Mysuru: Marking the 50th anniversary of Jnanapith Award to Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu for his epic novel ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam,’ Rangayana artistes will stage the four hour and thirty minutes play adapted from the novel at Rangayana in city from Nov.14 to 18.

Announcing this at a press meet at Rangayana here this morning, Kannada and Culture Department Director N.R. Vishu Kumar said that a postal cover on ‘Ramayana Darshanam’ was released in Bengaluru recently to mark the 50th anniversary of the Jnanapith Award to the epic, when he thought of adapting a play based on the novel. He then asked Rangayana artistes whether this could be done.

Though the artistes were a bit hesitant in the beginning, they later took it as a challenge and decided to adapt the novel into a play, after overcoming the challenges involved. Now, after adaptation, the Rangayana artistes will stage the four hour and 30 minutes long play at Bhoomigeeta in Rangayana at 6 pm daily from Nov.14 to 18. The entrance fee is Rs.50 per head, he said and added that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will formally inaugurate the play at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru on Nov.23.

He further said that the play will be staged for two days in Bengaluru on Nov.23 and 24 and the plays will also be staged at various parts of the State till January 2019.

Continuing, Vishu Kumar said that one important aspect of the play is the 12 artworks created by artist Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat. The artworks related to the play will be inaugurated in Rangayana premises on Nov.13, he said.

For more details about the play, log on to www.rangayana.org

Senior writer Prof. G.H. Nayak released a poster of Kuvempu’s ‘Ramayana Darshanana’ play on the occasion.

Speaking after releasing the poster, Prof. Nayak said that the four-and-a-half hour play is an adaptation of Kuvempu’s epic ‘Ramayana Darshanam.’

Recalling that an 8-hour play based on poet laureate Kuvempu’s other famous work ‘Malegalli Madumagalu’ was a huge success a couple of years ago, he said that one gets excited after reading Kuvempu’s many other works.

Highlighting the efforts of Rangayana artistes in the adaptation, he said that theatre has taken a giant leap over the years with innovative concepts and techniques. He complimented Rangayana for its relentless efforts to trace the history of the theatre.

Rangayana Director Bhagirathi Bai Kadam, artiste Srikrishna Kumar Narnakaje, who has adapted the play, theatre Director K.G. Mahabaleshwar, Theatre Educator Umesh Salian and others were present during the press meet.