The performing arts in Kerala often find itself caught in a time warp. The generation of performers and the aesthetes who could relate to the nuanced and subtle art form are dwindling. But, to let a 2,000-year old Sanskrit theatre die in the absence of patrons and appropriate sustenance would mean snuffing out the few practitioners still holding fort, and a clutch of young men and women waiting to make their mark on the Koodiyattam circuit.
Reviving art forms does not happen without an appreciative audience. And, that does not happen overnight. It requires regular inputs to equip the viewer to enjoy the finer details of the artiste’s delivery. The Paithruka Kala Aswaadana Paripaadi conducted by the Koodiyattam Kendra of the Sangeet Natak Akademi steps in to bridge the growing gap between the performer and the viewer.
“Koodiyattam is a complex art form. It requires a learned audience, and through the monthly performances across Thiruvananthapuram, Harippad, Ernakulam, and Kannur, what is being attempted is a manner of educating the audience through well-structured lecture-demonstrations followed by an enactment,” says K.K. Gopalakrishnan, director of the Koodiyattam Kendra, who is steering this initiative.
In August 2012, the maiden presentation commenced in Thiruvananthapuram, after which three more centres holding such shows followed soon.
The highlights of the recital is that equal opportunity is given to the seasoned Koodiyattam and Nangiarkoothu performers, and the younger generation of trained artistes – Kalamandalam Sangeeth Chakyar, Kalamandalam Jishnu Prathap, Charu Agaru, Krishnendu and B. Prashanti – to mention some from the young aspirants.
‘Rangaparichayam’, or experience in public performances can hone the skills of the new performer, and the exposure has come as a positive stroke for each one of them.
According to Gopalakrishnan, “Each programme is steered by the artiste. An introduction to the predominant mudra and its multiple connotations in each selected piece, followed by a question and answer session with the audience prepares the lay viewer to understand the selection for the day.”
The silver lining for the Kendra, which works on a shoestring budget, is the support it gets from the parent-teacher association of the school that provides a venue in the case of the Kannur performances, and the support extended by the State Department of Education, at all the venues. For the Koodiyattam Kendra this is no mean achievement, and a rewarding experience.
An uninterrupted series of over hundred performances in the capital is a creditable achievement. For the people behind the innovative exercise, the regulars to the shows are increasing, slowly but steadily.
“Koodiyattam does not and cannot expect a large crowd, it is something to be savoured by an informed ‘sahrudayan’, and best enjoyed within the dim halo created by the traditional vilakku. After Manthraankam and Purushaartha Koothu for the annual programme in the last two years, a five-day long presentation of the complete Soorpanakhankam text scheduled for this year promises to have a more discerning and interested viewer,” says Gopalakrishnan.
Open to everyone
Performing in a koothambalam is the dream of every Koodiyattam performer. Since tradition has given only the Chakyars the traditional performing rights in this space, the koothambalam had remained inaccessible to the lay learner. But the koothambalam in Harippad has come as a saviour by providing the venue to performers who do not belong to the Chakyar community. Every month, the koothambalam invariably has a performance scheduled, thanks to the cooperation extended by the administration.
