Ninasam
Encyclopedia
Ninasam is a cultural organisation located in the village of Heggodu
in Sagar
Taluk of the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka
, India
. Ninasam (also spelt as Neenasam) is the short form of Sri NIlakanteshwara NAtyaseva SAMgha, an organsiation dedicated to the growth of drama, films and publishing. Akshara the current head of Ninasam tells a story where Ni means you, Na means me, and Sam is a pun on the English word Sum, and in music is the moment where rhythm comes together. Ninasam was the brainchild of the renowned dramatist and Magsaysay award winner, K V Subbanna
. It is currently headed by K V Akshara, the son of Subbanna.
, when Subbanna
and his friends started to get together in the evenings to exchange views and discuss about the politics and other current issues. After the Indian Independence in 1947, this group of boys started a library and also launced a newspaper called as The Ashoka Weekly with a circulation of 500. It was printed on cyclostyle
machine and carried articles related to local and national events. This group also started producing small plays and in the year 1949, they formed a cultural group Ninasam; the name dedicated to the native Hindu
God of Heggodu
, Nilakanteshwara. Subbanna's father was the first president and the initial plays staged were those related to the Hindu
epics, Ramayana
and Mahabharata
. After his graduation from Mysore University, Subbanna returned to Heggodu
and started producing plays at Ninasam that included Kannada translations of works by Shakespeare, Molière
and Brecht
and also those of Kannada writers.
and U. R. Ananthamurthy
. Since 1987, Ninasam has been coming out with a quarterly house journal. Having explored the areas of theatre and publishing, Subbanna wanted to explore the cinema world and attended a film appreciation course in 1967 at Pune
. On his return he decided to start screening films at Ninasam and started Ninasam Chitrasamaja.
, Ingmar Bergman
and Akira Kurosawa
. The films and plays being staged by Ninasam started to attract audience from all over Karnataka
and its popularity also grew considerably.
to sponsor a project called Janaspandana whereby similar film festivals, plays and appreciation courses were to be organised in other areas of Karnataka
. This project ended in 1985 but the activities have continued. It is estimated that about 200 thousand people were exposed to cinema and around 5000 people were exposed to the appreciation courses. As a result of Janaspandana, 37 workshops in a duration of 6 weeks were held in the field of theater and this yielded around 50 productions. Also theater equipment banks were setup in different regions of Karnataka
to serve the needs of the theater groups in that region. In the meantime, Ninasam also started a theater institute to offer courses on theater to interested candidates.
, K.N. Panickar and Fritz Benevitz. Some of the alumni of this institute join Ninasam's rural theatre repertory troupe, Tirugata.
Heggodu
Heggodu is a village located in the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sagar Taluk. It is famous for being the location of Ninasam, a cultural organisation which contributes significantly in the areas of drama, films and publishing. NINASAM stands for...
in Sagar
Sagara, India
Sâgara is a city located in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located within the Western Ghats range, it is known for its proximity to Jog Falls and to the historical places of Ikkeri and Keladi. Varadamoola, the origin of the river Varada, is also near Sagara...
Taluk of the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Ninasam (also spelt as Neenasam) is the short form of Sri NIlakanteshwara NAtyaseva SAMgha, an organsiation dedicated to the growth of drama, films and publishing. Akshara the current head of Ninasam tells a story where Ni means you, Na means me, and Sam is a pun on the English word Sum, and in music is the moment where rhythm comes together. Ninasam was the brainchild of the renowned dramatist and Magsaysay award winner, K V Subbanna
K. V. Subbanna
Kuntagodu Vibhuthi Subbanna was an acclaimed dramatist and writer in Kannada. He was the founder of the world famous NINASAM drama institute. Founded in 1949 in Heggodu, Shimoga, Ninasam, under the guidance of K.V. Subbanna, made significant contribution to Kannada theatre and other performing...
. It is currently headed by K V Akshara, the son of Subbanna.
History
The seeds of Ninasam were laid in 1945 in HeggoduHeggodu
Heggodu is a village located in the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sagar Taluk. It is famous for being the location of Ninasam, a cultural organisation which contributes significantly in the areas of drama, films and publishing. NINASAM stands for...
, when Subbanna
K. V. Subbanna
Kuntagodu Vibhuthi Subbanna was an acclaimed dramatist and writer in Kannada. He was the founder of the world famous NINASAM drama institute. Founded in 1949 in Heggodu, Shimoga, Ninasam, under the guidance of K.V. Subbanna, made significant contribution to Kannada theatre and other performing...
and his friends started to get together in the evenings to exchange views and discuss about the politics and other current issues. After the Indian Independence in 1947, this group of boys started a library and also launced a newspaper called as The Ashoka Weekly with a circulation of 500. It was printed on cyclostyle
Cyclostyle
A cyclostyle is a term used in architecture. A structure composed of a circular range of columns without a core is cyclostylar; with a core the range would be peristyle. This is the species of edifice called "monopteral" by Vitruvius....
machine and carried articles related to local and national events. This group also started producing small plays and in the year 1949, they formed a cultural group Ninasam; the name dedicated to the native Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
God of Heggodu
Heggodu
Heggodu is a village located in the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sagar Taluk. It is famous for being the location of Ninasam, a cultural organisation which contributes significantly in the areas of drama, films and publishing. NINASAM stands for...
, Nilakanteshwara. Subbanna's father was the first president and the initial plays staged were those related to the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
epics, Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. After his graduation from Mysore University, Subbanna returned to Heggodu
Heggodu
Heggodu is a village located in the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sagar Taluk. It is famous for being the location of Ninasam, a cultural organisation which contributes significantly in the areas of drama, films and publishing. NINASAM stands for...
and started producing plays at Ninasam that included Kannada translations of works by Shakespeare, Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
and Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
and also those of Kannada writers.
Akshara Prakashana
To explore his interests in other cultural areas, Subbanna started a publishing house called Akshara Prakashana in 1958 to publish works in Kannada mainly in the areas of film arts, children’s literature and play-scripts. Some of the works published included those by B. V. KaranthB. V. Karanth
Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth was a renowned film and theatre personality from India...
and U. R. Ananthamurthy
U. R. Ananthamurthy
Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy is a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language and is considered as one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. He is well known among Indian authors. He is the sixth person among eight recipients of the Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language, the...
. Since 1987, Ninasam has been coming out with a quarterly house journal. Having explored the areas of theatre and publishing, Subbanna wanted to explore the cinema world and attended a film appreciation course in 1967 at Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. On his return he decided to start screening films at Ninasam and started Ninasam Chitrasamaja.
Ninasam Chitrasamaja
Ninasam Chitrasamaja was an organisation formed to encourage the film culture and also to hold film festivals. A film appreciation course was started with subjects including film history, film techniques, film theory, film criticism, art films and popular cinema. Films that were staged included those by masters like Satyajit RaySatyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
and Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
. The films and plays being staged by Ninasam started to attract audience from all over Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and its popularity also grew considerably.
Janaspandana
The popularity of Ninasam prompted the Ford FoundationFord Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
to sponsor a project called Janaspandana whereby similar film festivals, plays and appreciation courses were to be organised in other areas of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. This project ended in 1985 but the activities have continued. It is estimated that about 200 thousand people were exposed to cinema and around 5000 people were exposed to the appreciation courses. As a result of Janaspandana, 37 workshops in a duration of 6 weeks were held in the field of theater and this yielded around 50 productions. Also theater equipment banks were setup in different regions of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
to serve the needs of the theater groups in that region. In the meantime, Ninasam also started a theater institute to offer courses on theater to interested candidates.
Ninasam Theatre Institute
This institute was started in 1980. It offers a 10-month long diploma course to about 20 students every year. As part of these courses, around 50 theatre productions have resulted. Some of the visiting faculty to this institute include Shivaram Karanth, Chandrashekhara KambaraChandrashekhara Kambara
Chandrashekhara Kambara is a prominent poet, playwright, folklorist, film director in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He is known for his effective usage of North Karnataka dialect of Kannada language in his plays and poems and is often compared...
, K.N. Panickar and Fritz Benevitz. Some of the alumni of this institute join Ninasam's rural theatre repertory troupe, Tirugata.