A play with a history of 50 years comes to the Ranga Shankara stage

'' presents the timeless conflict between good and evil. The Gowda represents Evil, Basanna and the Gowdithi (the Gowda's wife) represent Goodness. But the dramatist has carried the symbolism a step further, and this has the effect of deepening the significance of the fable. Evil is associated with sterility and goodness with fertility. The Gowda is the ruthless tyrant, who lends money only to ruin the simple folk, and even gets people murdered for the sake of their land. And his boast of conquests is endless and shameless, yet he is impotent, and all his boast is meant only to cover this defect. His wife yearns for a child, but it is only Basanna who can fulfill her desire. Through the symbol of sexual fertility, the theme reveals a real social problem of property and ownership - does the tiller own the land or the landlord.

'Jokumaraswamy' is a in modern times cast in an ancient mold. The form chosen by the dramatist is the Bayalaata - a kind of folk play that has been in vogue in Karnataka for centuries. This is a form with an oral tradition, and, as Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar himself has said in a paper, begins in worship and ends in worship. The latest show of this play is being presented today at Ranga Shankara and it marks the 50th year of the staging of this landmark production of Bengaluru based theatre troupe Benaka. Grab your tickets to watch it!