Tension is the reigning emotion at the backstage of most events at the arts festival. But the venue of Koodiyattam is marked by happiness and the camaraderie between competitors backstage. In the middle of all that is Painkulam Narayana Chakiyar, who has trained a total of 22 Koodiyattam teams across the High School and Higher Secondary levels this year.
Clad in jeans and t-shirt, the man is a calming presence as he personally supervises the make-up and costume of each member of these teams. Helping him out are his past students, many of them working professionals.
“This is truly a festival time for me, when all my past students come together, keeping aside all their commitments,” says Narayana Chakiyar.
At the Painkulam village in Thrissur, the preparations for the year’s competitions start much early. He follows a ‘Gurukulam’ system, with the teams from across the State staying together and learning the art at his ancestral home.
“There is no rivalry. They learn from each other and correct their mistakes. Mastering the art depends on the student. Some students learn their parts in six months, while some others take two years,” he says. Koodiyattam, a Sanskrit theatre tradition with a history of 2,000 years, traces its origins to outside the State, but came first to northern Kerala.
“Till about 200 years back, there were about 18 Chakiyar families in the Taliparamba area. Over the years, they migrated to central Kerala. Now there are four Chakiyar families. My guru Painkulam Raman Chakiyar was the one who started the Koodiyattam course in Kalamandalam, taking it out of the temples.”
The Koodiyattam performances which range from 12 to 150 hours have been condensed to 30 minutes, by carefully editing the ‘slokas’ without losing their essence.
At the competition, tales like Bali vadham, Jatayu vadham and other works of Bhasa and Kalidasa are performed.
“I have been training students for 27 years. In the early days, hardly anyone used to take it up. Now I conduct auditions in schools and I am not able to take everyone in”
He says he does not expect any of the students to take this up as a profession.
“It’s impossible to make a living out of this. The art will still survive through them as many of them are taking it up as a hobby. The competitions here make the art more accessible to common people,” he says.
