A two-day workshop, ‘Echoes of Telangana Folklore’ on ‘Oggu Katha: Performance and Documentation’ was held at the Centre for Folk Culture Studies, School of Social Sciences (SSS), University of Hyderabad (UoH) on the 23rd and 24th of September, 2024, making it one of a kind in the Institution of Eminence UoH Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
The Centre in coordination with the Department of Language and Culture (DoLC), Government of Telangana brought together the ensemble of Oggu Katha performers from Komuravelli, Telangana, students and academicians for a hands-on experience of Oggu Katha performance. The first day saw the Head of the Centre, Dr, Joly Puthussery, spearheading the initiative with the welcome address. He expressed his gratitude to Professor B. J. Rao, Vice-chancellor, UoH, Professor Jyotirmaya Sharma, Dean, SSS, UoH and Dr. Mamidi Harikrishna, Director, Department of Language and Culture for the collaborative effort in conducting the workshop.
The resource person Dr. Kumara Swamy G., Assistant Professor, Christ University, Bengaluru, also an alumnus of UoH and a member of the ensemble, led the workshop facilitating the interaction between the performers and audience.
The workshop aimed at showcasing the Oggu Katha, the rich tradition of storytelling of Telangana, making it accessible to youngsters, enthusiasts, and academicians. The workshop transcends the space from Jatara, a fair, where hereditarily the performers from the Yadav, a pastoral community enact the folk narratives of their god, Mallana to the academic space of the University. A team of nine members, Singarapu Odaiah, Makkapelli Rajamallu, Jakkula Rayamallu, Nakka Chandraiah, Singarapu Bumulu, Gali Harish, Thotla Swamy, Nakka Shivaram and Balkam Surya, dressed in traditional attires was led by Singarapu Raj Kumar.
The performers depicted katha, the story accompanied by the percussion instrument, Oggu. The performance, divided into three sections began with the prayer, Ganga Prarthana followed by brief episodes of Lokakalyanam, Mallana’s marriage to Medallamma and Kethamma. The troupe also presented a few folk songs, fused with contemporaneity which drew its sources from Oggu Katha.
The second day featured an enthralling experience, eliciting interest from students and faculty of various disciplines, from across the country. They actively engaged in learning by doing to explore the nuances of the performance. With spontaneity, they engrossed in trying hands on the drum, grooving to the rhythm and taking roles as Mallanna, his wives and mother, in character and costume.
A formal vote of thanks was presented and the documentation was done by the research scholars of the Centre and the Department of Dance. The coordinator of the event, Assistant Professor Nijil V, CFCS, Dean, S.N School and faculties from the departments of Anthropology and Sociology distributed certificates of acknowledgement to the performers. The programme concluded with the prayer of prosperity, Mangala Aarathi followed by everyone joining hands, spinning around the room and reverberating to the beats. Through the efforts, the workshop forayed into promoting, preserving and passing on the cultural ethos and techniques to a wider audience to carry them forward.