Aadima arose out of the Dalit Movement in Karnataka as an open space for radical experimentation in childrens's theatre, education, caste consciousness and research into cultural politics and history. Disillusioned with the growing intellectual impoverishment, lumpen*sm and factionalism within the Dalit Movement, as well as the erasure of the inclusive foundations of the nation-state, Kotiganahall
i Ramaiah and a few others within the movement envisioned a broad based cultural response to address the roots of social exclusion in India. They saved a rupee a day for many years towards the establishment of an experimental space that aims to temper the overarching need for political modernity with an understanding of the history of cultural resistance and the philosophical meaning systems that evolved as a response to centuries of marginalisation. Aadima has since been active in developing theatre practices through understanding oral traditions and narratives, and experimenting in educational pedagogy with children drawn from different communities that live in the Anthargange Hill Range. Aadima has become particularly well known for Hunimme Hadu, a theatre performance at Aadima every Fullmoon Night, that has continued unabated for over six years, and attracts a diverse audience of more than a thousand people each fullmoon.
