Honouring an artist, an artiste, and an auteur

Art forms do not belong to any caste or religion and they should be preserved: Suresh Gopi

Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan (left) and Champakara Vijayakumar as Damayanthi (right) in ‘Nalacharitham Nalam Divasam’ Kathakali performed in Kozhikode on Thursday.

It was one of those few occasions when an artist, an artiste, and an auteur were seen on the same stage. They were honoured by a popular film star, who recently entered the political arena. What brought them together was their interest in Kathakali.

The event was part of Aattachathushkam-2017, a platform to felicitate Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Gopi who turned 80 this year. It was organised by Thodayam Kathakali Yogam to mark their 28th anniversary celebrations. Kathakali artiste Chemanchery Kunhiraman Nair inaugurated it.

As he thanked the organisers for felicitating him, veteran film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan went down memory lane to recall how he used to watch eminent artistes perform Kathakali, sitting on his mother’s lap. “Our generation was fortunate to watch those performances. Today’s youth is hardly exposed to our classical art forms. It is because over a period of time, it had become unfashionable to pursue interest in them,” he said.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan attributed the lack of interest to the absence of cultural and artistic ethos in the school and college curriculum. “In countries such as France, every child who passes out of school has a basic idea about art, culture and music. They are taught how to appreciate them. Here it is not being done,” he said.

Highlighting the rich cultural heritage of Kerala, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said art forms such as Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam, Krishnattam and Kathakali still existed in Kerala because “we are heirs to a unique and ancient culture”. Artist Namboodiri, who was also honoured, spoke about the rich cultural content in Kathakali.

Actor-turned-MP Suresh Gopi, who presented them with a ‘ponnada’ and a memento with a title ‘Parinatha Prajnya’, said it was a matter of pride that most members of the audience who had gathered to watch the function were aged below 40. He said it proved that art forms such as Kathakali were still popular among youngsters. “Art forms do not belong to any caste or religion and they should be preserved. They entertain and enlighten us,” he added.

K.B. Rajanand, Kathakali critic, spoke about Mr. Gopalakrishnan, Mr. Namboodiri, and Mr. Gopi. Later, a seminar on ‘Streeyum Adhikaravum’ was held, followed by a speech on Koodiyattam. It was followed by ‘Nalacharitham Nalam Divasam’ and ‘Ravanothbhavam’ Kathakali performances.