Ramaiah built Aadima to stir cultural consciousness

Aadima opened on the hills of Jinke Ramaiah, adjoining Shivagange in Kolar, in 2005. It was conceived as an alternative cultural organisation for experimentation with theatre, education, and caste consciousness. It emerged in response to the dwindling Dalit movement in Karnataka. 

Dalit writer Kotiganahalli Ramaiah was the visionary behind Aadima. During its formation, he opined that marginalised communities haven’t been able to convert their experiences into art forms as successfully as the Blacks have.  

He said: “The music of black people has influenced the whole world. Their dance and folk traditions are very effective. We have similar possibilities here, to convert humiliation into art. Why is it not possible for our people to do what ‘they’ have achieved? It’s because religious restrictions imposed on art forms have prevented the latter from developing fully. Such restrictions were not there for black people. ‘They’ were prevented from talking to each other but they used music as a tool, symbol and means of communication. They  began talking through music. So it worked differently there. But people here are inferior as well as their music. For example, beating funeral drums can never become a major art form because such drums are used only during funerals, temple festivals and other such occasions. The drum is inferior and the drummer has also been reduced to that. To change this, we must do two things. One, we must empower the drummers. Another is to help them elevate their art form. If we can tackle these issues, (their) music has the potential to become as powerful as the music of black people or aboriginal communities. We have such artistes and art forms here (locally).” 

Ramaiah had a clear vision for Aadima. He wanted to build an organisation to bring artistes, writers and thinkers from backward communities to the forefront. 

Ramaiah has played several roles in his lifetime. He has been a poet and playwright and an activist and organiser. He is also a think tank. He is always flooded with ideas, some of these can be implemented and some cannot. But his ability to nurture young minds and encourage them to think, create and grow independently is exceptional. For example, Bhavani Prakash is a theatre actor but he recognised her singing abilities. He went on to write songs for her. These were meant for children and released as part of the ‘Hakkiya Haadu’ album. 

In the days leading up to the formation of Aadima, I used to visit Ramaiah  often. I would be accompanied by my friends Chalam Bennurakar, Shrikant Prabhu and Sony Rajan. We were involved with activities related to theatre productions like ‘Hunnime Haadu’ (Moonlight Song). I used to create posters and brochures for plays such as ‘Matte Ekalavya’ and ‘Let Polly Thrive’. Prabhu captured maximum numbers of videos documenting Aadima’s activities. There was no toilet or space to sleep, but somehow, we managed to organise film festivals like ‘Bettadalli Ghatak’, ‘Kolaradalli Kurosawa’ and ‘Shrikrishna Alanahalli Sahitya Sapthaha’. Teachers and local people supported Aadima immensely. 

Ramaiah started Aadima with the idea of doing little things. The team decided to meet one person each day to explain the concept of Aadima and also to ask for one rupee in donation. They did this across Kolar, Mulbagal, Bangarpet, Gauribidanur, Sidlaghatta  and Chintamani. Then they decided to deposit all the money they had pooled in the bank.

Their next idea was sheepherding. They were to buy one sheep and get someone reliable to take care of it. When the sheep multiplied, one sheep had to be given away to Aadima. The aim was to help people improve their livelihood and also help Aadima grow. They gave two sheep to Bala of Mulbagalu, and Arabi Kunoor. But some of them died after a few days. They realised this initiative may not work out and gave up the idea.

With the help of some friends, they then bought 10 cents of land in Shivagange near Kolar to build Aadima. Donated sand, wood, bamboo and other things followed. Ramaiah built the Aadima cultural centre with his sweat and soul. Theatre artistes like Lakshman K P, Chandrashekar K, Anjali and Dingri Naresh have nurtured their skills in Aadima.

But circumstances changed and there was soon no space for him at Aadima. He did not give up. He started another cultural organisation called ‘Buddi Deepa’ a few years ago. It is located next to a Dargah in close proximity to Aadima.

He continues to inspire aspiring theatre personalities, writers and thinkers.