Yakshagana

Mandali broke the record of previous box-office collections and made

up for the losses incurred in two years. The tent-troupe staged three

shows at the same place in front of a houseful audience. This

incident enabled the organisers, artistes, workers and the audience

who were without a definite goal and direction to find their

bearings. Preparations are on for this year's touring season with

this experience in the background. The months between June and

October are used for extensive preparation. Then in November after

the rains have stopped, both the tent and free show troupe begin

their annual journey towards finding satisfaction in terms of

creativity and money.

 

Amidst all these activities, Yakshagana Kala Ranga, a voluntary

organisation based in Udupi has taken up the task of providing some

relief to the unorganised, hapless actors who are ultimately the

worst affected of any change in fortune. It has formulated programmes

and projects wherein the actors' health, residence, their children's

education, life insurance and other aspects are taken care of.

 

Translated by B S Srivani

 

 

 

 

The organisation also helps in getting these artistes passes at

concessional rates for bus travel. Not only this, it has also

formulated a code of conduct to the artistes, ushering in a sense of

professionalism among them.

 

Translated by B S Srivani

 

 

It can be safely assumed that these measures not only drive away the

feeling of insecurity amongst the artistes, it also boosts their

performance.

 

Another aspect of this action is that the burden on the owner has

lessened to some extent. The public are being given a chance to

participate in the effort to safeguard the interests of their beloved

artistes. There is a strong possibility that these measures will lead

to a marked improvement in the quality of performances by both

Bayalaatas and dere melas.

 

Translated by B S Srivani