Fourteen-year-old Manaswini Avvari, who was born and brought up in the US, chose to present the role of Gollabhama with a philosophic concept of Gollakalapam recently at Ravindra Bharati.
She teamed with her guru P. Ramadevi, who trained her in this Kalapam on her request and played the crucial role of Bhama.
C. Narayana Reddy, film actor Jamuna and Sobha Raju, guests at the show, were all praise for the girl and her ability to spell every word perfectly combining well with her character presentation skills.
The function was presided over by Prof. Sudershan Singh of Telugu University. Bhagavatula Seturam, who heads the Dance department of Telugu University and grandson of Ramayya, who penned Gollakalapam was the central figure to teach this Kalapam first to P. Ramadevi and then to Manaswini.
Imagine Gollabhama setting out to sell curd and buttermilk questioning a taunting Brahmin what qualified him to call himself a Brahmin.
This subject written a century ago in his Brahmana village Kuchipudi, must have raised many eyebrows. Yet Bhagavatula Ramayya dared to write on this subject with an intention to open the eyes of Brahmins. A look at the whole drama set in Kalapam aims at narrating what makes man a Brahmin. The script also deals with what is called ‘Pindotpatti Prakaranam’, narrating how conception of a woman takes place.
The Kalapam began with Pravesa Daruvu – Gollabhama Vachenu , a typical Kuchipudi presentation. The structure of the drama was basically a question answer session in song and prose, the song part coming from the wings and the explanative lines appearing in dialogue form between a Brahmin and Gollabhama, played by Ramadevi costumed to look like her character and Manaswini as Gollabhama.
Srivalli Sarma and Pasumarti Seshubabu lent vocal support. Mridangam was by Renuka Prasad.
