The Kannada film Alindia Radio documents a rare musical tradition

A film on a Kannada folk tradition

We have a plethora of folk music traditions, where each note is a testament to the rich cultural heritage — from Karnataka’s Bhavageete, which stirs hearts with its poetic depth and the Baul musicians of Bengal, who signify devotion to Sohar of Rajasthan that celebrates childbirth and Chhattisgarh’s Pandavani, which retells epics with fervour.

From such a wide array of musical traditions, filmmaker Rangaswamy S has trained his lens on a musical community known as Neelagaras. They travel from one village to another singing the story of Manteswamy.

Rangaswamy looks at the community of singers through a fictitious character called Madappa in Alindia Radio. The film shows how Neelagara Madappa spends time spreading the teachings of Manteswamy and is drawn to the magic of the radio. Madappa’s commitment to the cause decreases in his desire to earn more money. In the process, he is exploited by people, who bring out cassettes, CDs and books without his knowledge. Madappa is devastated by the end of it all. The film was screened at the 15th edition of BIFFes (Bengaluru International Film Festival).

Manteswami was a veerashaiva saint, who lived in the 15th century, and fought against dowry, caste-based exploitation and domestic violence. His stories and preachings are found in Manteswami Kavya, sung by his disciples — the Neelagaras, mostly found in the regions of Mysore, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar in South Karnataka. They narrate the folk epic to the accompaniment of string instruments, cymbals and drums. The language and expression of the songs are simple. The songs carry the messages of bhakti and life’s philosophy.

Rangaswamy made the film inspired by senior Kannada writer Amaresh Nugadoni’s short story Daivakke modalu sharanembevu. He also took reference from Dharege Doddavaru, a work based on Manteswamy’s life. “Apart from these references, I had discussions with well-known Neelagara Malavalli Mahadevaswamy and Pichalli Srinivas. The latter is also the singer and music composer of the film.” The lead role has been essayed by theatre actor Goutam Mysore.

The film, which highlights the loss of a musical tradition and human values, has been screened at the Indo-French International Film Festival and Indian Film Festival in Melbourne.