A little bit of Java and a little bit of Ghatotkacha

Now don't even begin to think that I got busy last weekend writing some Java code if that's what you inferred from the title of my post :-) I was actually refering to some real authentic Javanese culture from Indonesia called Wayang theatre and a refresher on the life of a very important mythological character from the Mahabharata called Ghatotkacha. I did not have to travel to Indonesia or go to India to have this unique and very high quality experience but stay right here in the little town of Wiesloch.

Professor Dr. Peter Schneider and his wife Christina run a theatre in Wiesloch called the Marionetten theater. So this month they put up a  shawdow puppet performance called Wyang Kulit and the play was around the life of Ghatotkacha the son of Bheema who was the strongest of the Pandavas. The Wayang Kulit is a flat puppet with a very intricate design made with buffalo leather. They are manipulated behind a white screen with a back light, so that the audience see them as a shadow and hence the name shadow puppets.

Back in Java I understand that these plays last for the whole night, very similar to the Yakshagana performances back in India. But this show was customized to the German audience so it lasted for 2 hours which was also perfect by my standards. It was my first exposure to Wyang Kulit and I figured out as we went that to signal the beginning or the end of the performance or even a scene change the Dalang or the Puppeteer Mr. Schneider would use a puppet in the shape of a mountain called Gunungan. The evil characters were always on the right side of the screen and the good characters were on the left side of the screen.

I loved the scene where Ghatotkacha very bluntly proposes to his lady love Maurvi asking her to marry him. Dr. Schneider modulated his voice and spoke the parts for all the characters brilliantly. The shyness of a lover, the anger of a hero, the evil wickedness of a villian, the pain of a mother in parting with her son all orchestrated in perfect harmony and brought alive through the puppets and through the puppeteer's voice.

Michael Zimmermann who played the guitar was a perfect substitute for the traditional Gamelan orchestra who normally accompanies the Dalang in traditional Wayang.

At the end of the performance it was nice to see the puppets all laid out on the stage with individual name tags all set for the performance next evening.

A very exhilirating experience indeed and like I said that does not always have to be through Java programming and without having to leave the confines of your friendly neighbourhood theater!!

New Year's Resolution

After visiting the childrens Yakshagana I was all geared to sample the real fare. The Saligrama Yakshagana troupe was performing in town late at night and I went there early enough to catch the artists getting ready for their act. I could spend hours sitting and watching each of them getting ready to play the characters they would be portraying on stage. I really wished that I was one of them rather than being on the other side of the lens.

Maybe someday you never know, after all if wishes were horses beggars would ride. Some of them assumed that I was a doing my thesis on this art form, wow that was a cool idea as well. I guess when you are on a long vacation you realise that there are so many nicer things in life you should rather invest your time into. This time around I promise myself not to let go of these precious thoughts and get immersed into the regular grind of life. A good new years resolution to make and hope that it does not get broken soon!

I was jostled out of my train of thoughts when one of the elders told me that I should take a seat in the front row where they had easy chairs laid out to watch the play. I wish that I could have stayed until the wee hours of the morning until when the show would last. I guess this would have to wait until the girls are a lot more older.

Yakshagana behind the scenes

The entire coastal belt of South India is so rich in their different traditions and customs. Especially South Kanara is very colorful when it comes to their folklore and their ancient art forms. Yakshagana for example a rich folk dance is an unique art form depicting various events from epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

I got to see two beautiful Yakshagana performances and I am really thankful to my mother-in-law for making this experience possible for us. One was a performance for children with little children performing. This show took place in the early evening hours unlike the usual performances which take place late in the night until the  wee hours of the morning.

Little bunny had the chance to sit down with child artists and see how they had their makeup was done. Once they knew she was really interested they even answered her questions about how one could learn this ancient art form integrated as part of their standard education system.

Bunny kept telling me that she would like to learn this art form along with going to ballet classes. Now that is going to be a tough request to accomodate I guess especially back in Germany. I am posting some pics here from behind the scenes.