Rangabhoomi, quite literally translated to the world of colour, is a Sanskrit term coined in ancient India, that, even then, and still so, did and does no justice to the vast arena of theatre, drama and the performing arts. Originating in the Early Vedic Period, theatre in India can be dated all the way back to the 15th century BCE. A modest art form that was performed during or after rituals and sacrifices, grew into something much more, as a book called the “Natyashastra”, containing texts on the performing arts, was written between 200 BCE and 200 CE, was given the privilege of being called, “The fifth Vedic book.” It is called so since it has “evolved by taking words from the Rigveda, music from the Samaveda, gestures from the Yajurveda and emotions from the Atharvaveda”, as journalist Geetha Venkataramanan states. Sage Bharata Muni, the author and mastermind behind the text, included the arts, music, drama and dance as the main concepts of the book, calling them “the four elements of the Natyashastra”; the four elements of the Rangabhoomi today.

 

In the present world, what is Rangabhoomi? The shows we binge-watch on large streaming platforms like Netflix and Hotstar, the cinemas that modern movie theatres show, and the small authentic plays that villagers put up in little towns, all fall under the extensively large category of Rangabhoomi. In its early years, the Rangabhoomi consisted of two broad forms – Nataka, or plays that showcased the lives of gods, goddesses and royals, and Prakarana, or plays that showcased the lives of common men and their everyday experiences; both donning a narrative role. Though “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata” continue to be the most famous plays, others include the works of the Shakespeare of India - “Vikramorvashiyam”, “Kumarasambhava” and “Shakuntala” to name a few, all of which contain messages of love and loyalty, courage and bravery, and knowledge and honesty, mimicking the entire concept behind Rangabhoomi – the conveyance of important ideas through the portrayal of art.

 

Classics and Epics are acted out, accompanied by intense music and realistic props, and most importantly, devoted actors, who dwell into the role, leaving the audience baffled. Every subtle form of entertainment and enlightenment that humans perceive, is either directly or indirectly connected to an art form, even today; an art form that changed thousands of lives thousands of years ago, and continues to do so, despite its evolution. In the present, villages and towns, where drama or theatre troupes continue to thrive, are some of the only places that still retain the originality of the classical art form, however, theatres such as Ranga Shankara and Rangbhoomi Spaces in Bangalore and Hyderabad respectively, and theatre troupes such as Surabhi Troupe, that has had a legacy of over a hundred and thirty years, continue to encourage the revival of the art in its truest form.

 

Call it a cinema or a movie, a series or a show, a concert or a playlist, Rangabhoomi is a part of the tiniest living being that walks the Earth, and the largest ego that can take the living form, and has the power to unite them as equals. Though called by many different names today, none do justice, for even the language of the gods, though describing it accurately, has been unable to describe it completely.