Sitting on a peedham (heavy wooden stool), Margi Sathi is oblivious to the heat in the room as a gamut of emotions play across her face. She switches over from one mudra to the other, as the spotlight in the room burns bright.
I am on the first floor of Rangasree, the residence-cum-Koodiyattam/Nangiarkoothu institution of Margi Sathi at Karthikeya Nagar, Karamana. The room is the rehearsal space–cum–performance area of Rangasree. Two mizhavu are in the room with a black cloth forming the backdrop. A majestic traditional lamp has pride of place in the centre of the room.
“This is where I rehearse to the accompaniment of instruments. We also hold programmes of my students here,” says the veteran artiste. Now that she stays near Kerala Kalamandalam in Thrissur, where she has been teaching for the last 10 years, there are classes in Rangasree only when Sathi comes home during holidays.
Rangasree is more than a house for Sathi who was initiated into the world of art as a 11-year-old, 39 years ago. In fact it is a creative space for her in the true sense of the term. It is the fruition of a dream that she nurtured with her husband, edakka exponent N. Subramanian Potti, though he didn’t live long to see it. It is where she finds fulfilment as an artiste, where she crafts and polishes her productions.
On the ground floor, which she calls the nerve centre of the house, is a big pooja room, which is a part of the drawing room. “In most houses, pooja rooms are very small, but for us it is a sacred seat of learning. For me and my husband this space was very special. He used to keep his instrument here and we wouldn’t start any work without lighting the lamp. This is where I initiate students into the art form. The launch of any new production happens here. If I have to rehearse without the instruments, I prefer doing it in this space. When I have a programme, I apply the facial make up here itself. Above all, I always feel a positive energy when I stand in this room,” she says.
While the figures and idols of deities are neatly arranged, the cupboards are packed with awards and citations Sathi received over the last many decades. An iron trunk kept in the space has costumes for her performances.
Sathi, who hails from Cheruthuruthy, came to the capital city after her marriage and joined Margi in 1988. She toiled hard along with stalwarts to popularise Koodiyattam and gave an identity to Nangiarkoothu with her choreography, scripts and performance manuals. “I enjoy writing while sitting on the verandah of my quarters in Kerala Kalamandalam. But, there are many works that I have written here in Rangasree, ‘Kannakicharitham’ being one of them.”
She adds: “When we bought this land to build a house 13 years ago, it was a waste dumping ground. Many dissuaded us from buying it. But we went ahead and I am happy that this is now a registered cultural institution. This place is close to the city, but is away from all the hustle and bustle. Karamana river flows close by. But I feel sad that my husband passed away within three years of constructing this house.”
(A series that explores the workspaces of creative people in the city and its suburbs)
