gamaka Sambhrama in Bangalore

[sridevi]

For those of you interested in kannada gamaka vaachana, Vidushi Srimati Jayaram (Gayana) and Vidushi Sunanda Gururaj (vyakhyana) are presenting a weeklong discourse on Kumaravyasa bharatha in
Seva Sadan Auditorium
Malleshwaram Bangalore. It began on Jun 9 and is on till Friday. Event starts at 6 pm and includes the felicitation of a gamaka artiste each day.

Timing
The discourse is also being webcast by Shaale.com (https://new.livestream.com/shaalelive)

[rshankar]

What does 'gamaka vacana' mean?

[sridevi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamaka_(storytelling)

Ravi
It is an art form unique to Karnataka. The stanzas as mentioned in Wiki is sung in Virutham style. Typically there are no accompaniments and the emphasis is on the sahitya. The pronounciation, the 'pada - vibhaaga' or word splitting is per grammar rules. The commentary is done by another person who narrates the essence of the stanza sung along with stories/anecdotes in kannada. Ideally the singing and the narration are of equal duration ( provided the vyAkhyana kAra does not end up rambling... ) The poetic works are typically in old-kannada. (haLegannada)

[rshankar]

Sridevi - that sounds very nice and elegant. Will this program be recorded?

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Keerthi,

Please add to this thread - the Wiki page is woefully inadequate!

Thanks!

[keerthi]

Gamaka is an important and unique art form seen in Karnataka. Its name betrays the fact that Kavyas were never subjected to [shuSka] dry and unmelodic recitation. The telugu verb gamakimpu, as used by the Mahakavi RamarajabhuSaNa, who composed the vasucaritram can be taken as a pointer to explain how all poetry was sung.

The most important feature of Kavya vAcana/ Gamaka is the full-throated, well articulated, shruti-aligned recitation of the text, without exaggerated musical ornamentation, with suitable emphases and pauses; such that the meaning of the poem is half-evident even from the very recital.

The exposition of the meaning either by the Gamaki herself or by another 'vyAkhyAta' is a bonus, though sometimes superfluous. This rare art of recitation in a style which illuminates the lyric without a need for explanation is rare and elusive. People could refer to M.D.Ramanathan singing the Bhairavi swarajati, for a similar example from Carnatic music.

The Music
The rAgas used for gamaka in its current form are all prevalent rAgas from the Northern and Southern Classical scheme. This is because of the overwhelming tyrannical influence of the 'Classical'. I have heard certian gadyas being recited in a madhyamasruti version of tOdi, that could well be an extinct nAgavaRalI, as well as other tantalizing mixtures of janjuTi-saindhavi, kApi-dvijavanti being used by older Gamakis. They cared little for rAga names, but were fully committed to suswara and shruti-baddha singing.

The Text

The canon of the Gamakis is wide - ranging from the early Jaina Kavyas, with their difficult consonant-ridden Old Kannada, to the later Hindu and Virashaiva Kavyas. The most popular text chosen for Gamaka are the KumarvyAsabhArata of Gadugina VeeranArANappa, RaghavAnka's Harischandra KAvya and the Jaimini Bharata of LakshmIsha.

Most school teachers from half a century ago were Gamakis, and could explain the metres [chandas] of the poetry they taught very well, since they had internalised the melodic gait of the metres from Gamaka.

The influence

In my opinion, Gamaka and Kavya vAcana along with HarikathA and the other more dynamic forms like yakSagAna-bayalATa constituted an important aspect of public instruction, in the most pleasant fashion. To this day, there are clubs of enthusiasts in every village and town of Karnataka, who pool funds to arrange such performances. All locals without bar, attend these programmes, and derive their knowledge of folklore, even their Kannada vocabulary from exposure to these poems.

Everyone who is exposed to this poetry, knows at least a dozen verses spanning one millennium of a Classical literary tradition, by heart. This fact is best captured by a comment that Veerappa Moily made about his birthplace [Moodabidri in Coastal Karnataka], while he inaugurated a Yakshagana festival in Delhi - 'In our place, if one didn't know at least a couple of verses from Lakshmisha and KumaravyAsa, noone would give you a bride for marriage'.

The Carnatic style and repertoire of artistes like Bidaram Krishnappa and his protege Bangalore Nagaratnamma were enriched by Kavya VAcana.

The connections

There is a deep mesh connecting the visual forms of BhAgavatar-ATa, Yakshagana, its more intellectual auxiliary tAla-maddale [which matches the Vedantic shAstrArthas in difficulty] and the expository forms of kathA-kAlakSEpa, HarikathA and Gamaka. All of these represent the breathing tradition by which a huge corpus of Kavyas were kept alive in the performances as well as the collective memories and consciousness of the performers as well as audiences; while not merely being consigned to print or manuscripts.

Today the Gamaka world is largely made up of highly motivated women, and there are fewer and fewer men interested in this form. The president of the Gamaka kala pariSad, Gangamma Keshavamurthy has trained hundreds of Gamaka viduSis all over the state and the Parisat also conducts exams every year. In an age when college professors stutter while having to explain a 11th century poem without their notes; it is heartening that several non-professionals have kept the flickering flame of Kavya burning in their homes.

[varsha]

there are few youtube links on this art

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Keerthi,

Thank you for your priceless writing!

I should be able to dig out more information and I hope to post some information in the coming days.

Mods:
Perhaps we should move this discussion about gamaka kale into a separate thread in a different category rather than Event Announcements section here. Thank you!

[sridevi]

Thanks to Keerthi for the wonderful write-up. Thanks Sreeni for initiating this detailed discussion on gamaka kale. Looking forward to reading your posts on this artform.

Sridevi