COVID-19 pandemic draws the curtains on ‘Padya Natakam’
The Hindu
Artistes now do menial jobs to eke out a living, some of them even take to begging
Kona Subba Rao would get into the character on stage as people would watch the ‘Kurukshetram’, a mythological play, with rapt attention. The audience would shout, urging the 57-year ‘Padya Natakam’ exponent from Podili to repeat the long-winding ‘padyam’ and the latter would oblige with pleasure.
“Well, it seems a thing of past now,” says Mr. Subba Rao. The coronavirus pandemic has drawn the curtains on the traditional Telugu theatre performances, thanks to curbs in place to contain the spread of the virus. “It is not just me. Thousands of padyam artistes in the State are now clueless as to how to eke out a living with dignity,” laments Mr. Subba Rao who now sells betel leaves at Podili in Prakasam district.