Warangal: Folk art form Oggu Katha silently fading into oblivion

Warangal: The Oggu Katha, a traditional folk theatre that reflects culture, custom and tradition of a community, is seemingly sinking into oblivion after many a generation dedicated their lives evolving it to the highest level of riveting excellence. The art form which appears to be on the verge of extinction is popular in the erstwhile districts of Warangal, Karimnagar, Nalgonda and Rangareddy.

Oggu Katha which involves song and dance performance depicting the Hindu Gods Mallanna, Beerappa and Yellamma etc. lost a considerable patronage over the years. The Oggu Katha has its heydays. The likes of Chukka Sattaiah of Warangal district, Midde Ramulu of Karimnagar district and Devuni (Achchana) Mallaiah brought national recognition to folk art. Sattaiah went on to receive Sangeet Natak Akademi from former President APJ Abdul Kalam. Potti Sriramulu Telugu University conferred Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on Sattaiah in 2005 for his immense contribution to folk art.

Performing Oggu Katha isn't just a piece of art for the Golla-Kuruma communities. The artistes consider it as an art form of worshipping and narrating the stories of their caste gods. As time elapsed, the ancient art form fell from grace of the people, leaving Oggu artistes high and dry.

Speaking to The Hans India, Telangana Oggu Janapada Kalakarula Sangham State Committee member Kadaboina Lingaiah said, "With no patronage from the people to the art form and lack of support from the government, Oggu artistes are leading distressful lives. The art form will soon disappear if the government fails to rescue the artistes. Already, a sizable number of artistes migrated to other works to eke out a living." An Oggu troupe gets a paltry Rs 5,000 for their performance. These days, all that they get is a couple of offers in a month.

There are at least 300 artistes who depended on the art form to make a living, Lingaiah said. He said that the Oggu artistes are not only confined to narrating Hindu gods but they also played a major role in transmitting the government's welfare and developmental programmes. The members of Telangana Oggu Janapada Kalakarula Sangham which recently met in Hanumakonda had urged the government to provide livelihood opportunities through Telangana Culture Department. The Sangham also urged the government to provide pensions, insurance, jobs, free bus passes etc to the artistes.