Karalmanna in Palakkad is the birthplace of legendary artiste Kottakkal Sivaraman, known as the evergreen heroine of Kathakali. On his death anniversary recently, seasoned Kathakali artistes got together for ‘Orma,’ a night-long tribute at Kunju Nair Memorial Hall in Palakkad.
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Class act
Nalacharitham Onnam Divasam and an unabridged Balivadham were the plays performed. Kalamandalam Balasubramanian enacted the central character of Nala with ease, right from the first scene when Narada comes to meet him. The systematic presentation of the padam Bhagavan Narada Vande aham.. was praiseworthy. It was complemented with interesting improvisations. The chaste movements of Kathakali were visible in his portrayal throughout the performance.
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After the exit of Narada, Nala’s solo scene in which he fantasies about Damayanthi’s beauty was enacted in the padam Kundina Nayaka Nandinikku Othoru Pennilla Vinnil.. . The artiste kept the descriptions of Damayanthi short, subtle and sweet, much to the delight of the audience. A class act on all accounts!
Senior artiste Sadanam Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri essayed the character of Suvarna Hamsam (golden swan). Narayanan Namboodiri, a scholar, raised a few eyebrows with his newly-designed costume and make-up for the swan.
Narayanan Namboodiri’s performance did not meet the expectations of the audience; the conversations between Nala and the Hamsam were particularly jarring thanks to his unwarranted interruptions. The artiste was better in the next scene with Damayanthi, where he attempted to bring in some nuances while describing the swan’s journey to Damayanthi’s palace.
Kalamandalam Rajasekharan, recipient of this year’s Kottakkal Sivaraman memorial award, performed the lead role of Damayanthi. The beauty of Kaplingadan kalari was evident throughout his act, beginning with the initial sari dance, featuring Damayanthi and her two thozhis (maids). Rajasekharan’s experience and versatility were on display in each and every mudra of his and the turmoil of the young princess was visible in his expressions.
Bali’s might
Kottarakkara Thampuran’s Balivadham begins with the mighty Asura emperor Ravana learning of his sister’s mutilation at the hands of Lakshmana. Ravana hatches a plan with his uncle Maricha, and successfully kidnaps Sita. Rama and Lakshmana set off in pursuit and on the way meets Sugreeva, the monkey king. Rama agrees to help Sugreeva kill his brother Bali and regain his kingdom, Kishkinda, while Sugreeva promises to help the brothers to find Sita.
Peesappalli Rajeevan gave a textbook performance as Ravana. This role is fully structured and rigid but Rajeevan, an artiste known for his improvisations, did try some interesting innovations here and there. Sadanam Bhasi’s Rama and Vellinezhi Haridas’ Sita were balanced portrayals.
Kalamandalam Pradeep, skilled in kathi and pacha roles, donned the chuvanna thadi character of Sugreeva, with energy and emotion. From his initial manodharma attam itself Pradeep demonstrated his versatility; his innovations were particularly engaging. For instance, a snigger introduced in his conversations with Rama and his spasms of fear when confronting his brother were interesting to watch.
One of the highlights was the entry of the mighty Bali with a thunderous roar, accompanied by booming beats of the percussion. Kottakkal Devadas, a specialist in chuvanna thadi, bounded on to the stage and was able to sustain the momentum throughout the scene. The battle of the brothers was a perfect climax to the recital. Kalamandalam Vaisakh (Narada) Kalamandalam Adithyan (Thozhi and Mandodari), Kalamandalam Praveen (Thozhi and Thara), Kalamandalam Arunkumar(Akambanan and Marichan), Kalamandalam Neeraj (Saint Ravanan) and RLV Pramod (Jatayu) were the other artistes.
Kottakkal Madhu led the music with Kalamandalam Jayaprakash, Nedumpalli Rammohan, Kottakkal Vengery Narayanan and Sadanam Jyothis Babu pitching in as well. The percussion was led by Kalamandalam Krishnadas, Kalamandalam Balasundaran, Sadanam Ramakrishnan and Sadanam Jithin (chenda), Kalamandalam Rajnarayanan, Kalamandalam Venu, Cherpulassery Hariharan and Sadanam Krishnaprasad (maddalam). The performances began with a Purappad, featuring four characters.
The programme was organised by Kunju Nair Memorial Trust, Karalmanna.