In the temple town of Irinjalakuda in Kerala, where the ancient Sanskrit theatre form of Koodiyattam still thrives, performances of plays can sometimes take place over several days. Actors take hours getting into costume and character, and perform unhurried recitals in the evenings accompanied only by the flickering low light of traditional lamps, the rousing percussion of mizhavu drums, and the living rhythms of ages-old myths. Based in Irinjalakuda, the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, established in 1982, is one of the most prominent centres of learning associated with the form, and takes its name from a 19th-century virtuoso, whose family remains one of the primary custodians of the sensory art form, and runs the Gurukulam as both a training and a performing facility. They have been organising an annual Koodiyattam festival for some three decades now, attracting audiences in no small numbers from all over the world.
An important play in the Koodiyattam repertoire is Thoranayudham (‘The Battle at the Entrance’), the third act of Bhasa’s Abhisheka Natakam , which describes Hanuman’s adventures in Lanka, as he seeks out Sita, held captive in a palace garden. The performance usually spans six evenings, and while Ravana is depicted as a belligerent presence with all the accompanying vices and contradictions befitting an anti-hero, his valour and physical prowess are also extolled during the gestural elaborations. One episode in particular is dedicated to the Kailasodharanam , or ‘The Lifting of Kailasa’, in which Ravana, galvanised by his military victories in all three worlds, attempts to dislodge an offending mountain in his charioteer’s path. Little does he know that the peak is Lord Shiva’s divine abode, and consequences await this transgression. Ravana’s anger, his braggadocio, his aggravation and ultimately, his subjugation, make this a challenging episode for a Koodiyattam performer to enact.
Versova’s Studio Tamaasha is one of the several art venues that have sprung up in the suburbs, but has quickly acquired a reputation for thoughtfully curated content and an arts commitment way beyond what might be expected from simply another venue on hire. This Sunday, they host a performance of Kailasodharanam by the accomplished Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar, one of the youngest scions of the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar clan, which follows a matrilineal lineage that passes the baton down through successive generations of nephews. Rajaneesh will be accompanied by the gifted mizhavu performers Kalamandalam Ravikumar and Kalamandalam Vineeth — the honorific alludes to them being alumni of the Kerala Kalamandalam University for the classical arts. The performance itself will be a 70-minute excerpt from the unabridged recital in the minimal costume used for demonstration purposes, rather than full traditional regalia. Rajaneesh is visiting Mumbai in connection with a tour of temples in Navi Mumbai run by the Malayali diaspora, where he will be performing a few Chakyarkoothu (the oral ritualistic tradition of story-telling by Chakyars in temples) recitals. The show at Tamaasha, and a pedagogical lecture-demonstration at the Drama School, Mumbai, bookend this week-long choc-a-block schedule.
A beguiling aspect of any Koodiyattam performance that promises to leave onlookers completely transfixed, is the actor’s gaze, or what his character ‘sees’. For instance, when he beholds the mythical Kailasa, Ravana merely looks upon the mountain with all its geographical qualities and natural beauty, and it is through swift eye-movements alone that the actor (Rajaneesh, in this case) is able to evoke an illusory description of what he has observed. There is alternately benevolence and turbulence in his eyes, as Ravana looks at the rugged landscape, the lush forests, the rivers and denizens. There are often no literal gestures embodying the physical, except when he is engaged in an action, like during his bodily tryst with the mountain. The fact that the best Koodiyattam performers are able to convey intricate visual tapestries with their performances speaks volumes of the acting techniques that have been handed down several centuries. Although the vocabulary of performance is ancient code, the actor’s gaze can encompass the contemporary. In Kailasodharanam , this could likely include how natural eco-systems have been irrevocably damaged by practices like deforestation and over-cultivation. It remains to be seen what is lost in translation and what is communicated.
Kailasodharanam - A Kutiyattam performance will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Studio Tamaasha. For tickets check bookmyshow.com
