Burra katha, also spelled as Burrakatha, is a story telling technique used in villages of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India. The troupe consists of one main performer and two co-performers. It is a narrative entertainment consists of prayers, solo drama, dance, songs, poems and jokes. The topic will be either a hindu mythological story or a contemporary social problem. , Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: , Urdu: ), the Rice Bowl of India, is a state in southern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... A Hindu ( , Devanagari: हिन्दु), as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, and the religious, philosophical and cultural system that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Etymology

Burra is referred to Tambura, a musical instrument with a hallow shell and attached strings. Katha means story.

Burrakatha photo from vepachedu research foundation

Burra means a skull in telugu. The shell resembles a human skull. It is made of baked clay or dried pumpkin, or of brass and copper. The instrument looks very similar to Veena and the performer can pull and press strings to get music. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... It has been suggested that temporal fenestra be merged into this article or section. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language (South-Central Dravidian languages) primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ... Woman playing the Veena. ...

Alternative names

The name "Burrakatha" refers to same art in entire Andhra Pradesh, but there are also local names to the art in each region. , Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: , Urdu: ), the Rice Bowl of India, is a state in southern India. ...

• Coastal region - Jangam Katha
• Rayalaseema - Tandana katha or suddulu
• Telangana - Tamboora katha or sarada katha.

History

Burrakatha started as devotional songs of nomadic people and became a popular art form and is played on Radio and TV regularly in Andhra Pradesh. It is a new name (twentieth century) for the theater show known as Jangam Katha. The jangams were wandering minstrels who worshiped and sang of Siva. Two performers participated in these plays: the storyteller and his wife. With societal and cultural changes, the secular aspect was incorporated into this form. Modern form has three performers of any gender. , Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: , Urdu: ), the Rice Bowl of India, is a state in southern India. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

Popular Hindu artists were Pendyala Venkateswarrao, Paruchuri Ramakotayya, Sirivisetti Subbarao, Kosuri Punnayya, Govardhana, Kakumanu Subbarao, Davuluru, Chintalal Suryanarayana etc. Women also formed groups, e.g., Moturi Udayam, Chintala Koteswaramma, Mahankali Lakshmi, Sridevi sisters etc. Popular non Hindu artists are Abraham Bhagavatar, Manohara Kavi, Khader Khan Sahib etc.

Modern form

The main story teller(called as Kathakudu) narrates the story. He plays Tambura and dances to music. He also wears a metal ring on his right thumb, holds another ring in his other hand and adds more music by colliding them frequently. The co-performers plays dakki(also called as gummeta or budike), earthen drums with two heads. All three will be wearing anklets(also called as andelu or gajjelu), which add even more music when they dance.

The right side performer(called as the hasyaka, means joker) acts as a joker and cracks satires and jokes. The left side performer(called as the rajakiya, means politician) acts as a person who knows worldly ways and talks about politics and social issues. The main performer and co-performers constantly addressing each other. The co-performers interrupts him with doubts, and they sometimes add emphasis the main events in the story with short words similar to "Wow!" and "That it it".

Whenever the main performer sings a song, he starts with "vinara veera kumara veera gadha vinara" followed by the co-performers singing "tandhana tane tandhana na", hence it is also called 'tandana katha'.

Significance

Burra katha was a pastime event in villages. It is seen even now during Dussehra or Sankranti festival seasons to describe events in epics like Ramayan and Mahabharat. Dussehra (also transliterated as Dasara) or Vijaya Dasami is an important Hindu festival. ... Sankranthi, or Sankranti, is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of India. ... Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman(crouching) The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is the great religious, philosophical and mythological epic of India. ...

It played effective role in conveying message to people and awakening them during Indian Independence Movement. Burrakatha was banned in Madras by the British government and in Hyderabad kingdom by Nizam government, because it was the medium to enlighten the people of the current political situation in various political meetings. The Indian independence struggle incorporated the efforts by Indians to liberate the region from British rule and form the nation-state of India. ... Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

The local administration sometimes uses this to send messages on family planning, farming, banking, or politics in rural areas. The Christians and Muslims are also using it now a days to describe the stories of Jesus and Mohammad. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

See also

• Katha_-_The_Art_Of_Story_Telling_In_India
• Harikatha
• Dance forms of Andhra Pradesh

Katha is the art of story telling in India ~ A Jewel In The Treasure Chest Of Indian Culture. ... Harikatha (lit. ... // Kuchipudi Classical Dance Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi a dance form given to the Indian dance platform by a small village in the Andhra Pradesh. ...

External links

• Burrakatha origins
• Burrakatha description
• Burrakatha as art
• Story telling techniques in south India