Harikathe in Kannada literally means the story of Lord Hari, usually the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharatha. It is a traditional form of story-telling which was very popular in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In this art form the story-teller uses poetry, music, dance and drama to narrate the stories.

In Hindu mythology the first Harikatha singer was Narada who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and sang for him. This ancient art form took current form during the Bhakti movement in around 12th century by the then popular Dasas like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa and many. In those times the Haridasas, the story-tellers, would prefer Dhanurmasa, the period between December and January, for going around the villages. This was the time just before Sankranti festival, when majority of the population, who were farmers, would be waiting for harvesting and had lot of free time.

During this time the Haridasas used to visit different villages and entertain people by telling stories. Hence this form was also known as Hari Katha Kalakshepa meaning spending time listening to Lord Hari’s stories. This way Haridasas used to help people to imbibe human values, philosophical thoughts and devotion towards Lord, life and their livelihood through their stories.

BHANUVARA SANJE GELEYARA BALAGA, popularly known as BHASANGE Balaga, Mysuru, is making an effort to bring this traditional art form back on to the stage. As their 82nd monthly programme, the Balaga has organised Harikatha Kalakshepa titled Shree Ramanjaneya Yuddha.

The mythological stories like Ramanjaneya Yuddha go on to present unique aspects of the Hindu religion. These stories not only have a religious significance but also have the deep meaning that teach us many important principles of life. Ramanjaneya Yuddha is a story is about war between Hanuman, who is considered to be the most devoted follower of Rama and Lord Rama himself. Hanuman is always seen worshipping Ram. Due to some dramatic incidences Shree Rama agrees to the orders of his Guru Vishwamitra to kill Hanuman. Hanuman keeps his calm and keeps chanting Rama’s name. Because of this flawless devotion all the weapons of Rama, including Brahmastra, fails to harm Hanuman in any way.

This way the story conveys the message that devotion towards Rama is more powerful than Rama’s own self. Through this story, Hanuman shows us the importance of believing and chanting the name of Rama.

On Sunday, 19th May, the Harikathe will be presented by Vid. Mohan Kumar from Tumkur. He will be accompanied by his Guru Vid. T. R. Rangaswamy on harmonium, Nandan Kashyap on mridanga and N.K. Raghavendra on tabla.

BHASANGE Balaga welcomes all art connoisseurs and particularly the youngsters who need an introduction to such a wonderful art form of story-telling. The entry for the programme is free.

— C.K. Sanjay Kumar, President, BHASANGE Balaga