Dedicated to a maestro

Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup’s legacy was celebrated at an event in Irinjalakuda that featured two Kathakali plays

A scene from ‘Nalacharitham - Day IV’

Kathakali musician Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup lives through his music. It has been three decades since the maestro passed away. But his style of rendition remains intact and his hardcore followers cherish that with reverence and exuberance. That was evident at a function held in his memory at Irinjalakuda for the 13th year in succession.

Kathakali artistes and enthusiasts from different parts of Kerala came together to pay rich tribute to him. This was followed by staging of two plays – Kuchelavritham and Nalacharitham - Day IV . Incidentally, both these plays harped on reunion, one between two friends and the other between husband and wife.

In Kuchelavritham, Kalamandalam KG Vasudevan portrayed the poverty-stricken Kuchela and Vellinezhi Haridasan played his consort. Peesappilly Rajeevan, who essayed the role of Krishna, impressed the audience with his dexterity and perfection in executing the mudras. Haripriya Namboothiri essayed the role of Rugmini. P D Namboodiri proved his individuality and identity while delivering the padam ‘Kalayamisumathe’. Since it was an event dedicated to the memory of a musician known for his creative thinking, he planned the ragas, which included Reethigowla, Arabhi, Hamsadhwani and Neelambari, a deviation from the usual sequence. Kalanilayam Kunjunni (chenda) and Kalanilayam Prakasan (maddalam) provided percussion support.

Nalacharitham Day IV had Kalamandalam Sreekumar handling the role of Bahuka with elan. Induja Cheruliyil showed promise by effectively executing the role of the maid, Kesini. Champakkara Vijayakumar excelled in the role of Damayanthi. Athipatta Ravi’s execution of Punnagavarali was enriched with bhava, marked by lyrical and melodic excellence and precision in delivering the lyrics. Babu Namboodiri delineated Thodi beautifully as Harish Kumar successfully presented Naganandini, a rare raga, along with Kedaragowla, Sama and Saraswathy. Kalamandalam Viswas’ rendition reiterated that he had inherited the nuances of a rich legacy of Kathakali music. Sadanam Ramakrishnan (chenda) and Rajanarayanam (maddalam) were on the percussion.

A Kathakali music competition was also held as part of the programme. The event was supported by K N Pisharody Memorial Kathakali Club.