FSL India has hosted 5 long Term Volunteers for this month’s cultural event. Volunteers invited from an Indian family for lunch and ‘Yekshagana’ play. In the beginning facilitator let introduction of participants and explained about next activities. Volunteers look so excited to visit Indian family and watch folk dance Yekshagana.

The Indian family organized a religious activity as they had vow a long years ago. As the part of their vow the family organized lunch and classical dance called ‘Yekshagana’ at house. The family invited community and also volunteers. Volunteers had chance to understand more about Hindu culture and to have lunch with local people. After lunch volunteers had free time and at the same time they had one to one talk with their coordinators. Volunteers shared their experience in project, host family and about their culture experience.

This time LTV-Kundapur planned to take volunteers to a very different cultural event called ‘Yekshgana’. Yekshagana is a folk theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. This folk theater style is mainly found in the coastal districts and the Malenaduregion of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.

Yakshagana literally means the song (gana) of the yaksha, (nature spirits). Yakshagana is the scholastic name (used for the last 200 years) for art forms formerly knownaskēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, and daśāvatāra. It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during the period of the Bhakti movement. It is sometimes simply called “the play” in both Kannada and Tulu.

Even though the volunteers did not understand the dialogues as the play played in Kannada language, but they enjoyed the dance, acting and their colorful dress. At the end of the play facilitator explained about the play to the volunteers in English.

We, all LTV staff, consider this Cultural Event to be a success. Moreover, according to the volunteer’s feedback, it has actually been successful given that all feedback we have received is really positive. Everything worked well and we are really satisfied with our work and results.