BENGALURU: Kempe Gowda may have been the creator and architect of present day Bengaluru but not much is known about the life and times of this warrior and king. At least, there is no authentic recorded history and writers interpret his story in different ways. And now, Shivapriya Academy of Dance and Music tries to unravel the mystery behind this persona through their upcoming Kannada musical dance drama Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, whose name one hears many times while travelling the modern transport wonder: Namma Metro. 

Shivapriya is the brainchild of dancer and guru Dr Sanjay Shantaram and was set up 30 years ago. Students are not only taught dance but also learn the theoretical aspects of dance, which includes the history, growth and development of Bharatanatyam.

The dance ballet, featuring about 60 dancers, will be staged in the city on August 12 at the Chowdaiah Memorial hall. Funds raised from the programme will be given to the Articulate Ability foundation, which trains blind children in various styles of dance and other performing arts.

Speaking about the musical dance drama, Dr Sanjay, who dons the role of the protagonist Kempe Gowda, says, “It explores the mind of the man, his hard work and the sacrifices that went behind the conceptualisation and creation of a city, with all amenities that stands as one of the  most sought after metropolitan cities in the world today.”

With period music and orchestration by Praveen D Rao, this production also has lavish costumes and props by Sajini. The musical starts with history, explaining the  lineage  of  the  emperor,  whose ancestors  were  hardworking agriculturists. Kempe Gowda had seven brothers and the eldest was Ranabhaire  Gowda, who lived a simple  life  as   farmer during  the  13th  century  in  the  village  of  Yedagunji  Putturu.  
When the evil chief  of the village eyes their only daughter Doddavva, and begins to harass them, the family  of  almost 30  people  migrate  to Avathi village. There they continue their life as agriculturists, before they unexpectedly stumble upon a treasure and their life changes. 

Ranabhaire Gowda’s son Jayagowda then takes control of the family and slowly they win the love and respect of the people. Their  fame  reaches the Vijayanagar  emperors  who  entrust Jayagowda with the responsibility of ensuring the  safety  of  the  southern  part  of  Karnataka. His son Kempegowda, who takes over in the 14th century, apart from providing excellent administration, also promotes art and culture in a big way. The second half then revolves around the king who starts building a city with all amenities.  
Says Dr Sanjay, “This production is like the Broadway musicals and will have a high element of theatre and include classical and folk dances and will provide a total visual experience.”

Scripted by Prahlad, the drama’s cast includes, Sanjay  Shantaram as Kempe Gowda, Gopalakrishna as  Ranabhaire  Gowda, Raghavi as Kempamma  and Anjali Srikanth as Doddavva. “Our aim is to showcase a city that is not just built beautifully over a period of time, but it also  is a city with a strong history attached to it,” says Sanjay. The author is a dance critic.