On Friday 15-May-2026, the newspaper supplement announced blandly that the famous Kannada actor and singer Dr. B. Jayashree and a group would be performing "Saavirada Sharanavva" on Saturday. Both my wife and I are fans of her musical talent. We also knew of her fame in theatre. It was natural that I booked two tickets - after checking with my wife!
The essence of the show was Dr. Jayashree talking about her life and experience in Kannada theatre interspersed with songs from her plays. For a couple of hours, I was transported to the world of theatre. The show was beautiful. The women singers accompanying Dr. B. Jayashree backed her up admirably, as did the men. The accompanying musicians were also good.
In the rest of this blog post, I will be stating what Dr.Jayashree said, but this is only from my memory. I am sure that the words were different. Also, I am translating what she said in Kannada to English. I did not use my mobile phone at all during the performance, so there could be inaccuracies, please excuse me for that.
Dr. Jayashree began with an invocation to the God Ganapati, according to tradition, a song sung with devotion. Commencing the description of her life, she said: "I entered the stage at the age of four!" This means that she has completed more than 70 years on the stage. It is incredible how she displays the enthusiasm of someone who is much younger! During her performance, the ladies who were supporting her as singers offered her water periodically, the only concession that I saw her make regarding her age.
Her voice sounded as if she were in her twenties! One attractive feature of her singing is her range. It was our privilege to hear the range in her music and voice live. The manner in which she sang at a high pitch took my breath away.
She narrated an incident from her childhood: "We were doing dhyaanaa (meditation) together. I felt something on my foot, but I ignored it. The sensation continued, so I peeked a glance. What I saw shocked me. There was a pool of blood near my foot. I cried out to my mother. She came to me and took me away, admonishing me 'Be silent, you are disturbing the others!'"
Dr. Jayashree's mother was Malathamma, the daughter of Gubbi Veeranna, who is regarded as the father of Kannada theatre. His dedication has passed on to his daughter and granddaughter. Theatre earned Gubbi Veeranna fame and prosperity. He continued to inculcate discipline and dedication among all those associated with his group. In Dr. Jayashree's own words: "This respect for others was ingrained in the theatre company. My mother set the standard at a very young age for me!"
Dr. Jayashree started her own theatre company called "Spandana" later. The foundation for it must have been her experience with the theatre company started by Gubbi Veeranna. She described the feeling of camaraderie while talking about a scene in a play in which the God Lord Rama meets the monkey God Hanuman for the first time. She recalled: "The actor who played Hanuman had a small resentment that it is always Rama who earns the applause of the audience. The music director and the director recognised his discontent. In the next show, the music director and director embellished the music and the scene of the meeting between Lord Rama and Hanuman. The change worked wonders. The audience applauded the performance of the actor playing Hanuman! In this manner, the theatre company was a place where people built on each other's strengths. It was like people ascending the steps together!" What a classic example of teamwork we see here!
"Talent was recognised and rewarded. After a show, my grandfather roamed about Mysuru. While going around, he heard a lady singing 'Harikathe' (devotional stories in the form of songs of the God Lord Hari or Vishnu). Captivated by the voice and the devotion, my grandfather asked the lady her name. She was popularly called Harikathamma, but her name was actually Vishalakshamma. 'Will you come with me and work with me in theatre?', asked my grandfather. 'I am not alone. I have my husband and four children in my family.', informed Vishalakshamma. 'That is no problem, mother, please bring them also!', said my grandfather. Vishalakshamma and her family joined the group and stayed with it.", narrated Dr. Jayashree. She followed this incident with one of Vishalakshamma's Harikathe songs.
Gubbi Veeranna introduced many innovations in theatre. Dr. Jayashree described a set where tall doors were used as the doors of Vaikuntha (paradise, loosely) in a play.
She described how three trolleys were used on the stage in another play about Ramayana. It took ten men to haul each trolley. The spotlight on the left would be on as a trolley with the actor came in from the left. Then the spotlight on the right would turn on as another trolley with props and actor would emerge on the right. The trolley on the left would be taken away. As the actor in the right trolley concluded his/ her dialogue, from the top of the stage, the third trolley would appear! The actor would deliver his/ her lines and as the light faded, the trolley would go away! The visual effect on the stage must have been magical for the audience to witness! Listening to Dr. Jayashree speak, I got a better idea of the importance of theatre and art, in general.
Another aspect that struck me was the overlap of different arts in Kannada theatre. Of course, music was an integral part of the plays. Equally, legends in poetry and literature like H. S. Venkatesh Murthy and Chandrasekhar Kambar were associated with the group. The music composer Kalinga Rao joined the theatre company, enriching it.
Dr. Jayashree sang several songs, mingling music and memories in a superb manner. She spoke of plays like "Sadarame" and "Hayavadana" directed by Girish Karnad. I was transported in my mind to a golden age of Kannada theatre, when electronic media had not yet made its presence felt as much as it has now.
The freedom struggle in the 1940s affected Gubbi Veeranna and his theatre group. On one instance, the British explicitly censured a scene about outsiders. How then was the message of the freedom struggle to be conveyed? Dr. Jayashree explained: "In the Ramayana, Shooparnakhi has her nose and ears cut by Lakshmana. The play featured a scene where she goes to her brother, the demon king (loosely translated) Raavana and complains about the harm inflicted on her. Raavana replies to her in fury, 'Who are these outsiders to do this to you? I will roll them up in my mat and send them away!'" The lines appeared to be naturally written in the context of the play, but to the audience aware of the injustices perpetrated by the British in the country, the true meaning must have led to louder applause during this particular scene!
It was not that there was no sadness. Dr. Jayashree sang a song about the twin sons of Lord Rama, named Luv and Khush. After it ended, she said: "My mother played the part of Goddess Sita, the mother of Luv and Khush. There was a loud scream from her at the end of the song. The electric cables had tangled around her and given her a shock. The mains were switched off and the cable was untangled. My mother was conscious but in pain. Even in that pain, she said: 'My legs are hurt, I will be unable to act. Find a replacement!' She was taken to the hospital and recovered somewhat, but she could never act on the stage again. Meanwhile, on that evening the audience was aware of the disruption. 'Will the play be cancelled?' was the murmur from the audience. One of the theatre group announced: 'Please don't worry. The play will resume in 30 minutes.' Another lady actor was prepped for the role of Sita and the play was completed eventually. However, the song affected me. Whenever I sing it, the memories of the accident and my mother's condition are evoked." Dr. Jayashree paused here and we could see that she was emotional. This song led us to the interval.
Dr. Jayashree sung devotional songs, sugama sangeet (light music, loosely) and songs that sounded a bit like rap music! I have discussed about her vocal range. She sang a lullaby where the other end of her vocal range was explored. At the end of the song, she pretended to hand over the sleeping baby to one of the ladies accompanying her. This lady also got into the act and acted as if she placed the infant on a cot behind her! Later, Dr. Jayashree said: "What you saw here is something that is universal. I performed this song in Cairo where people did not know Kannada nor 'our' culture. At the end of the song, I pretended to hand over the baby to a lady in the audience. She got up, acting as if she were in a panic about handling an unfamiliar baby, anxiously said 'Oh, see the baby!' and then pretended to place the child on her seat! Some emotions are universal. What was surprising was what happened later. A learned gentleman came to me and asked if I had been the Upper Nile in the North. When I asked why, he replied that he had seen a similar sounding lullaby there!" We say that the world has shrunk in the 20th century, but that may be our arrogance!
Kalinga Rao was a music composer who incorporated various influences. In a couple of songs, the British beat music with its focus on drums was played, which was his idea. It was a treat to see Dr. Jayashree's playfulness in all the songs. She would stand next to the lady singers at times, she would go to the harmonium musician or the tabla player at other times. She sung in her melodious voice and stood facing the musicians. For a couple of songs, the musicians set up rhythmic clapping enabling the audience to join. All in all, it made for superb entertainment. One point I recall is that while the accompanying singers had sheets of the songs, Dr. Jayashree sang for most of the evening with only the microphone in front of her!
I was surprised when Dr. Jayashree spoke about Maxim Gorky's book "Mother". I had read the book when I was in school and remembered a socialist story of a mother who supports her son's revolutionary ideas. It amazes me that Kannada theatre picked up such a novel and made an adaptation of it into a song (perhaps it is a song in a play, I have forgotten), which Dr. Jayashree sang.
The evening concluded with a song from the play "Saavirada Sharanavva". A couple of people from the audience whistled when Dr. Jayashree announced this. It was a fitting finale to the evening.
I went to the performance expecting to be dazzled by the musical talent of Dr. Jayashree. This was certainly fulfilled! What I was unprepared for was the learning about Kannada theatre and the synergy between theatre, music and poetry! It was the proverbial icing on the cake and it was completely unexpected!
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