Kathakali and Kootiyattam are two very reputed and intense performing art forms from Kerala, South of India which have deep roots in the art of acting, dance, music, art and design. The South Zone Cultural Centre Thanjavur, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with the Department of Theatre Arts, S.N. School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad, Telangana organised a three-day workshop of Kathakali and Kootiyattam with highly reputed and experienced artists to throw light on the history and legacy of Indian theatre and what the practices look like today.
DAY 1
The three-day event began on the 25th of September where the students were introduced to the craft of Kathakali, some witnessing it for the first time. Kathakali artist Adv. Renjini headed the workshop with her husband, Mr. Suresh Sukumar, a Kathakali performer as well. The workshop began at 9:30 am with a brief explanation of what Kathakali is all about and its rich history. The talk included the intricacies of Kathakali makeup and costume, Veshams and the face colours of each character based on their virtues. The instruments used were the Chennda and the Maddalam.
Kathakali means performing a story or ‘playing a story’ where music, makeup, dance, drama and fine arts all come together and orchestrate one art form. Kathakali is based on the Puranas and Puranic Epics where the stories performed are called Aatakathas. There are no dialogues in Kathakali but the musicians sing or narrate the context of the plot where four-lined shlokas also introduce the characters before they enter. Then followed an introduction of the Tirashila and the Tiranooku which mean curtain and curtain look respectively where the character prepares themself behind the curtain before the curtain look, paying respects to the instruments and the performance space. The students were shown how the percussion beats enable the different rasas to be performed effectively.
The eye movement exercises were also demonstrated which is always practiced under supervision. Kalamandalam Adityan then performed a leg routine of 5 different paces along with an increase and decrease in tempo by the musicians where the taalam was kept by one musician and the other instruments filled in. The actors also depicted the mannerisms of animals and birds like elephants, doves, and insects as well. Miss Renjini, Mr Suresh and Kalamandalam Adityan described the various rasas through appropriate mudras, expressions, body orientation and movements which showcased a completely intricate language altogether. From Raudra to Shringara to Shaantam, each was performed with great calibre.
The greenroom was full of engrossed students and busy artists working on the intricate makeup for the performance. The various materials used for the makeup included paper, cloth, lime paste, paints and kohl. The process took over three hours and the makeup and costume, though elaborate, stayed unscathed throughout the performance. The performance that followed in the evening was titled ‘Raavanodhbhavam’ where Raavan sits in penance to obtain so much power that no one can kill him except a man. He is then upset to hear what boons were given to his brothers when they did penance for blessings as well. The acting performance was done by Adv. Ranjini, Kalamandalam Adityan and Kala Harikrishnan. The musicians and instrumentalists were:Kalamandalam Vinod, Kalamandalam Vineesh ,Kalamandalam Venumohan,Kalamandalam Sreerag ,Kalamandalam Vineeth ,RLV Neelakandan Nambeshan ,and the makeup was done by RLV Anuraj.
The performance followed a question-and-answer session where discussions took place about patience, tolerance, makeup, costume and other things among the same.
DAY 2
The second day of the Kathakali workshop began with delving into the details of the Rasas how they are depicted in Kathakali and how one can find them in the performance to follow that evening. Miss Renjini explained the importance and benefits of Kathakali which improves balance, endurance, dexterity and visuospatial capacity.
The students were then taught how to depict the various hand gestures or mudras by the performers. They were taught how to phrase sentences with the mudras and communicate using the same with each other which was extremely interesting to witness. After a while, it came to getting on their feet and everyone was taught a movement with legs, hand mudras and face positioning which the student kept doing over and over again because of how unique it was. Then the salutation which is done before the performance was taught to everyone and it was performed by all in a circle. One interesting fact that was learned was that the musicians keep on with the bars of the taalam until the final gesture of that respective chunk of the performance is not done. This shows that each musician must also know what is being performed and the meaning of the same.
‘Kiratham’ Kathakali performance
The performance that followed that evening was titled ‘Kiratham Kathakali’ which unfolds the story of Arjuna, the mighty Mahabharatha warrior who finds himself in a fit with Shiva who wants to fight Arjuna in return but is still considerate of Parvathi’s sentiments and wishes for no fight to happen. The performance is set in a Lokadharmi context which made it more understandable from the perspective of the audience. The most mesmerising part of the performance was that the characters of Ravana and Parvathi began to move within the audience and began interacting with them, teasing them and playing around before getting back to the performance space. The makeup and costumes differed extensively compared to the first day’s performance. The interactive session that followed included conversations about the lamp, the audience and acting methods used in Kathakali enhancing the senses of the body. The artists were the same as those from day one’s performance.
DAY 3
On the third day, the 27th of September, the students were introduced to a similar and older performing art form, Kootiyattam, by Kootiyattam artist Remith Ramesh and a team of musicians and artists. It was evident that the two art forms, Kathakali and Kootiyattam have numerous similarities but they also had significant differences. An example given by Mr. Remith was that Kootiyattam also involves chanting of shlokas narrating what is about to happen in the performance in essence. Another significant difference is the percussion used for the two forms where Kootiyattam resounds with the beats of the Mizhavu and the Edakkam.
‘Kailasodharanam and Parvathi Viraham’ Kootiyattam Performance
Kootiyattam is more focused on acting than Kathakali, which has enabled the students of the Department of Theatre Arts to grasp the nuances and foundations of performance through this art form. Mr. Remith introduced certain gestures and mudras which were similar to those learned during the first two days of the workshop. There was also an introduction to the four acting approaches of Natya as mentioned in the Natyashastra which are Angika, Aharya, Vachika, and Sattvika where Kootiyattam incorporates all four. The shlokas that are chanted are in 21 melodies or swaras each for a certain moment or circumstance of the performance. The most interesting part revealed was that a traditional Kootiyattam performance can go up to many days and the longer a performance extends, the better it is considered. The performer performs solely for the lamp and their concentration is set on it throughout.
Mr. Remith elaborated on something very central to Kootiyattam, which concerns the three bodies of an artist: The Personal, The Actor and The Character, which play trivial roles in the art of acting in particular. The students were also introduced to the drums’ various sounds and the beats were demonstrated in Adi, Triputa, Eka and Rupaka Taalams. A few glimpses were shown from the performance which was to happen that evening to explain the intricacies and symbolic meanings behind the hand gestures, facial expressions and other body movements. The students were then taught a few mudras and were made to experience moving like a bird to the beats of the drums after which the students mentioned that they felt a sort of liberation and an elation of spirits while performing solely because of the drums which then emphasized on the vitality of human conditions and connections with energy in different forms.
A performance followed their workshop at 6:30 pm which was a terrific spectacle immersing the audience, keeping them at the edge of their seats at all times. The performance titled ‘ ‘Kailasodharanam and Parvathi Viraham’ evolved around the narrative of Ravana explaining his frustration with Mount Kailasa and then resulting in his encounter with Parvathi and Shiva which was all performed by one performer Mr. Remith. The musicians kept the pace at all times with absolute finesse. The performance ended with an interactive session where the discussions revolved around the body as a vessel of practice, the legacy of Kootiyattam and the personal experiences of the artists. The artists were:Actor: Remith Ramesh,Musicians,Kalamandalam Vijay,Kalamandalam Rahu TS, Kalamandalam Sharath,Kalamandalam Vyshak.
The three-day workshop was a great success bringing in intense flavours from Kerala, giving insight into the complex practices of the cultures. The workshop included students from various departments who were extremely elated to be part of the process. The program was coordinated and supervised by Prof. Noushad Mohammed Kunju and Production coordinator Prof. Kanhaiya Lal Kaithwas of the Department of Theatre Arts. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
Our sincere thanks to Institute of Eminence (IOE) University of Hyderabad, Shri K.K. Gopalakrishnan, Director of the South Zone Cultural Centre, and Prof. Rajiv Velicheti, Head of the Department of Theatre Arts, for making this project possible.
Review: Karen David, First year student
Camera: Aman, Second year student