Kathakali has remained predominantly a man’s world. Attempts by women to break the walls have been met with resistance. However, few would deny the strength, resilience and passion women have shown towards this art form. While the larger participation has mostly been seen in essaying veshams and a few in singing, still less have ventured into the literature of Kathakali, with very few women writing attakathas.
Most notable of them was Kunjikutty Thankachi, daughter of Irayimman Thampy who wrote three attakathas himself. Kunjikutty Thankachi followed her father’s path and wrote three attakathas — Sreemathi Swayamvaram , Parvathi Swayamvaram and Mithrasaha Moksham . Another woman who dared to take a step in this direction was Madhavikutty Warasiar, who also wrote the attakathas Kumarasambhavam and Viswamithran . They were choreographed and staged by PSV Natyasangham.
Writing an attakatha requires not only literary talent but also knowledge of the art of Kathakali. Though a lot of stories may have been penned, only a few become successful because of the lack of this understanding on the part of the writer. A combination of the two is necessary to make a story successful.
Radha Madhavan is one such writer who has tried to make an effort in this direction. Aware of the unique challenges at hand, she ensures that the art of Kathakali is not compromised for lack of literary prowess and a lot of research goes in before an attakatha is written. Radha, daughter of Venmani Parameswaran Namboothiripad, is well-versed in the Srimad Bhagavatham . She received her Sanskrit education from her father, along with her brother, Venmani Krishnan Namboothiripad.
This exposure to the Puranas and the Sanskrit language has helped her delve deep into the intricacies of different stories.
Radha was exposed to Kathakali from a very young age as her mother was passionate about the art. Her literary interest continued through the years of formal education, when she started writing stories. Her first attakatha was Rugmi Vadham , staged along with Rugmini Mohanam – a short piece from the Shrimad Bhagavatham on the deep love between Krishna and Rugmini. While Kathakali plays usually are more about depicting a story scene by scene, rarely does it delve into the depths of the mind.
Rugmini Mohanam is a story in which time virtually stops to describe an emotional moment in the life of Rugmini and Krishna. Radha has done justice to the characters by depicting the emotional content of that intense moment.
She shows a keen understanding of women characters and probably this is where her texts stand out. Other than Nalacharitham , which provides ample focus on Damayanthi, few attakathas have given importance to the emotions and thought processes of women characters. Though there are many powerful female characters in Kathakali, they usually stand out more for its cholliyattam or importance in kalari rather than for their characterisation. Characters such as Lalitha and Urvashi become important female characters in the Kathakali repertoire for the same reason.
Often, emotional struggles of female characters, their aspirations, dreams and conflicts are rarely addressed in Kathakali. Radha’s story Subhadradraupadeeyam is one such in which the emotional conflict Draupadi faces upon learning about Arjuna’s marriage to Subhadra is portrayed vividly.
Radha has also written a play on the life of Jesus Christ, Divya Karunya Charitham. Davinji Porul is based on the life of Leonardo Da Vinci. Tyagaraja swami’s famous Sanskrit dance drama Nauka Charitham and Tagore’s Shyama have also found life in the attakatha form through her efforts in addition to Kathopanishad .
The latest to be staged was Angadadoothu , where Angadan is the main character. Radha is aware that though text is the backbone of a Kathakali performance, choreography is also of equal importance, thus leaving space for it in her stories. She also rightly questions patriarchal attitudes in society, and this is inevitably reflected in every aspect of her works.
Sabaricharitham , about Sabari who transcends herself beyond the moralism of society and attains nirvana through direct contact with the lord, and Ambasapadham are some of her stories that depict women of great mental grit.
(The author is a Kathakali artiste and academic)
