As part of the 2026 Girish Karnad Fellowship Programme, playwright Usha Kattemane emberDirected by Abhinav Grover, it was recently performed at the Prestige Center for Performing Arts, Bengaluru as part of the Chiguru and Kusumale Theater Festival organized by Samagata Foundation and Bhasha Centre. Combining local performance traditions, a multilingual theatrical approach and socio-political criticism, Udupi’s Punaha Theater examines the long-term consequences of the caste system in coastal Karnataka. ember.

The playwright’s note reads, “Writing from a safe place is the easy way out. But I like challenges. They keep a writer alive. That’s why I tried to create a play that reflects the contemporary life of Tulunadu.”

Kattemane explores the religious and agricultural life of the marginalized Koraga community of Tulunadu. The play uses Kambala, the buffalo ritual/race-game of coastal Karnataka, as its dramatic backdrop. The playwright skillfully creates a narrative that reflects the contradictions of tradition and modernity, caste hegemony and social exclusion. It does not portray caste discrimination as a relic of history; Rather, it shows how it can survive beneath the rhetoric of cultural pride, progress, and political ambitions.

The director innovatively utilizes the stage space effectively. Fabric partitions create different areas on the stage representing different social worlds. The visual design evokes traditional dramatic methods as well as serves as a metaphor for social division. The play uses languages ​​such as Tulu, Kannada, Konkani and English spoken in the multilingual and contemporary Tamilnadu. Language serves as a means of communication between characters.

a scene from a play ember. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The play begins with the Ekalavya-Dronacharya episode, designed by Sanjeev Suvarna’s Gurudakshina Yakshagana, an underlying framework for caste separation, which is depicted throughout the play. Notably, the character of Ekalavya is played by a woman; Thus, questions of gender as well as access are presented. The Yakshagana section is not a brief symbolic prologue, but transitions seamlessly into the main drama. Thus, there exists an effective theatrical method linking mythology with social realities.

A government school teacher from the Korga community of Angara exemplifies a generation caught between the conflicting aspects of education and rationalism and inherited traditions. Angara’s suspicion towards divine worship puts him at odds with his family. Baliga portrays Angara not as a reformist, but as a conflicted individual trying to reconcile multiple worlds. Angara’s parallel story is that of Nethra, a birth-returning bereaved woman. Nethra’s interest in purchasing and managing racing buffalo in Kambala challenges gendered expectations of ownership, labor and public participation.

One of the most layered characters in the production is that of Deyu, Angara’s mother. In an emotionally charged flashback, she invokes spiritual powers through chanting to save the life of a sick infant Angara. She acts as an intermediary between humans and divine beings, taking on a role of authority that raises questions about female agency within ritual systems generally considered patriarchal.

ember Kambala presents its most scathing indictment during the festival. The blue-call flag is lowered prematurely, causing panic and immediate resort to ritual remedies. At this juncture Angara revealed the historical exploitation of the Koraga community by recalling instances where they were reportedly forced to run in front of racing buffaloes to ensure that the grounds were free of nails and thorns. The comparison between humans and buffalo is intentionally unsettling to the audience and prompting them to acknowledge a history of dehumanization that is typically absent from stories that celebrate regional cultures.

ember It neither implies that caste oppression belongs to history nor provides a simplistic model for progress. Instead, it takes a hard look at how prejudice is perpetuated through institutions, customs, relationships, and political self-interest. With a wonderful synthesis of powerful performances, layered screenwriting and regional performance traditions, ember Attests to theatre’s continuing ability to challenge collective memory. The ‘fire’ used in its title is not merely destructive; It is an insistent ember pointing to histories that will never fade away.