He was enacting and telling stories of none other than Lord Hanuman, the figure that, to date, rules the hearts of the people of Kishkinda or present-day Hampi in the Vijayanagar district of Karnataka.
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a young Ramu -- all of six or seven years old -- would solitarily roam the villages of Bellary and Raichur districts in eastern Karnataka on foot, happy to perform on the streets and in any open-air spaces, including temples, for a few claps, a smattering of an audience and a princely sum of a few rupees, rarely exceeding 10, that was thrown to him in coins of denominations starting at 50 paisa.
But Ramu rarely complained.
After all, he was enacting and telling stories of none other than Lord Hanuman, the figure that, to date, rules the hearts of the people of Kishkinda or present-day Hampi in the Vijayanagar district of Karnataka.
Though in terms of props, he had nothing more than a humble mask and some make-up, along with a mandatory tail that he would stick on to play the monkey god, in terms of faith and folklore, he had much more.
Burrakatha and Tribal Folklore
Key Points
- Early struggle: K Ramu began performing as Hanuman on village streets as a child, earning just a few coins.
- Tribal roots: He belongs to the Budga Jangam tribe, known for the traditional storytelling art of Burrakatha.
- Keeping tradition alive: Ramu learned stories orally from his father and grandfather and now leads a 15-member family troupe.
- Growing recognition: His troupe performs across South India, including major festivals, earning ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 per show.
- Cultural mission: Ramu is committed to preserving tribal folklore and passing Hanuman's stories to the next generation.
Ramu, or more correctly K Ramu where K stands for his village, Kaddirampur, hails from a nomadic, marginalised tribe called Budga Jangam that had their roots in Warangal in Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana).
The story goes, that the tribe migrated from a dry, unyielding Warangal in the 1880s into Karnataka.
They first set foot into the thick forests of Nalamala where destiny had a game-changing move in store for them.
The tribe encountered the priest Bikshapati, who, in a way, almost mentored the tribe, helping them rediscover their ancestral lineage or gotras of Rudrakashi, Vibhuti, Yadavali and more and encouraging them to step out of the forests and go into society.
After all, the tribe had natural story-tellers and folk performers singing Burrakatah (an oral storytelling art form) and narrating hundreds of episodes from the Ramayan to the accompaniment of percussion and other instruments.
Hanuman Stories of Hampi
K Ramu shares that he picked up the repertoire of stories and songs from his father and grandfather via oral transmission, and tradition and literature that has been passed down from generation to generation.
While his grandfather had a motley bunch of three or four artists who would roam from village to village, singing songs and telling stories and entertaining villagers, who would listen, in exchange for food, shelter or money, his father faced resistance via newly-acquired television sets in the 1980s.
"People would stay indoors even on weekends and watch TV."
Budga Jangam Tribal Legacy
But that, fortunately is now a distant past. K Ramu now has a troupe of about 15 members, who, as he says, are all from the same banyan tree, meaning they are all his cousins or brothers, who have picked up the stories and the art form of Burrakatah, including the dancing and the acting -- all that goes into regaling live audiences with stories of the Ramayana, more particularly of Hanuman.
Only the men in the community are allowed to perform and sing. And therefore, all the women characters are played by the men too.
Their plots have many mythological characters, including Vali, Sugreev, Nala-Neel, Jamvant, Angad and, of course, Ram-Lakshman, Sita, Raavan and Hanuman, including a young or a Bal Hanuman.
"We narrate the story of Hanumayan in Kannada and Telugu.
"We share stories of both his bravado and his bhakti via a vast collection of padyas and shlokas -- poems and couplets; of how he rescued Ma Sita and helped form a victorious vanar-sena, a monkey army," he elucidates with evident pride.
"Born to Anjani, Lord Hanuman of course, remains the undisputed hero of Kishkinda or modern day Hampi, his birthplace. It is believed that back then, there were about 77 crore monkeys in the kingdom!"
From Street Performer to Troupe Leader
K Ramu's troupe now gets four or five performances a month, fetching them anywhere between Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,0000 per performance.
Being the only person in his group with a working knowledge of English, he gives an overview of each act in the beginning and introduces each member after the performance is over.
Thanks to performing in the open-air grounds of Virupaksha and Vitthala temples, that are teeming with tourists from all over India, as well as foreigners from many places around the globe, Ramu has succeeded in picking up English which helps him communicate with diverse audiences.
The troupe has travelled to various parts of South India including a recent performance at a Bengaluru festival in front of the state assembly or Vidhana Soudha.
Keeping Ancient Traditions Alive
The youngest member in the troupe is a boy of six named Abhi, playing Bal Hanuman.
What fills K Ramu with hope is that the upcoming generations are happier dancing and enacting tales of Hanuman and living in Hampi, over migrating to larger cities and working in offices.
"I have hope," he beams. But what about the infamous heat of Hampi where temperatures touch 45 degrees C, with the rocky landscape only making it worse?
Ramu smiles and answers: "Our ancestors collected stones from the river, ground them and made colour to apply on their faces. Those practices have changed as we now buy make-up and colour from the markets.
"We still use coconut oil generously before applying and to clean up, which safeguards our skin.
"We do not mind the rain or the heat. We are blessed with natural immunity and are happy to preserve our tribal culture and folklore and sing and enact the glory of Lord Hanuman."
That said, the troupe is happy to accept and gulp down 'cold drinks' that sometimes get offered to them by their audiences as they brave the oppressive heat and put up a performance.
Once banned by the British for its devotional and community building themes, the ancient art form of Burrakatha seems to have made a comeback, as it continues to thrive, inform and entertain and keep alive age-old mythologies and stories in a most vibrant, colourful form.
Supriya Newar is a multilingual writer and poet from Calcutta. Besides being a music aficionado, she is also an avid traveller, particularly drawn to places that have a je ne sais quoi about them.
She may be reached on connect@supriyanewar.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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