Puneeth ML

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA engages sixth and seventh grade students of the Government Higher Primary School in Menasagere village, Maddur taluk, Mandya district, with Mudalapaya Yakshagana, a local art form that is rapidly disappearing from the cultural life of the region. The students will learn about the history and practices of this form through a series of sessions conducted by community artists, and apply their learning to texts from their mathematics and language curriculum. Puneeth ML will be the Coordinator for this project. 

Puneeth ML is a theatre actor and director with 15 years of experience. He received formal theatre education from Sri Shivakumara Ranga Prayoga Shale, Sanehalli. Puneeth has been working independently—directing and writing plays, and serving as a theatre instructor. For the past eight years, he has been deeply engaged in children’s theatre through his organisation Artha Trust, conducting acting workshops across several districts in Karnataka. He has also been organising folk-based summer camps introducing Mudalapaya Yakshagana to children and youth. Given his experience, he is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

Mudalapaya Yakshagana is a traditional folk art form with a history of over five hundred years. In the rich tradition of Kannada folk theatre, it stands out as a performative art that blends literature, music, singing, acting, dance, and costume design to create an engaging theatrical experience. This ancient form of performance has evolved in multiple ways, adapting itself to different regions while staying close to the people. Several references and pieces of evidence point to Nagamangala as the birthplace of Yakshagana. Poet Thimmanna mentions that even before Yakshagana gained prominence in the coastal region, Narasaappa Bhagavata had composed and staged Karibhantana Kaalaga. In those days, Mudalapaya was known as Mela or Bayalata, and people of all communities participated equally as actors and singers. 

As with Paduvalapaya (the coastal style), which has a deep mythological background, Mudalapaya Yakshagana too was once a highly popular art form across the Old Mysore region. The geographical trail of Mudalapaya performances begins in Arakalgudu of Hassan district and extends through Channarayapatna, Mandya, Maddur, Nagamangala, Belur, and parts of Tumakuru district such as Tiptur, Turuvekere, Sira, and Madhugiri, reaching up to Harihara in Davanagere, and further eastward to Kolar, Doddaballapura, and Chikkaballapura.

With regard to this project, Puneeth comes from a family of Mudalapaya Yakshagana performers and will share his legacy of this art form with students. Students will be engaged in understanding community knowledge and practices while making this an interesting learning experience.

The project will be divided into three stages. In the first stage, students and teachers will be introduced to Mudalapaya Yakshagana by resource persons from the region. A detailed history of the form and its existing practices will be shared with the students. Puttaswami, a pioneer in this art form who has developed an extensive collection of texts and songs, is the main resource person for this project. In the initial sessions, students will learn and practice the detailed footwork of the form under his guidance.

In the second stage, students will be introduced to the text and dialogues used in the form and will be encouraged to juxtapose them with selected topics from their curriculum. The Project Coordinator will help students write their own songs on these topics and compose music to perform in their classrooms. They will also attend demonstration sessions by invited resource persons on costumes and makeup methods. The lifeline of this performance lies in its music and movements, and the coordination between the musician and the performer is the key to a successful presentation. Therefore, during this stage, students will work closely with all the stakeholders in developing a series of performance pieces.

In the third and final stage of the project, students will collaborate with teachers to present these performance pieces. This activity will help them improve their creative thinking, communication, and language skills. Each student will be asked to develop a short story from their curriculum using the Mudalapaya Yakshagana form, which will then be presented to the resource persons for feedback and suggestions.

The outcome of the project will be a series of performances presented for the school staff and community members. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will include photographs and video documentation of the entire project.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the regions they inhabit and communities they live in. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees. 

This Foundation Project is made possible in partnership with InterGlobe Foundation.