Daijiworld Media Network – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Mar 21: In the heart of Los Angeles, a group of Kannada-speaking artistes has been nurturing a unique cultural movement under the banner of ‘Aseema’. This collective, composed of passionate amateur artistes with professional ambitions, has been active for nearly two decades. The group strives to present Kannada theatre, music, dance, and literature while blending them with the cultural elements of other communities in the United States, creating a distinctive and experimental artistic experience. The name ‘Aseema’ symbolizes crossing boundaries—both geographical and creative—pushing the limits of performance art. The driving force behind this endeavour is Dr Chandra Aithal, a native of Karnataka’s coastal region.
The group has explored innovative theatrical techniques, incorporating Greek drama elements into productions such as Chitrapata, a musical play. Other notable works include Saptamukhi, reflecting Karnataka’s contemporary theatre traditions, Chandamaruta, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth through the life of Kumara Rama, Anabhijna Shakuntala, which presents a new dimension of Kalidasa’s persona, and Mooru Vara, an English-language play. Their production Sevanthi Prasanga and other musicals have incorporated non-Indian musical influences, utilizing Western musical arrangements. The group's approach extends beyond music, blending contemporary Kannada poetry with global literary works in dialogues and monologues.
One of their most notable recent productions, Mahabharata – Nalugidavaru, re-examined overlooked characters from the epic, bringing fresh perspectives to their narratives. This production integrated Yakshagana storytelling, elements of Greek theatre, and archaic Kannada expressions, creating a multi-layered theatrical experience.
Aseema’s latest initiative, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, has already been staged three times. This unique production explores universal humanism through songs in nine Indian languages, emphasizing the idea of a shared global community. The programme highlights how religious and philosophical traditions shape artistic expression while striving to transcend such boundaries through intellectual discourse. The presentation begins with a Sanskrit verse from the Rigveda, followed by classical Tamil poetry from the Sangam period. It then moves through Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Hindi, and Urdu poetry. The selected compositions include works by Kabir, Vinoba Bhave (Hindi), Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati), Annamacharya (Telugu), Kaniyan Poongundranar (Tamil), Gopalakrishna Adiga (Kannada), Bhupen Hazarika (Bengali), Sudhir Phadke (Marathi), and Sameer Khan Niyazi (Urdu). Dr Chandra Aithal has orchestrated the music, maintaining the original tunes while adapting them for ensemble singing.
A dedicated choir of nine members, including three young children raised in the US, has spent the past eight months under Dr Aithal’s guidance, mastering pronunciation and musical execution. Their four live performances in Los Angeles have received an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences. Following this success, Aseema plans to release a 45-minute YouTube video featuring the performances, accompanied by visuals of the respective regions and people. Dr Aithal will curate relevant imagery to complement the song lyrics, creating a comprehensive audio-visual experience under the Aseema banner. This initiative stands as a testament to the Kannada community’s ability to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps, reaching out to diverse audiences through the power of regional Indian languages.
About Dr Chandra Aithal - Artistic director of Aseema Performing Arts Group, Los Angeles
Dr Chandra Aithal is a well-known performing arts personality in Southern California for more than 20 years. He is a multifaceted artiste - musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, theater artiste and director. He had brief training in Western modern dance and African dance. His intensive training in Yakshagana from Karnataka along with other dance training has enabled him with new vocabulary in his dance theater presentations. His dance compositions have dealt with modern themes with even non- Indian music. He has composed music and directed many folk, contemporary and experimental plays in Kannada and Hindi-for both adults and children.
Chandra's theatre repertoire includes musical theatre, style of opera, Indian ballet and purely expressive dance pieces. He has even presented a children's play in Broadway musical technique. In creating his productions with Indian stories, some of his recent works involve classical Greek theatre techniques and have also adapted Shakespeare's literature for Indian milieu. He has composed music for all his productions. Being an avid Hindustani music fan himself (he has accompanied visiting artistes from India as well as local artists and taught music for children and adults), he has used both traditional and modern Indian music in addition to non-Indian music genres, such as western classical and world folk music. He draws extensively on his music, theater and dance background to create his own musical theater style which is evident in almost all his plays and dance choreography.
With his in-depth background, Chandra has created works that lead to thinking outside-the-box, with unconventional, open-ended themes subject to audience interpretation.
Dr Aithal is currently the artistic director of the performing arts group - Aseema. He holds a doctorate degree in engineering and resides with his family in Los Angeles.