Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives. Many plays and films have depicted the life story of Gautama Buddha, but what made the musical play The Way Across unique was its regional focus. Directed by G. Kumara Swamy, the play adapted from the book Telangana lo Buddhism focused on the enlightenment of a cursed Brahmin Bawari and his 16 curious disciples willing to understand the deeper truths of birth, death, rebirth and brotherhood. From the impressive use of projector visuals, music and shadow-play, there was every effort to lend authenticity to the theme. Despite the play's focus on Telangana, the native essence was compromised, due to the English rendition (done for a wider reach). The lines appeared jaded with literal translations. The honest performances from the crew impacted only on a surface-level. Kiran Kumar's Bawari act and Krishna Chaitanya Joshi as Pingiya (said to have propagated Buddhism from Telangana to several regions across South India) grab your attention. Who helped spread Buddhism to South India?