The 16-day Bali in Bengaluru festival, organised by Param Foundation, brought that connection to life through Balinese dance, puppet theatre, workshops, seminars and interactive sessions. Bali and Bengaluru may lie thousands of kilometres apart, but they share a cultural inheritance rooted in Hindu traditions, temple rituals and the timeless epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata .
His daughter and disciple, Chithkala K Thunga, who has trained under him since 2007, points to Yakshagana’s spontaneous spoken dialogue as one of its defining features.
Dibia says a traditional Balinese village has three temples dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. There is no boundary,” he says. “Dance,” he adds, “can convey more than words, even without a common language. “The headgear and ornaments are made of wood and covered in golden foil, and they are tied rather than pinned, as the Natya Shastra prescribes,” she explains. Asked which role is the most challenging to portray, she says, “Sita is the most demanding role to portray as it requires a huge emotional range.
A landmark collaboration between Balinese performers and Karnataka’s Yakshagana artistes was at the heart of the festival, as they reimagined the Ramayana through two distinct theatrical traditions. Balinese grace and music met Yakshagana’s colourful costumes, expressive acting, spoken dialogue and rhythmic energy. From Ravana’s arrival and Sita’s abduction to Jatayu’s valiant fight and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, the performance demonstrated how an ancient story can cross borders and find fresh expression. Each temple has three zones: an outer public space, a transitional middle court and an inner sanctum, which is entered only after purification. Music and dance are integrated to community life, with neither absent from Balinese rituals. At the festival, Ramayana unfolded through alternating sequences of Balinese dance and Yakshagana. The opening scenes followed the Balinese tradition, while Jatayu’s battle and the monkey warriors were presented in Yakshagana style. For Yakshagana artiste K Krishnamoorthy Thunga, who has performed across India and abroad, bringing the two forms together proved to be smoother than he had anticipated. “Art is art. “Yakshagana’s musical ensemble relies on three key performers: the Bhagavata singer-narrator, and the maddale and chande drummers. They create the entire sound world, in contrast to the large Balinese orchestras,” she adds. The collaboration between Bali and Bengaluru offered a compelling reminder that, despite differences in language, music and performance, two ancient theatrical traditions can find common ground in a shared story.