SURABHI A WELL KNOWN THEATRE GROUP

Surabhi, a tiny hamlet near Rayachoti, now in Kadapa district, incidentally became a chosen shelter for many a Maratha migrant from Maharashtra after the death of Chatrapathi Shivaji in 1680. The year 1880 witnessed the birth of a small theatre group under the able guidance of one such migrant, Vanarasa Govinda Rao and started staging the adaptations of Keechakavadha and a few such other themes of the Marathi folk in Telugu

FOUNDERS OF SURABHI

Very soon they have come to be known very popular for the materialistic realisation of the enigmatic effects of super human powers of the devathas, rakshasas, mantrikas and so on meticulously on the stage. They perfected the technique so much that it got identified with the place of the origin of the theatre group Surabhi. Not only the theatre groups started subsequently under different names one each by the 10 daughters and the three sons of Govinda Rao but also of their descendants , enjoyed the same reputation because of the prefix Surabhi, from the Sanskrit Shushstu Rabhathe Janaanandam, Ithi Surabhi

FOUNDERS OF VENKATESWARA NATYAMANDALI

Rekamdar Venkatrao, KALA PRAVEENA Subadhramma garu

founders for the VENKATESWARA NATYAMANDALI IN 1937. After completion of decades in theatre now R.Nageswara rao (Baabji)

is organising the surabhi

Surabhi Sri Venkateswara Natya Mandali comprising about 60 artistes of the same family under the stewardship of R. Nageswara Rao alias Babji staged Srikrishna Leelalu, Baalanagamma and Mayabazaar and somany other mythological plays.

MIRACLES ON THE STAGE...

The sets changed in a flicker of second. Cobras came alive with their fully spread hoods on the stage. Arrows projected as varuna and agneyaastras created rain and fire. The entire universe got revealed in the small mouth of the tiny tot Krishna. The Hamsatoolikatalpam with Sasirekha lying on it flew in the air all the way to the ashram of Ghatotkacha and many more such thrilling feats realised as part of the plays kept the houseful audience bedazzled and dumb struck in their seats

SELF MAKE UP..A SELF STARTER

Reasonably good display of histrionic talent coupled with ability to sing, dance and render versified dialogues in chosen ragas as well marked the performances.

MAYA...BAZAAR

The original idea for film Mayabazar is Surabhi play Sashirekha parinayam played many decades back.

The tricks, songs all are taken from surabhi plays

Abhimanyu and sashirekha's love scenes are still fresh in presentday

BLESSINGS FROM LOVERS

Surabhi’s origin is traced back to the people belonging to the king’s armed forces from Maharashtra, settled in Andhra Pradesh. It was Vanarasa Govinda Rao who decided to divert from puppetry and take up theatre for his livelihood. Thus Surabhi was started in 1885 from a small village in Cuddapah district.

POWERFUL SUPPORTERS...

Sri K.V.Ramanachary(IAS) garu is permananent and powerful

supporter for SURABHI family.Under his guidance surabhi has given so many shows and a semi permanent theatre in Hyderabad.

NOT ONLY ACTING PAINTING TOO...

As they were not so proficient in the local Telugu dialect, they opted for a sanskritized version of Telugu, which was also convenient for them to perform mythological plays", she writes in one of her essays. Though there were 46 groups with 2000 working actors, there is now only one single family with 64 members upholding the tradition

THEATRE UNDER ONE FAMILY

Surabhi family depends on mouth publicity only.The media as well as pomphlets supports widerely.Electronic and print media has played a great roll to pull the audience to the theatre.

The Government of Andhra pradesh (cultural department)sponsoring all the shows and providing subsidy.Few artists of surabhi family are getting Scholorships regularly.

SOCIALISM IN LIVING...

More than 100 artists are living under one roof with their families happily for sake of theatre

We can find unity in diversity in this family

Where ever the shows runs, there they arranges their temporary tents.This is really wonderful

SELF STYLED DESIGNERS..

They live generally about 40 kilometres away from Hyderabad and often come to the city for some time to present their plays. It is interesting that the grooms are integrated into the Surabhi family even today. This is done in order to keep families together and also because it was especially difficult to marry off an actress and leave her in another family. The women do not move out, the men move in and naturally perform as well.

ARTISTS AS WELL AS DIRECTORS

Every person who plays a role as an artist before the audience, he should work labouriously behind the curtain.This is a unique role for an artist.This reflects the commitment of the artists

R.NAGESWARARAO(BABJI) THE HEAD....

R. Nageswara Rao, the head of the family known in short as Babji is expecting us half an hour before the beginning of the show. He leads us over the stage to behind the backdrops which are not only theatre backdrops but actually a whole village.

BABJI AT TENTS

The men and women have built this village here in the park, made small houses with wood and corrugated sheets, raised and built the theatre auditorium, a month of back-breaking work before the first show could take place. Babji takes us through his village.

The women cut vegetables, let them simmer. They will continue to do it all through the show leaving their work only when they have to step on the stage and later come straight from the stage back to the hearth. Every one eats together after the show.

COLOURFUL COSTUMES...

Directly behind the stage the main actors are putting on makeup and pulling on colourful unique costumes. Babji serves us tea which I assume to be coffee with milk and sugar only stronger and more aromatic.

He explains that though they often play the same piece for weeks they do have a big repertoire. Once in a while someone commissions them for an occasion, a birthday, a wedding, or something similar. They do a play in between on this evening.

There is no book with the texts of these plays; it is a purely spoken tradition that one has to grow into. Even the really young actually act.

FUN ZONE..

for Humor there are several skits in surabhi
plays.Artists performs hillarious comedy as we seen in movies. Sri krishna leelalu, Mayabazar,
Balanagamma are few among them

During the performance which revolves around Krishna, a two and half year old comes on to the stage several times with a heavy mace, sees what papa, mama or uncle are talking about and then disappears only to appear again a little later pulling the mace behind him.

SURABHI A WELL KNOWN THEATRE GROUP

SURABHI....SURABHI....SURABHI....

a sweet smell, a touchy fragrence which spread all over india from Andhra pradesh. A 122 years old Drama company enlighting the hearts of telugu and other language people and completed thousands of theatre performances.

Sarva kalala samaaharam EE SURABHI

MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

The 122 years of great service to the Theate have a versatile person behind its curtain.

That is Mr. SURABHI NAGESWAR RAO (Babji)

He is the key and back bone to Sri Venkateswara natyamandali (surabhi)

Under his organisation the troop developing day by day.

The father of the Surabhi community was Vanarasa Sanjeevarao. He had two wives and ten children. In an inebriated state, one day, Sanjeeva rao not only gave away his share of property to lhis brothers' sons by signing the will, but also ended his life at a fair of goddess

In the history of dramatic arts, it is the greatness of perhaps only Surabhi" community to have lived making the stage a part of ltheir life, for over hundred years.

from child to old

In Surabhi We can all age artists, from child to old.

Here isMr. Hrushithesh a seven months boy already completed his 150 th show on theate recently... as Balakrishna,prahalada,Bala bramham,Lava and Balavardhi.

The Surabhi people constructed thatched pandals, stages, made cloths and ornaments for themselves, while staging plays in thjeir region.

One more significant decision of the group was to stop speaking their mother tongue but speak Telugu at home.The surabhi family until then was using Matathi at home and speaking Telugu only on the Stage.

This theatre group, which has celebrated its Diamond jubilee this year, has the fourtune of lguidance of Sri B.V.Karanth to reform and assimilate their traditional mould with modern theatre styles.

The group consisting of brothers, sisters,their children and their families, as a close knit group,live together, travel from place to place to perform on every alternate day in their speciality erected hails, staying at each place ranging from 3 months to one year depending on the public response.