CHAPTER - V

CONCLUSION
V. CONCLUSION

Oggu Katha is a myth of a pastoral community in Andhra Pradesh. It is

performed as a narrative so as to establish the relationship of the community

with their ancestral god namely Mallanna. The dry agro-pastoral eco systems of

the Telangana and the Rayalseema and uplands coastal regions gave rise to

pastoralism as a mode of production. The hilly terrains and the foot hill regions

facilitated the growth of pastures. The upland regions and the Deccan plateau

being dependent on monsoon, which is scanty and erratic, remain mostly as a

rain shadow region. Some of these pastoral groups practice as mixed economy

of dry farming and sheep / goat husbandry. The semi arid region is suitable for

dry farming (millets and grams) and predominantly sheep goats pastoralism.

With the result agriculture could not be sustained in these strips of lands and

hence substituted with an economy dependant on pastoralism. These groups of

pastoralists who are settled in the villages also maintain a few herds of cattle.

The husbandmen and shepherds who are involved in grazing the animals

formed into Jathis (caste) in these regions. Two important castes namely the

Kurmas and the Gollas adopted to pastoralism. Gollas is an endogamous group

whose chief occupation is grazing the cattle. Kurma on the other, formed into

another occupational group based on grazing sheep. In due course golla and

kurma synomically hired in the local records and popular versions. The pastoral

community is distinct from other agricultural communities in their respective

traditions and material culture. Their lifestyle infact makes them a distinct ethnic

aggregate. In order to demonstrate their distinct character, one of their prime

narratives namely Oggu Katha is taken in this study.

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 Oggu Katha is basically a theatrical performance, performed by Oggus to

the Kurmas / Gollas. Katha literally means narrative performed by Oggus;

therefore it is called Oggu Katha. Oggu literally means the Shiva's percussion

instrument known in the classical version as Dhamaruka. Those who play the

instrument are named after this instrument as Oggus. The very fact that they

play the instrument, Oggu while narrating the tale of Shiva not as in the

classical version but in folk version which is utmost akin to the community.

Therefore the protagonist of this katha is Mallanna literally meaning the lord of

mountains. Shiva in the classical versions also carries the same image of the

Lord of mountains.

The pastoral community whose lifestyle is connected to hillocks and hilly

terrains not in a sedentary fashion but in a semi-nomadic mode, evolved a

cultural hero for themselves who is able to use wit and trick as strategies to

conquer the other communities and incorporate them into their neighbourhood.

If needed he conquers his enemies and protects the wealth, cattle and sheep.

Such idiom of the pastoralists is expressed in most of their traditions be it verbal

or non-verbal. This in due course became their identity and a community of

specialist in the form of minstrels emerged within them to perform the idiom of

cultural hero, in this case Mallanna. Oggus, as bards therefore became

minstrels of the Kuruma / Golla jathis (castes).

Oggus are recognised as pujaries, that is priests by the Kurumas /

Gollas, since they perform rituals connected with purity pollution both at familial

and communal levels. As part of the rituals the Oggu Pujaries perform Oggu

Katha for various occasions such as rites of passage and fairs and festivals.

Oggu Katha therefore being a ritual performance and performance being in the

theatrical form it can be conceived as a ritual theatre of the pastoralists.

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 The concept of theatre changed over a period of time in the discipline of

performing arts or theatre arts. Initially theatre used to mean a place or

structure, which in houses the play production which can be viewed by

audience. In later course theatre started encompassing apart from plays of

enactment, other elements such as the play (a text) a production (performance)

and the whole range of related units ranging from persons behind the stage, on

the stage and out side the stage. In other words the concept of theatre alienated

itself by from physical to mental, construed level. This widening of the definition

of theatre facilitated to look for continuation from pre-production- production-

post-production levels of interaction between the producers, performers and

audience. This mental construction of theatre changed the very grammar of

theatre, in the sense that it is not simply the play production level that theatre

communicates, but the very process of production on one hand and on the

other, responds to communicated whole through production. This drastically

changed the position of theatre from metaphysical to physical and romanticism

to realism. The objective of the theatre therefore became the audience and their

expectations. Thus actor-audience interactions through a text in a given context

became the horizon of theatre. Each unit in theatre starting from selection of a

text to the responses of audience is worked out carefully so as to establish it as

a specific expressive genre of culture. The generic features of theatre is virtually

the sphere where the actors enact a play through a system of signs of verbal

and non-verbal in nature. The verbal component basically forms dialogues in

the play, which are artistically communicated as solos and dyads. The non-

verbal component mostly found through body kinetics and properties. Usage of

both verbal and non-verbal components in a spatial relationship forms the basis

of grammar of theatre. The space here is used in the sense as linear or vertical

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construction in narrating a play. The vertical and linear spaces are organised in

such a way that they can be shown as high, low and deep, in relation to the

placement of properties and characters, while communicating the text of the

play. Text as already stated is not simply written or verbal format but is a

sequence of images, be it (audio/visual or both) which can transmit a meaning

that is intended by the speaker (performer) to the hearer (audience). Viewing

from this point the text of the play becomes nothing but an enactment of artistic

communication. However artistic may be the communication of the performers,

if audience fail to appreciate then such performances cannot survive for long.

To overcome these inherent hindrances in the play production context is used

as a remedy.

The concept of context (or space) has dual meaning; one the context in

which the play is produced i.e. the physical context the other the context into

which the play is produced i.e., the social context. The physical context refers

to not only the place of production but also the time in which the production

occurs. The time and space as general cognates relate the expectations of the

performers and audiences and give larger meaning to the text enacted. In other

words the theme of the enactment gets shared commonly between them. This

common understanding of the theme unites the audience and their performers

into a community. This observation is quite important because it is the physical

context that not only identifies the play or the production but also the community

itself. The social context that unfolds the text in sequence gives polyseme to the

individual audience. In other words social context is a context of the events of

the play or the inner textual plots of the play. What is being enacted as a text in

a physical realm escapes itself from the boundaries of the time and space and

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gets into the hearts of the audience, who actually experience the text, so as to

make it as their personal, therefore their own. Each one of the audience

experiences the text differently because of their own personal experience of the

events which are being narrated in the play. Therefore, both the physical and

the social contexts significantly influence the other elements of theatre

grammar. When the text is getting enacted elements that are internal and

external to the text play an important role in making communication between the

actors and the audience. The internal elements such as verbal expressions,

body kinetics, and other cognitive senses unfold the narrative in its progression.

Verbal expression in the form of speech, diction, recitation and other sounds

form an important element. This actually determines the level of performers as

good, better and the best. Body kinetics in the form of movement, gestures and

other special compositions determine the nature of the performance. Cognitive

senses in the form of facial expressions and postures inform the event of the

text and communicate the meaning to the audience. Cognitive senses

determine the level of experience of the narrative both by the performers and

audiences. Thus the internal elements in general are interior to the textual

enactment in unfolding the narrative. They are interior because unless

otherwise they are expressed they fail to give the meaning to the narrative.

Performers therefore give much importance to the internal elements which

intact tie their audience to the performance by instilling interest.

The external elements in the form of music, sets, lighting, costumes and

make-up contribute much to the textual enactment of a play. Intact they add

flavour to the theatrical production and inform at every stage the progression of

the narrative. They also become important factors of identification of the

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scenes/events in the play. The depth of the performance is quite often than not

felt by the audience through the external elements mentioned above. The three-

dimensional time and space conceptual psyche is created with the help of these

external elements. Both for the realistic and non-realistic plays therefore

external elements contribute much to determine the nature of presentation of

the plays in terms of the category to which they belong realistic and non-realistic

plays. However, external elements being external to the text privilege the

director over the actor and bring forth the innate skills of director so as to

communicate the tempo of the play. On the whole both the internal and external

elements narrate the play audio-visually, by creating theatrical optical illusions

of line, mass, colour and texture. Orchestrating of these theatrical optical

components in general, voice the feel of the play. Therefore, in theatre grammar

the interplay of actor and audience in a given context of textual enactment the

internal and external elements determine the level of production and

communicate varied meanings as desired by the producers of the play,

whatever be the theatre genre (folk, classical, modern, avant-garde and

postmodern) its grammar is intrinsically formed due to the correlation between

the basic units such as, performer and audience, text and context. The

alignment of these units be it syntagmatic or paradigmatic, form the core

concern of the theatrical grammar. This finding itself is crucial to the present

study because it gives a better understanding on a folk performance such as

Oggu Katha of a pastoral community in Andhra Pradesh.

One of the main concerns of this study is to view Oggu Katha as a

theatrical performance and therefore deserves attention from the scholars of

theatre discipline to draw lessons from such folk performances which despite

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changing times remained popular and being played for ages. Thus far, the

theatre discipline in its subject matter relied mostly on the western theatrical

paradigms as well as examples from the western dramas and plays. In the

process folk performances as theatrical productions are totally undermined by

the scholars related with the theatre discipline. So far no research has been

done in this direction. The scholars who worked on folk performances viewed

them as either folk narratives or folk arts. This premise made the scholars to

view folk art and folk narrative as the arena of folklore/folk-culture. Performance

studies as part of folklore field showed much interest in bringing out variations

and versions in the textual enactment based on oral tradition. Contextual

theories in performance studies contributed mostly in the dialogue of versions

and variations in the folk performances. Nevertheless they by and large confine

themselves to their own generic boundaries so as to make them acceptable as

study material of the other disciplines like theatre arts. This basic perspective

directed the present research to take up a folk performance like Oggu Katha to

understand the innate theatrical qualities of the performance and to relate them

to the grammar of theatre. This exercise is conceived as worth pursuing, since

the indigenous techniques of presentation will come out and demonstrate to the

persons involved in theatre either as practitioners or as researchers/scholars.

As stated already the study emphasises on cutting across the disciplinary

boundaries in the subject matter like folk performance. The inter disciplinary

approach alone would bring to light the names of the performance like Oggu

Katha which is being in practice for several centuries. This observation

prompted the present study to look out for the inherent strength of folk theatre,

which sustains despite the onslaughts of modernity and technological

advancements. What really made the folk theatre to sustain over the years?

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The above basic question guided the present study throughout and led to the

finding that the folk performances like Oggu Katha also have their own grammar

like that of the theatrical grammar. As explained already in the foregone

passages, theatre grammar is the nerve that sustains different units in the play

production. The performance of Oggu Katha also has different units and in the

process of correlation the narrative emerges as a living theatrical tradition.

Oggu Katha in its theatrical implications reveals a deeper structure on

the lines of grammar of that is based on certain rules and regulations, codes

and conducts, and conventions and usage. The grammar of theatre surmised in

the II chapter of this study fundamentally centers around the interaction of four

basic units namely, Actor-audience and Text-context. The performance of Oggu

Katha centers around these four basic units. Some interesting findings

connected to these four units are observed in this study.

V.1. TEXT

In the first unit i.e., the text the following observations are made. After

having analysed various versions of the Oggu Katha texts it is found that Oggu

Katha is a form in which text related to Mallanna Katha, Beerappa Katha,

Yellamma Katha, Nallapochamma Katha and Yerrapochamma Katha figure

prominently. Oggu Katha is a performance form which is mostly identified by the

external elements, such as music, in which oggudolu, drum figures out as an

identity marker. Narrative is basically a song dance sequence form and the

context makes it identifiable as a ritual practice. The text of the oral tradition

remained unchanged and is basically constituted by its internal elements

through which the performer and the audience interact. Therefore Oggu Katha
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as a form is a broader spectrum in which various textual enactments inform the

audience of the narrative which is being performed. As a form Oggu Katha

basically depends upon a chief narrator who is invariably the bard and

accompanied by his fellowmen as actors /performers /musicians and chorus

singers. On the whole the troupe would consist of five to seven persons. In the

texts of Oggu Katha, Mallannakatha predominates and is usually performed for

various occasions of rites of passage.

V.1.1. NATURE OF TEXT:

The text of Mallannakatha is perceived as a cultural text for the reason

that both the performer and the audience know the sequence of progression of

the text. Since it is a cultural text it exists primarily in oral. The bards (Oggu

Pujaries) have an exclusive right to perform the text of Mallanna in the Oggu

Katha form. The right is inherited from generation to generations and therefore

is initially memorised as a mnemonic text and later performed as a performance

text. Therefore the oral text metamorphoses into a performance text through

aural text (sruthi text) and mnemonic text (smruthi text) In the process of

textualisation versions and variations occur due to inventions and

improvisations or due to loss of memory of the narrator. Nevertheless the

audience i.e., Gollas / Kurumas receive the text as one i.e., coming from a

shared knowledge of the community. It is interesting to note that written text

does not have any influence over the oral text. Some of the written texts of

Oggu Katha for the sake of mass media productions though prevailing they

remain as parallel texts. Since the text of Mallanna Katha is basically an oral

text, it remained as anonymous. Only as performance text they are identified

with bards i.e., narrator.

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V.1.2. STRUCTURE OF THE TEXT:

Whosoever is the narrator when Mallanna Katha is presented in Oggu

Katha form, the narrative unfolds in a scenic sequence. An important finding

with regard to the textual enactment is that the narrative has a plot structure,

which is unique and does not in any way resemble the plot structures of the

main stream drama. This observation is important because the indigenous

narrative craft with all its ethnic flavour comes to life only when it is performed.

For this reason the bards exercise a sort of monopoly over the art form. The plot

structure of mallanna Katha is not in unitary but multiple in nature. In general

the whole mallanna Katha is identified by the community as one that comprises

of six kandas. Each kanda has its own plot structure which more or less

consists of five phases of action i.e. Initial action, rising of action, Climax action,

falling of action and concluding action. It is important to note that these five

actions are visible only when each kanda is presented as a separate story for

various occasions. Usually not all the six kandas are presented in a single

performance. In fact it is performed when demanded, as series of performances

running for six to seven nights (each performance with a duration of roughly six

to seven hours). When all the kandas or at least two or three kandas presented

in a single performance on demand the plot structure varies and do not have

the sequence of the five phases of actions mentioned above. Such

performances do not negotiate the traditional norm of the interest curve which

starts as exposition then progresses, reaches the climax and fall to attain a

resolution. Therefore Mallanna katha as a whole appears to have a different plot

structure which is multiple in nature. It is multiple because due to scenic

continuity to each of six kandas it blurs the initial actions of each kanda as well

as the concluding action. The following of action infact becomes the initial action

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of the next kanda. Therefore it appears as a rising action itself from this view.

The Mallanna katha does not keep in conformity with the plot structure of the

main stream drama. In other words, initial action and concluding action become

buffer zones or neutral zones. In the plot structure. On the demand of the

audience the narrator manipulates the performance and dictates the course of

plot structure. Usually in the main stream theatre the plays confine to a fixed

plot structure. In the case of Mallanna katha the inherent quality of flexibility that

the narrative has the narrator manipulates it with the consent of the audience.

This shows that the narrators are sensitive to the context, of the performance as

well as the response of the audience. The flexibility of the narrative lies in the

very content of the story. It is basically the story of a person who belongs to the

community of shepherds rose to the level of a cultural hero and marries brides

of different caste people. So it is the story of matrimonial which is devoid of any

known antagonist. For this reason the narrative is not structured on the action

and counter action sequence and therefore do not follow the main stream

drama plot structure which has visibly demarcated angles in course of its

progression. Therefore the curve of the plot in mallanna katha structure appears

as smooth bends informing the smooth blending of the narrative itself in course

of its progression within kanda and from one kanda to the other.

V.1.3. TYPE OF CHARACTERS:

The Mallanna Katha being the tale of marriages of Mallanna, the

characters appear down to earth in the sense that as mundane as the people of

their community. Even the names of the characters and the suffixes or prefixes

of the characters are in no way dramatise but resemble to those of their own

community. Suffixes like Renuka Ellawa, Varalakki etc., remind one of the

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normal ways of calling people in the daily life, similarly prefixes such as Golla

Kethamma, Bhatti Kesavaraju, Balijalingalu etc refer to the family or caste name

of the people with which they are identified exotorically.

Another interesting feature is that the characterization in Mallanna Katha

is protagonist centric. The whole narrative and every character in the narrative

contribute to the development of the character of Mallanna. Unlike in the

modern theatrical plays where charaterization is perceived as analogous to

representation and therefore construed typically keeping in view of the

differentiation of the characters. The narrator as one who represents the entire

community constructs the characterisation in Mallanna Katha. All other

characters contribute for such representation. In other words, the

characterisation in Mallanna Katha is monolithic unlike in the modern plays

where it is polyvocal.

It is found from the analysis of the characters in Mallanna katha that

marriage being centrifocal to the narrative, the ethos of the characters are

depicted at the familial level in which most inter and intra-personal relationships,

aspirations, and desires etc., are delineated. The community to which Mallanna

represents is depicted itself as a family and therefore the characterisation of

Mallanna pervades the entire narrative. In the process the gender relationships

that exist in the community are brought forth to various characters. An

interesting feature in this regard is that the gender relations are construed not

on male female dichotomy but on a symbiotic relationship that they are

projected.

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V.1.4. FORMS OF LANGUAGE

Since the characters are mundane and present themselves as insiders to

the community, the language they speak in the textual enactment is in

accordance with their characterisations. The language is also natural that one

can hardly distinguish it from the language that is spoken in their actual social

context. It is totally devoid of any dramatic element in the sense that one can

find in the classical theatre where in the character speaks which is not used in

the actual social context. The whole text unfolds itself through song-speech-

sequence. Therefore, the texture of the text follows both the rhythm and rhyme

on one hand and on the other dialectical usage netted fully with pun, metaphor,

similes etc.,

These textual features of the text in Mallanna Katha reminds of the

audience of their usage in the actual social interactions which is normally filled

with jokes, proverbs, riddles and other forms of expressions, such as

exclamations, queries etc. Another interesting feature in the language of the

play itself that it is textured so as to accommodate the very theme of Mallanna

Katha, which is based on matrimonial. Marriage being a social event, involves

the people of community in various roles. The characters in Mallannakatha

appeared to replicate such roles through the usage of language in a highly

normative way as one can find in the actual social event of marriage. This being

the case, the propriety of the characters is maintained true to the

characterisation through the language that is spoken by the persons performing

such role in the daily life. For instance, the female characters that take up the

roles as mother, brides, mother-in-law and sister-in-laws etc., speak the

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language in accordance to the roles they are performing. Similarly the

characters of Tobacco vendor (setty) bandit etc., are depicted from the

community's viewpoint what they think of such characters. This form of thinking

is clearly marked out by using the language that suits to these characters. It is

important to note that language being the medium of expression, it is expressed

artistically to communicate the narrative through song-speech continuum.

Songs are used in such a way that it forms the core of events in the play. In

other words a basic narrative structure is netted through song sequence. The

speech on the other is used to inform the audience of various actions involved

in an event of narrative. The dance in the sequence fulfils the rhythmic tendency

of both the song-speech only to fulfil the intensity of the actions in the narrative.

This being the case the speech is more flexible and therefore takes liberty in

interacting with the audience by way of jokes, chitrakathalu (short stories)

proverbs, riddles etc. This is done in an utmost spontaneous improvisation form.

Dialogues / monologues of the characters in the narrative belong to the sphere

of speech and therefore remain flexible. Songs in the narrative follow metrical

style which infact give an identification of the narrative of the genre known as

Oggu Katha. This metrical form determines the rhythm of the musical

accomplices such as oggudolu which is the prime instrument that makes the

bard identifiable as oggus. Therefore song-speech-dance continuum becomes

core of the genre of Oggu Katha, without which the genre looses the very

identity as a form of narrative.

V.2. ACTOR:

This dual-role held by the performer demands a greater amount

of psychological skills and energy. The following varied scenes

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depict the above said complexity as a performer of this narrative

form, one holds in his psychological skills and energy

The second unit is 'Actor" in the theatrical grammar of Oggu Katha. Actor

in the theatrical grammar is the means through which the narrative is

communicated. In Oggu Katha the narrator himself is the actor and performs

various characters. In other words the narrator-character continuum becomes

the realm of the enactment. The shift of the narrator from the character and

vise-versa is the crux of the theatrical form in Oggu Katha. This finding is

important because unlike in the regular main stream theatre where actors form

a separate slot and represent the character which they are playing. In Oggu

Katha the narrator combines in himself the performative skills and represent not

only the character which is playing but the very narrative which he is

interpreting. This actor-interpreter composition of the narrator is unique to Oggu

Katha performance and forms the basis of the theatrical grammar of this genre.

For this reason the narrator represents the narrative from a performer viewpoint

and at the same time interprets it from an audience viewpoint. Therefore every

performance becomes unique. Nevertheless what is common to every

performance is the skills of the actors. In other words actor becomes the

common trait in every Oggu Katha performance.

As stated already, the narrator shifts himself from the character and vise-

versa through the expression of his skills related to body, voice and psyche.

Through these skills the narrator informs the audience of the characters which

he is playing and also the events of the narrative which he performed. The

acting skills of the narrator with the help of mime-movement, song-speech,

emotion-mood create visual effect, sound effect and aesthetic effect to the
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narrative and makes the performance live. What is interesting to note here is

that the performer unlike in the modern theatre does not take up a secondary

role in manifesting the text but becomes a text by himself, therefore becomes a

prime unit in theatrical grammar of Oggu Katha. As an embodiment of the text,

the narrator performs the text by shifting himself between the roles of narrator

and character. The very circular movement that predominates in the

performance reveals the centrifocal position of the actor in the theatrical

grammar of Oggu Katha. The circular movements of the actors either done by

revolving around himself or moving round to make a circular pattern posit the

text of Oggu Katha as one which is actor-centric. The vertical or horizontal lines

are used in the theatre mostly as to convey the spatial relationship between the

characters and events in the play. In Oggu Katha this being void the actor

creates spatial relationship of the character through the skills as mentioned

above. Therefore in Oggu Katha the power of narration lies in the actor and

authority of the characters depends upon the acting skills of the narrator. For

this reason a limited number of properties are used by the narrator while

depicting the characters and events of the play. These properties are quite

simple and common and do not occupy much space as they do usually in the

main stream theatre. They are void of any decor. Yet when used as properties

in the narrative they occupy larger spaces at the mental construction. The

images created through these properties by the narrator as representing a

character gives dignity and decorum to the scene he is performing. Therefore

actor becomes the means or vehicle in communicating the text.

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V.3. SPACE

The third unit is space in the theatrical grammar of Oggu Katha. In the

process of communicating the text the actor (narrator) uses space as advice to

create meanings to the text. Space here refers to two types of which are used in

general theatrical and performance studies parlance as context. As mentioned

in the discussion on theatre grammar in this study the context refers to two

types. One is the physical context and the other is social context. The physical

context of Oggu Katha refers to the actual place of the performance and the

social context refers the places of the narrative. This being the case the narrator

manipulates two types of spaces in course of performance. They are narrative

space and the narrator's space. Narrator's space is one where the narrator

shifts from the role of the actor and character. The narrative space is one which

where the characters played by the narrator move. However, the movements

that occur within the narrative space and narrator's space or between them

actually further the performance. In fact it is not the tale that progress the

narrative in the performance but it is the manipulation of these spaces that

progress the narration into a performance. This is the unique feature in the

Oggu Katha performance because; the spatial movements as manipulated by

the narrator become the zone of interaction between the performer and the

audience. This interaction is crucial because Oggu Katha as stated already

belongs to the ritual theatre. Without the participation of the audience the Oggu

Katha performance will not progress. Only when the narrator manipulates the

space, the audience find themselves relevant to the performance and therefore

do not hesitate to participate in rituals narrated in the performance. The theme

being the mallanna's marriages the performer becomes the pujari and the

audience become invitees. The whole drama transcends from the physical
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realm to the metaphysical realm during the performance by intelligent

manipulation of space by the narrator.

These skills of manipulation of space are inevitable for the narrator to

incorporate the audience into the spaces of performance for meaningful

participation. Unless and otherwise, this is achieved the performance itself

looses its validity and therefore its very existence. The concept of space

becomes the vital nerve for the performance because it is a space which is

nothing but the embodiment of context of both physical and mental and

incorporates on a linear plane, the performer and the audience. Once this is

achieved the performers through performance manipulate vertical and

horizontal line relationships with their audience during performance.

V.4. AUDIENCE

The fourth is audience. For any ritual theatre audience will be of two

types and also is so in Oggu Katha form. One the internal audience the other

the external audience. The internal audience are the community of the folk who

own the text and therefore exercise knowledge over the performance sequence

of the text. They are internal also because it is through text that they maintain

relationship with the narrator. It is not only the story of their god but also it is

their story. Performance therefore for them is nothing but the manifestation of

the text. The narrators being the manifestoes assure their internal audience a

blissful state in which both share a sense of experience in their god. This

phenomenon is crucial to demarcate audience between internal and external.

The narrator who invariably the bard, and therefore has a right to perform the

text of the audience, manipulates the events in the text so as to transcend their

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audience to different levels of experience. These experiences during the

performance manifested through the actions of the audience in terms of

participation in the performance. The internal audience oscillates their positions

while watching the performance between the devotees to donors. As devotees

they fulfil their vows during performance and seek blessings from the narrator

who takes up the position of priest. As priest the narrator officiates the ritual

possession and mediates between the spirits of the gods and the devotees

(audiences). In this state spatial relationship between the performers and the

audience is of vertical where in the performer / narrator as priest elevates

himself to a higher position than to the audience. As donors the audience

contrary to the former position exercise higher positions than the narrator /

performer during the performance. At the events of marriage of Mallanna the

internal audience offers gifts both in kind and cash. Traditionally known as

Katnams to the narrator / performer. In fact the narrator infuses a sense of

belonging to the audience who perceive themselves as the invitees to the

marriage and to express that status they offer gifts. In between these two levels

the audience oscillate to varied positions and express themselves as critics, and

contributors to the performers by way of supplying hand properties when

needed, suppliers of the refreshments to the performer / narrator, suppliers of

finances to the performance etc. It does not mean that all internal audience

change their positions but a few according to the need oscillate between these

levels. In other words internal audience do have a hierarchy within them. As

sponsors and during ritually possession some of the internal audience rise

themselves into higher level than the others. Yet all the internal audience

experience the performance as if it belongs to them and by virtue of creating

varied levels within these audience, the narrator through the performance

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reaches the audience. This varied levels are created by the narrator

intentionally so as to ensure as sense of aspiration, among the audience.

The external audience are those who do not belong to the community of

Kurumas / Gollas or those mentally do not associate themselves with this

performance. By being external to the performance, as audience they do not

share the sense of belonging to the text and to the events of performance.

Mostly as by standers they watch the performance and comment on it. They do

not part take in the rituals as devotees. Yet their presence also makes an

impact over the narrator. To reach out the larger audience the narrator also tries

to gratify these external audience through the performance. In this sense the

role of audience by being internal and external in Oggu Katha performance

appear as the notable feature culminating in a fusion along with narrative,

narrator and the performance. The fusion in the sense that it takes place

between the traditional and modernity, conventions and inventions and devotion

and entertainment.

To surmise, the Oggu Katha performance is structured on a theatrical

grammar of its own with the combination of four basic units such as performer

audience and text and context. All the four units are equally important and

therefore maintain a unitary relationship with each other on a linear basis. Only

the observer be it audience, researcher, academician, theater practitioner, etc.,

perceive a vertical relationship between these units by virtue of being in a

position while watching the performance. The vertical relationship intrinsically

means positioning a hierarchy within these four units. For this reason every

study of every performance looks differentially and yet contributes to the

general epistemology in theatre grammar.

196
. 1 . Entrance gate of the Mallanna Temple, Inole

III.2 Mallanna Temple, Inole

197
 III.3. Inscription in Mallanna Temple, Inole

III.4 Rites performed at the Choultry, Mallanna Temple, Inole

198
III.5. Oggu Pujaries conducting the marriage (laggam)

III.6. Jaggu

199
III.7. Rites performed by the Pujaries at the Choultry, Mallanna Temple, Inole

III.8. Oggudolu

200
IV.9. Kathakudu as Neelima Devi in labour pains and Vanthakudu as her
friend

IV 10. Kathakudu as Akumanchi Devi asking for child and Vanthakudu as

Neelima Devi

201
IV.11. Kathakudu as Mallanna and Vanthakudu as Sanganna

IV 12. All the narrators in female roles (Mallanna's aunts)

202
 IV.13. Kathakudu as bandit (Mallanna) in disguise. Vanthakudu as
Mallanna's aunt

IV 14. Kathakudu as Muslim messenger and Vanthakudu as Mallanna's

sister-in-law

203
IV.15. Kathakudu as Mallanna's brother and Vanthakudu as his
sister-in-law

IV.16. Kathakudu as Mallanna's brother and Vanthakudu as his

sister-in-law

204
 IV.17. Vanthakudu as Mallanna

IV.18. Kathakudu as Mallanna and Vanthakudu as Bapana Ratnangi

205
IV.19. Kathakudu as Mallanna and Vanthakudu as Bapana Ratnangi

IV.20. Kathakudu as Kotimarri Setti and Vanthakudu as Balijalingalu

206
IV.21. Kathakudu as Kotimarri Setti and Vanthakudu as Balijalingalu

IV.22. Aunt of Mallanna hiding under the cot

201
IV.23. Vaani improvised as saree

IV.24. Vaani improvised as turban

208
IV.25. Vaani improvised as turban

IV.26. Vaani improvised as turban

209
 IV.27. Vaani improvised as cradle

IV.28. Rumaal (hand kerchief) improvised as baby

210
 IV.29. Rumaal (hand kerchief) improvised as letter

IV.30. Rumaal improvised as koppu and gutka packet as flowers

211
IV.31. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as bundle of firewood

IV.32. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as reins of horses

212
 IV.33. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as knife

IV.34. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as garden lizard

213
 IV.35. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as tarazu

IV.36. Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as magic stick

214
IV.37. Long stick and Chetikarra (hand stick) improvised as pounding
shafts

IV.38. Long stick improvised as used by the shepherd

215
IV.39. Mimetic improvisation of shankam (conch)

IV.40. Mimetic improvisation of giving fruit

216
 IV.41 Mimetic improvisation of mirror

IV.42. Mimetic improvisation of weaving thread

217
IV.43. Performers doing spontaneous movement

IV.44. Performers doing rhythmic movement

218
IV.45. Performers doing rhythmic movement

IV.46. Performers doing circular movement

219
 IV.47. Place of performance

IV.48. Straight lines formed by the performers in the space

220
IV.49. Half strong positions of the performers in the space

IV.50. Performers making circular movement in the space

221
IV 51. Location of an event in the narrative

IV.52. Performers creating the space

222
IV.53. Audience at Inole

IV.54. Audience at Inole

223
 GLOSSARY

Aaragimpu Food offering made to the god

Ambali Rice soup

Ambatala Evenining time

Ashta Diggajaputulu Eight demi-gods who rule the

eight directions viz.,Indra,
Agni, Yama, Nyruna, Varuna,
Vayu, Kubera, Eesana

Balije Trading caste

Bandari Turmeric powder which is used

in worship and believed to be
auspecious.

Bapana Brahmin caste

Bicham Alms

Biksham Alms

Biyyappindi Rice flour

Bonam I Bonalu The pot in which the food

offered to god is taken during
certain rituals. The Bonam is
carried on head.

Bonkatam Bluffing

Bottu The vermelion mark on the fore

head, put on by Hindu women
(not widows). Widowed women
are forbidden to apply the
mark.

Boyinam Food

Butti Basket made of bamboo staves

224
Chandanam Sandalwood paste

Chilukala patnam One of varieties of sacred

design and drawn on the floor
by the Oggu pujaries.

Chinna indulu(vindulu) The small dinner that is

followed after the wedding
ceremony in Golla community.

Chitrakathalu Different anecdotes that are

narrated by the Oggu performer
for the comic relief. These
are knitted in between the
main story and are essentially
improvised texts.

Dandivaram The Sunday which comes after

the Kartika Amavasya or Sat
tiamasa is called Dandivaram
or the big week (dark moon day
in the month of February
(magha maasa).

Erukalasani Fortune teller (Erukala is a

caste and their women often
referred to an Erukalasani are
sooth sayers - They make
predictions which are called
godi or gadde: The character
of Erukalasani very com
monly figures in several folk
narratives in Andhra Pradesh.

Gadapakadagutam A purification wash of the

threshold by the house on
various occassions.

Gauramma Goddess Gouri

Golla A pasioral community in Andhra

Pradesh.

Ingulam Fire

225
Intipatnam The sacred design, drawn in
household rituals by the
Oggu Pujaries.

Jaggu A percussion instrument, which

is called as Damarukam in
classical version.

Jangamayya Devara Jangama is a saivite mendicant

Jangamas are priests to lingayts

Jolapatalu Lullaby songs

Jole A cloth sting bag usually carried

by those seeking alms

Jonnalu Jawar

Kacheri A village level court

Kanda An act in the Oggu Katha is

called as Kanda.

Kandukam A moat around a fort

Kangollu The wooden slates used to draw

patnalu.

Karri aavu Black cow

Katha Story.

Katnalu Gifts given to the bride and

bridegroom after the wedding
ceremony.

Kattelu A wooden shaft and also fire

wood.

Kobbera kudukalu Dry coconut shells

Komati Vysya caste

Kumkum Vermilion powder

226
Kurumaguda A ward where the kurumas live

Kurutnollu A subsect in the pastoral

community in Andhra Pradesh.

Laggam An auspicious time fixed to

conduct rites such as mar
riage, thread ceremony, enter
ing into new house, naming the
new born etc.

Logili Courtyard

Mailaru Devudu God Mallanna is refered to as

Mailaru Devudu in Inolu.

Mailapatnalu A kind of patnam drawn for

purification of the precinets
of the household for performing
the rituals)

Mallanna Panduga The festival of Mallanna

celebrated from the time of
Sankranti to Ugadi (January 12
AprilJ)

Mallanna Puranam The myth of Mallanna, the

caste deity of the pastoral
community in Andhra Pradesh.

Manda Herd of sheep, or goats or

Cattle

Mangalaaratulu The songs sung when the aarati

or lighting of camphor is
offerred during rituals.

Mangali Barber

Moduguku A leaf whose powder is used for

drawing patnam

227
Mokkulu Vows taken by the devotees on
the name of god to obtain re
wards.

Mutyala polu The patnam drawn with rice by

the Oggu Pujari in the mariages
of the pastoral community
(Muthyam is a pearl)

Na gave Hi A rite observed in the wedding

ceremony of gollas conducted
by the Oggu Pujaries.

Oggonipalli A village near Warangal which

takes the names of Oggu,
because the residents of the
village are Oggu katha performer
and village is a single
segment.

Oggu dolu A percussion instrument used

in Oggu Katha.

Oggu pujari The performers of Oggu Katha,

/who officiate the rites of passage of
kurumas/gollas

Paadalu Feet

Pacha Turmeric powder

Green colour

Palakalu Slates

Palupattu A ritual practice seen in the

wedding of gollas dring which
the milk is poured in a bronze
vessel and then some songs on
Mallanna or Beerappa are sung
and then the Oggu Pujari
drinks the milk.

Pandugalu Festivals

Pasupu Mudda A daub of turmeric powder

made into a conical shape.

228
Patnam A sacred design drawn by the
Oggu Pujaries to conduct
various rites. The patnam is
believed to be the place or
dias where the god or goddess
is invited to accept the
offerings.

Pattikankanam Bracelet made of cotton.

Pedda gampa Big basket.

Pedda indulu (vindulu) The big dinner arranged after

the marriage cermony in
kurumas/gollas community.

Pedda patnam The several patnams drawn

collectively by many Oggu
Pujaries during the Pedda
Panduga (Sankranti to Ugadi)
in the various cult centres.

Pendli kuturu Bride

Pendli melam Music band used in marriages

Pidakalu Cowdung cakes used to lit up

the fire.

Polu daram The thread running across the

small mud pots used as borders
in patnam.

Polu munthalu Small mud pots placed at the

four corners of the patnam.

Puste Wedding locket tied around the

neck of the bride by groom at
the time of marriage.

Puste kattadam Tying the puste

Putta Termite mound/snake mound/ant

hill.

229
Puttu bangaram Soil taken from snake mound is
called bangaram or gold which
is believed to have medicinal
and ritual properties.

Puwaku Tobacco leaves

Rokkum Money

Santu Progeny

Satram A choultry where the devotees

stay.

Satti amasa Kartika Amavasya (it falls on

dark moon day)

Suryanamaskuram The Oggu Pujari makes the

newly wedded couple to bow to
the surya deva or sun god
which is called Suryanamas
karam

Tagaru Gold

Talavalu Rice mixed with turmeric

powder used in marriage which
is placed on the heads of the
bride and the bride groom by
each other. Talavalu is called
as Talambralu also.

Tamalapaku Beetel leaf

Tangedaku A leaf of Wrightia tinctoria whose

powder is used in drawing patnams.

Thellapindi White powder

Trisulam Trident

Unnikankanam Bracelet made of wool.

Vaani Half saree .

230
Vaddera An occupational caste of stone
cutters

Vanthakudu Accompanying artiste who

usually supports with the
chorus and also performs
various characters

231