Preserving A Community’s Religious And Artistic Heritage

L. Krishna Bhat, of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community, at Mattancherry, Kochi has written and produced 45 plays, as well as penned the lyrics of 300 songs. He is also the head priest of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom temple

Photos: L. Krishna Bhat standing in front of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom temple at Mattancherry; playing a mythological hero

By Shevlin Sebastian  

It is midnight. L. Krishna Bhat is sitting at a table in his house at Mattancherry. In the deep silence all around, there is only one sound that can be heard: the scratch of a pen’s nib on paper.

Bhat is writing a play. Characters, dialogues and scenes swim around in his imagination. Time passes. Suddenly, he yawns. Then he looks at his watch. It is 12.30 a.m. Reluctantly he closes the notebook, puts the cap on his pen and retires for the night.

But within four-and-a-half hours, the playwright awakens.

Following his morning ablutions, Bhat heads for the 400-year-old Cochin Thirumala Devaswom temple nearby. He has been the head priest for decades. He sits cross-legged on the floor and starts the puja rituals by 5.30 a.m. in front of an idol of Lord Venkateswara. 

Around 300 devotees listen raptly to the prayers even though it is a weekday morning.

After a while, many leave. But devotees keep coming and going. Bhat remains at the temple till noon. Then he leaves for his home. Following lunch, the reading of the newspapers and watching the TV news, Bhat has a nap. Then by 5.30 p.m., he is back at the temple and says prayers till 10 p.m.

But Bhat is a priest with a difference. He is a short-story writer, a lyricist, an actor, a director of plays as well as a dramatist. So far, he has written, acted and directed 45 plays, mostly on mythological themes from the Puranas.

And they are popular. Says Ramesh Pai, the former chairperson of the Konkani Sahitya Akademi, Kerala: “Bhat’s plays have been written in such an engaging manner that audiences always look forward to the next production.”

So, single-handedly, Bhat is keeping alive the culture of the small Konkani community in Kochi. “At this moment, there are about 18,000 Konkanis in Kochi,” he says. The majority are members of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community.

Many of the GSBs fled Goa in 1560 AD because they faced religious persecution by the Portuguese. They came to Kochi, which was an important trade and commercial centre at that time. The Brahmins pleaded with King Veera Kerala Varma of the Cochin kingdom, who, in a humanitarian gesture, gave them refuge as well as a large tract of land behind his palace in Mattancherry for them to stay. “We have been living here ever since,” says Bhatt.

Incidentally, Bhat is a tenth-generation priest. His son, Jayadev, 21, will take over the mantle, once Bhat grows old or becomes incapacitated. “He is receiving training,” says Bhat. At the same time, Jayadev is specialising in graphics and art design.  

Meanwhile, when asked about how he got interested in art, Bhat says that one of his neighbours, VV Naik, would enact a lot of plays. “Somehow, as a child, I began going to his house,” he says. “Soon, I began acting. Thereafter Naik Sir told me to write plays. I began doing so. I also wrote songs. So far, I have written the lyrics of 300 songs.”

These are mostly devotional as well as lullabies for children. In fact, one lullaby, ‘Rama Bala Jo Krishna Bala’ has been picturised and it can be seen on YouTube. In it, Bhat plays a writer as well as a doting father.

What Bhat is doing is unusual. For centuries, the GSB community had stayed away from art and culture. “They would make others do the performing and enjoyed watching it,” says Bhatt. “As Brahmins, we were not encouraged to sing, play an instrument, or go on stage. The change came only a few decades ago.”

So, when Bhat expressed his desire to write and act in plays, his parents did not object at all. “They only said that whatever work I produced it should bring people together,” says the 58-year-old. At this moment the drama troupe consists of 35 people, comprising professionals like doctors, corporate managers and dancers.

Asked about his future plans, Bhat says, “I want to continue to do plays that will enrich our heritage and also ensure that digital videos are made so that the culture is preserved for future generations.” 

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)