 district of Maharashtra proves its name by Arabian Sea on the west and the Sahihadri mountain ranges on the east. The region was reigned by erstwhile royal dynasties of Mauryas, Nalas, Shilahars, Chalukyas, Kadambas, thereafter Portuguese and the great Maratha king Raja Shivaji respectively. Ganpati Pule, Velnishwar, Marleshwar, Parshuram, endowed with devotional and mythological significance. It is also the birthplace of the eminent leader of India's freedom struggle, Lokmania Bal Gangadhar Dilak. Rich in flora and fauna, Ratnagiri boasts of crops like paddy, coconut, cashew nut, jackfruit and above all the world-famous Alphonso mango. No wonder the mythological and historical tradition and natural beauty has nurtured Ratnagiri's cultural life. As the lush green paddy fields give way to the golden hue of harvest and as the gentle wind makes the ripe paddies dance rhythmically, the peasants are transformed into Kailes, the performers. The region is blessed with the divine notes and rhythms of the folk art Naman Kaili. Naman Kaili, the folk theater, is invented and carried forward for centuries by Kunibis, the poor farmers of the region. Versions vary as to how the Naman Kaili came into being, but this seems to be the most authentic one and is endorsed by researchers. Traditional season of Naman Kaili begins with Shinga festival and lasts till the first day of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu calendar year. But some groups who have taken it up as a profession stretch the season from Dev Diwali in November to the month of May. Naman literally means bowing down in respect. Naman Kaili itself is an artistic form of paying respect to the deities. Naman Kaili is a unique combination of dance, songs and drama. The songs are accompanied by traditional percussion called Rudung and Zanz. Rudunga plays a vital role in the performance and is considered very sacred. Despite so many modern forms of entertainment prevailing around, this age-old art form is still immensely popular and is performed with amazing enthusiasm. If Naman Kaili is a ritual invoking devotion, the process of getting ready for it is no less a ritual. The sacred bundle of costumes is untied ceremoniously with prayers. Then the performers themselves start getting ready with their makeup and costumes. How these untrained village people have imbibed the fine technique of makeup and costumes is simply inexplicable. And behold the simplicity of the whole process. The simplicity, which is a salient feature of Naman Kaili, is manifest right from the stage of commencement. Naman Kaili is performed in two parts. Purvaran, the first part, and Uttar Rang, the second one. Purvaran consists of two parts. The first part of Purvaran commences with Bara Namans, that is worshipping 12 deities. After the 12 Namans enter Ther, Fisherwoman and Sankasur. They dance, sing traditional songs and exit. Pesh emerges from the human ball and the chorus sings songs describing the importance of the 12 traditional professionals called Palutidas, who literally run the village. Thereafter, Lord Ganesh is worshipped. Worship, Ganesh exits and a displaced Natva enters. Lord Shiva, the God of performing arts and the father of Ganesh. Natva is displaced because Ganesh is given precedence over himself. In part of Purvaran contains Batavani, a skit loaded with light humour but underscoring the importance of devotion to Lord Krishna. The milkmaids only wait to the market of Mathura to sell their dairy products and Lord Krishna and his friends mischievously blocking their path, formed the Batavani. Batavani is performed with singing, dancing as well as prose dialogues. The dialogues are improvised. There is no written script. Thus begins the Vaganathya, the dramatic part of the Uttarang. The Vaganathya is based on a mythological story. Right now, we are witnessing a Vaganathya called Sita Swayamvar based on an episode from the epic Ramayana. Sita, the princess of Mithila, is to be married to whoever emerges winner by lifting the great mythical arch of Shiva called the Shiva Dhanushya. Kings and princes from various kingdoms have gathered to compete and win over Sita. One by one, they try to lift the Shiva Dhanushya and back out frustrated, not able to move the arch even by an inch. Ravan, the formidable ruler of Lanka, steps in but finds himself trapped disastrously under the arch while trying to lift it. Ultimately, it is Ram, the prince of Ayodhya who emerges triumphant. Sita garlands him and accepts him as her groom. Enraged Ravan feels insulted and reacts furiously. Whereupon Janak, the king of Mithila and father of Sita, tries to pacify him but in vain. Ravan vows to take revenge. Concludes on a positive note and is followed by Arthi. This is an exclusive Arthi wherein all the gods are praised together. Kere means the performers. They belong to the Kunbi community. They are untrained in and unaware of any theory of theater art and yet they have evolved their own theatrical norms over the centuries. Over the years, these very norms have formed the base of the theories of modern theater art. The most amazing aspect of Naman Kere is the human wall created by the performers. It serves as the backdrop, the flexibility of the wall and the unique rhythm it keeps swinging to in fact are the key words of any folk theater. The age-old folk art of Naman Kere has significant impact on modern Indian theater as well. It inspired none other than the renowned playwright Vijay Tendulkar. Vijay Tendulkar was toying with a plot but his mind was desperately looking for a form. Once when he was returning home from day's work he happened to hear the melodious sounds of music and dance. Instantly he was drawn to the site and stood spellbound. The human wall of the Kere's, the performers in the Naman Kere, dancing rhythmically and serving various purposes as per the requirements of the content, its flexibility simply amazed him, took charge of him and there and then was born the celebrated play Ghashiram Kothwan. This turned out to be a significant event of the Indian theater as its proud landmark that created a great impact on the international theater as well. Dr. Jabbar Patel as the director of the play used the nuances of the folk theater with all its uniqueness and remarkable aesthetic sense. Whenever Ghashiram Kothwan the play is discussed, Naman Kere is bound to be remembered. The poor farmers who have carried forward the tradition for centuries together survive on a very meager income which hardly feeds them and their families. The farming season yields just one crop a year and they have to resort to several other odd jobs for survival. Despite their poor economic conditions they do not charge any money for the Naman Kere performance to tend to their own personal needs. The remuneration they are offered is kept aside for the community to be used in emergency situations. Yes, attempts are being made to keep the great cultural tradition of Naman Kere alive. No doubt Naman Kere is having a hard time but the fact remains that it would keep vibrating with the heartbeats of the sons of the soy forever and ever. The sheer magic of its rhythm would fill the air spreading in every direction the simplest of joys, aspirations and expectations of the simple people and celebrating the purity of life.