Akkamma

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA will engage sixth and seventh grade students of Kasturba Gandhi Residential School, Alavandi, Koppal district with a project interpreting folk stories of Heggappa through Bayalata art form. Students will explore the ritualistic practice of Heggappana Kunita by the Gorava community connecting it to their curriculum in languages, mathematics, and environmental science. The focus of this project is to widen knowledge about the folklore and cultural practices in Karnataka. Akkamma will be the Coordinator for this project. 

Akkamma Devaramani is a theatre practitioner and a folk artist from Koppal district. She has been working at Rangayana theatre repertories in Dharwad and Kalaburagi. Akkamma has engaged with renowned theatre directors and practitioners in Karnataka which has enhanced her practice to engage deeper with the roots of folk culture in North Karnataka. She has acted and directed in many theatre productions and has worked comprehensively on childrens’ theatre. Given her experience she is best placed to be the Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA.     

The practice of Heggappana Kunita or Goravara Kunita is widely performed across North Karnataka. Heggappa is a protecting deity of the Gorava community and is worshipped by songs and dance which has led to an interesting folk form known as Heggappana Kunita. This has also widely contributed to the folk literature in Karnataka. Maha Kavyas – great epics like Manteswamy katha prasanga, Mookambika prasanga, and other epics apart from Mahabharata and Ramayana are seen as important texts by researchers and scholars of folklore studies. Heggappana Kunita and Mailaralinga kavya also play a role in offering insights around questions of identity, gender, demographics, and practice of folk and ritualistic practices. 

This project will explore the questions around the practice such as – What is the relationship between Heggappa and Mailaralinga? Who is Gorava? Why does the Gorava community perform the Heggappana Kunita in a bear costume? What is the connection between the word Sobane and the stories of Heggappa, considering that Sobane is used in the storytelling? In this community, traditional folk dances have been performed for a very long time and why is it that only boys learn and perform these dances, and not girls? Students will interact with the community members who are invited to their school premise in finding answers to these questions. 

The process will involve students and teachers in a series of activities and practice sessions of Bayalata which will be integrated into learning about Heggappana Kunita. These will be connected to their curriculum in languages, mathematics, and environmental science. Students of grade six and seven will work closely with a pool of resource persons who will engage them with theatre activities, games, and folk stories. They will also be involved in lecture sessions on folk art forms and cultural practices in North Karnataka, and a few demonstrations of Heggappana Kunita in their school premise by community members. With the help of the project coordinator, students will present their learnings through short stories, songs, and monologues which will be published, and a short performance of this art form will be staged.

The outcome of the project will be a performance in the presence of school staff, parents and community members and a publication. The deliverables to IFA with the final report will include a copy of the publication, still and video documentation of the process, and performance.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to help students connect their school curriculum to the stories from the regions they inhabit and communities they live with.

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.