Novelist Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa calls upon people to buy tickets to watch plays

Mysore/Mysuru: Ahead of staging of much-awaited theatre adaptation of Saraswati Samman awardee Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa’s novel ‘Parva’ in the month of March, a day-long seminar titled ‘Parva – Virat Darshana,’ jointly  organised by Rangayana Mysuru and Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa Sahitya Pratishtana, began at Kalamandira here this morning.

Speaking after inaugurating the seminar, Dr. Bhyrappa regretted the decline of people with scholarly and creative abilities who can clearly and vividly  explain the inner-self of a literary work. Noting that in such a scenario, writer  Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh comes as a silver lining, he said that there are very few people who can match Shatavadhani’s scholarly analytical skills in assessing literary works.

Referring to his work ‘Parva,’ Dr. Bhyrappa said that he discussed in detail with renowned theatre director Prakash Belavadi about the script of the play which has been adapted from his popular novel ‘Parva.’

Stating that he witnessed three rehearsals of the play at Rangayana, the novelist said that he was so impressed by it that the play would be as effective as a cinema screened in theatres. 

Lamenting the lack of encouragement for plays, he said that the audience will get a real experience of the play only upon purchase of tickets. 

He pointed out that many musical groups and associations have been organising programmes with their own revenues earned  through entry tickets, without looking to the Government for financial support.

Emphasising on the need for making tickets mandatory for drama shows, he said the State can learn from neighbouring Maharashtra, where people rush to buy tickets to watch plays.

Dr. Bhyrappa released the tickets (Rs. 1,000, 500 and 250)for the first show of the play which is scheduled to be staged at Kalamandira on Mar. 12.

Dr. Bhyrappa also purchased the first ticket (Rs. 1,000) and sought 40 tickets for himself from Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa.

Shatavadhani Dr. Ganesh, in his talk, said that ‘Parva’ work explores the talent and scholarly knowledge of the author Dr. Bhyrappa. 

Pointing out that ‘Parva’ written 42 years ago (in 1979) still remains one of the most popular and valued Kannada literary works, he said that Vyasa’s Mahabharata is not just an epic, but a way of life. Likewise, Dr. Bhyrappa’s works too have won the hearts and minds of millions of readers, he said.

Maintaining that Dr. Bhyrappa is a ‘Tapasvi’, Shatavadhani Dr. Ganesh said that going by the scholarly writing by Dr. Bhyrappa, it seems that Goddess Saraswati, who is referred to as ‘Vidya Devate’, must have handed over the keys of knowledge to Dr. Bhyrappa.

Pointing out that ‘Parva’ work is based on the concept of birth, he said that every character in the work explains its inner-self in a thought-provoking manner.

Calling Bhyrappa as a modern-day Philosopher, he said that Bhyrappa is such a scholarly writer that even the great ‘Mahabharata’ writer Vyasa would have let go his place in appreciation. Noting that all of  Bhyrappa’s  works are based on solid concepts with multi-layers of factual life, he said that ‘Parva’ has such a solid substance that one can continuously speak about it for 30 days or even more.

Shatavadhani Ganesh released the Russian and Mandarin versions of the novel ‘Parva.’

Rangayana Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy said that ‘Parva’ play  tickets are priced at Rs. 1,000, Rs. 500 and Rs. 250 and are available at Rangayana from today itself.

Pointing out that ‘Parva’ is a seven-hour play with two breaks, he said that all the tickets for the first show to be staged at Kalamandira on Mar. 12, are already sold out, with readers, fans and friends of the author Dr. Bhyrappa purchasing the tickets in groups.

The second show will be staged on Mar. 13 and the third on Mar. 14, for which tickets are available at Rangayana, he said and clarified that there will be no online booking of tickets.

Rangayana Mysuru Director Addanda C. Cariappa, ‘Parva’ play Director Prakash Belavadi, S.B. Udayashankar, Dr. S.L. Bhyrapa Sahitya Pratishtana  Hon. Secretary Dr. G.L. Shekhar and others were present.