Popular art forms of Kerala take centre stage

A 10-day immersive experience in the science of Indian expression and spirituality, the ‘Tantrotsav ’17: Living Tantra’, from Thursday

February 15, 2017 10:07 am | Updated 10:07 am IST - PUDUCHERRY:

The Kalarigram near Adishakti, is set to reverberate with a miscellany of expressive arts, from the spectacular ritual art of Theyyam popular in temple festivals of North Kerala, the classical dance-drama of Kathakali or the martial form of Kalaripayettu.

‘Tantrotsav ’17: Living Tantra’, the fifth edition of Yogeeshananda Peetham’s annual celebration of Tantra, a philosophy rooted in the divine dance of Shiva and Shakti, gets under way on Thursday.

“Offering a 10-day immersive experience in the science of Indian expression and spirituality, Tantrotsav is a celebration of divine oneness,” says Lakshmanan Gurukkal, who heads the Hindustan Kalari Sangham unit here.

It is essentially, a celebration of flow, the divine love, the dance of Shiva and Shakti; a space for exchange and expansion, he added.

The Hindustan Kalari Sangham, which is headquartered in Kozhikode, opened its Puducherry chapter with one of its core objectives being the physical grooming of dancers of Adishakti in kalari techniques.

The Sangham perpetuates Yogishananda’s Tantra tradition and philosophy of life itself as a confluence of the cosmic symbols of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy).

The Kalarigram evolved out of the vision of Guru Veerasree Sami Gurukkal, and represents an endeavour to keep alive the ancient traditions of Kalaripayattu, one of the world's oldest form of martial arts, and its influence in healing and Ayurveda. Kalarigram forms an integral approach to growth and healing advocating a holistic lifestyle in a Gurukula type of learning environment in its kalaripayattu training and ayurvedic practices.

It also works closely with artists, offering residencies, therapy, and guidance into the Indian performance arts and healing sciences. The Tantrotsav festival is a celebration of this philosophy.

“Tantrotsav is a collective imagination, and we are all making it happen together. From Thursday right up to the night of February 24, we hope Kalarigram transforms into a vibrant space of deep exchange, expression and meditation,” said Lakshmanan Gurukkal.

The body practice of Kalari, Yoga, Kathakali, the spiritual practice of Tantra, and the various artistic expressions, is bringing together exponents from various art discplines for 10 days of a collective artistic journey climaxing on the night of Mahashivarathri.

Participants share their deep questions of life and living over an extended course of workshops, satsangs, discussions on understanding tantra through principles of art, mathematics, ayurveda, architecture.

There is also dance, theatre, music, meditation, painting and other experiments and explorations over nine days leading up to the finale.

Each day features Kalari and yoga classes, a performance workshop, satsang sessions discussing Tantra, Ayurveda, Navarasa, meditation, and the various Yoga disciplines while the evenings are devoted to dance, music and theatre.

One of the high points of this year’s fete is the ten-day residency Meiabhyasam and Navarasa workshop led by Kathakali guru Sadanam P.V. Balakrishnan.

The residency is open to dancers, actors and other artists interested in an exploration of the traditional performance form of Kathakali and the aesthetics of Navarasas. Participants will train in Kalaripayattu, yoga, Meiabhyasam (the individual body exercise sequences of Kathakali), and Navarasa (the nine primary emotions codified in Natyashastra that form the basis of Indian aesthetics).

The workshop is intended to be an immersive experience in the science and spirituality of Indian expression.

As organisers have planned it, the workshop finale will flow into the spectacle of Mahashivarathri celebrations on the night of February 24, featuring chendamelam, Kalaripayattu, Theyyam, Kathakali, Dance and Hindustani music from 6 pm onwards.

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