Indian classical art forms were the preserve of gurus, many of whom had to carry the lineage as their Kula dharma [hereditary profession], grappling with the given concepts and contents within their immediate contexts. Among gurus some were also destined to don the mantle of path-breakers, instilling innovative insights in their disciples, nudging them to reinvent themselves and their art forms. Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakyar was one among these rare masters. He was the Koodiyattam guru at Margi, Thiruvananthapuram, for more than two decades.
At Margi, under the guidance of his brother and guru, Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, he took upon himself the historic and daunting task of codifying huge volumes of production and acting manuals (Kramadeepika and Aattaprakaram in Koodiyattam parlance) for many Sanskrit dramas, which were once popular but had lost their presence on stage, plays such as ‘Subhadradhananjayam - Act I’, ‘Parnashalankam’, ‘Mayaseethankam’, ‘Agnipravesankam’ and the like. He taught his disciples at Margi all these plays and after practising for days on end, structured them on stage as magnificent edifices of dramatic excellence. Thanks to his single-minded commitment Margi today has a rich repertoire of about 150 days of Koodiyattam and 30 days of Nangiarkoothu.
According to the Indian ethos, ideally a guru is known by his disciples rather than the disciples hitch-hiking on the name and fame of gurus. In this respect, there are not many like Kochukuttan Chakyar who are fortunate enough to boast of an entire array of renowned disciples such as Margi Madhu, Margi Sathi, Margi Saji Narayanan, Margi Raman, and Margi Usha, to name a few. Although he is known for his hardcore adherence to the traditional tenets, Kochukuttan Chakyar has never been a stumbling block for his disciples to experiment with new stories or participate in co-productions with modern theatre groups from various parts of the world.
Recently, when many of his disciples, friends and fans came together at the four-day annual Gurusmarana festival at Nepathya, Moozhikkulam, to mark his sixth death anniversary, the occasion presented Koodiyattam lovers with an opportunity to witness some reassuring performances by the new generation and also to share their views on the present state of Koodiyattam at a more academic level.
‘Balivadham’ was staged on the first day of the fete, where Nepathya Sreehari, his grandson, enacted Sreerama’s efforts in helping Sugreeva get over his fear of Bali and regain the guts to confront him. On the second day Nepathya Vishnuprasad donned the role of Sankukarna in ‘Thoranayudham’. The scene depicts Ravana returning home in the heavenly aircraft, Pushpaka, after conquering Vaisravana and his subsequent encounter with Mount Kailas, whom he accuses of obstructing his way. Upset at Kailas not obeying him, an infuriated Ravana lifts the mountain and plays with it. The actor describing the scenic beauty and the sheer magnitude of Kailas, only with the movements of the eyes, is a classic example of the highly evolved and refined style of acting typical of Koodiyattam. The pakarnattam session of ‘Parvathi Viraham’, where the same actor transforms into the roles of Shiva and Parvathy in turn, provided glimpses of another facet of Koodiyattam acting. In a strenuous stretch of four-and-a-half hours on stage, Vishnuprasad demonstrated the determination and hard work with which the younger generation is pursuing the tradition.
Though there are some promising youngsters in the field of aattam (abhinaya), the same cannot be said of the other aspect of Koodiyattam, Vaakku or Koothu – the oral solo performance. But the presentation of ‘Panchali Swayamvaram’ Koothu on the third day by Nepathya Yadukrishnan was a welcome break and, in a way, a fitting answer to the apprehensions raised about the future of Koothu by K.G Poulose, former Vice Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam and others at the commemorative meeting on the last day of the event.
The event came to an end with a rare percussion ensemble of edakka and mizhavu thayambaka. Kalanilayam Rajan on the edakka and Kalamandalam Manikandan on the mizhavu were at their best in showcasing their virtuosity and proficiency in sculpting castles of sound upon emptiness by weaving intricate rhythmic patterns in complex permutations and combinations of throbbing beats. Carried from a very slow tempo to the pinnacle of a charged crescendo culminating in a split second, the spectators could only stand spellbound in the stunned silence that followed. A remarkable feat indeed, considering the limitations of the instruments in comparison with the more versatile chenda on which thayambaka is usually performed.
