Death of a scholar | The Kannada play ‘Rakta Vilapa’ is based on the murder of researcher MM Kalburgi in 2015

A scene from the play “Rakta Vilapa” by the theatre group Samudaya.

On August 30, 2015, a young man shot dead 76-year-old Kannada scholar MM Kalburgi at close range on the doorstep of his residence in Dharwad, Karnataka. His death sparked deep grief across the country and led to various protests, including the return of awards to artists and writers and their resignation from cultural institutions like the Sahitya Akademi. Although the case is ‘in court’, it has given rise to various (conspiracy) theories and interpretations.

In recent months, an amateur theatre group called Samudaya from Raichur has been performing Vikram Visaji’s 2020 play Rakta Vilapa (Blood suit), based on the events leading up to Kalburgi’s murder. The play does not set out to reveal the details of the murder or identify the perpetrators. Instead, it offers a unique lens through which to examine the life and times of Kalburgi – an authority in Lingayat studies – and explore the larger themes surrounding intellectual freedom, misconceptions and dogma.

(From left to right) Journalist Gauri Lankesh, writer K. Marulasiddappa and actor Girish Karnad attend a condolence meeting for slain scholar MM Kalburgi in Bengaluru, August 2015. | Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Analyzing grief

Divided into four short scenes, the play deliberately avoids mentioning the names of the characters. The only direct references to Kalburgi are in the author’s prologue and in subtle allusions throughout the play. This approach transforms the central event – the assassination – into a metaphor that prompts us to reflect on what it means to be a scholar or intellectual in 21st century India.

The play was directed by Ninasam graduate Praveen Reddy and received enthusiastic applause from theatregoers in small towns. It is being staged in Mysuru today and in Bengaluru on October 9. The director, who also plays the lead role, renders Kalburgi’s speech and gestures flawlessly, evoking both thoughtfulness and sadness. He says, “After reading the play, I thought about how the anti-intellectual tendency is killing scholars like Govind Pansare and Kalburgi. What kind of civilisation are we?”

Former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University, MM Kalburgi. | Photo credit: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Disturbing ideologies

The play begins with a demented group singing a song about bloodshed, setting a somber tone. The first scene introduces a researcher (Kalburgi) whose thesis meets with opposition from a young man (the murderer) – another excellent performance by Sagar Itekar. This confrontation highlights the clash between scientific perspectives and reactionary ideologies, especially those based on religion. By dedicating the play to the 12th century, Vachanakaras (Kannada poets) and Mahmud Gawan, who was executed during his tenure in the Bahmani Sultanate, the playwright links Kalburgi’s death to the cultural memory of violence in history.

Although the scenes seem designed to defend Kalburgi, other characters also emerge in the play. The young man who kills the scholar is not portrayed as a villain; he is a confused youth, shaped by contemporary ideologies, and with a soul as tormented as the scholar. “They have been arguing over two words for the last 30 years…” he says, referring to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat debate that was central to Kalburgi’s later work.

Sagar Itekar (left) and Praveen Reddy in ‘Rakta Vilapa’.

Positive response

It took the director four years to bring the play to the stage. Aside from the difficulty of working with non-professionals, he was concerned about bringing to life a text full of ideas and dialogue and little spectacle or action. But to his surprise, the audience response exceeded his expectations. The troupe is now looking forward to taking their work to bigger cities and seeing how audiences there respond.

The author, a NIF Translation Fellow, teaches English Literature at Tumkur University.