Recognition for a guru
K. K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
|
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama is the first recipient of the Kerala Nritya Natya Puraskar for outstanding contribution to Mohiniyattom.
|
PASSIONATE TEACHER: Kalamandalam Sathyabhama is committed to Mohiniyattom.
It is a well deserved honour for Kalamandalam Sathyabhama who has been selected for the first Kerala Nritya Natya Puraskar, instituted by the State Government, to honour veteran gurus for their contributions to dance forms of Kerala. The last in a line of eminent teachers handpicked by Vallathol, she also has the unique distinction of being the first woman principal of Kalamandalam.
Uneasy acceptance
For a proper assessment of Sathyabhama's contribution to Mohiniyattom, one has to consider the vicissitudes the dance form faced in the course of being accepted as a dance form. Mohiniyattom had a stigma attached to it as it was said to be associated with the Devadasi tradition. The art was confined to a few families in villages such as Peringottukurussi, Korattikara, Pazhayannur, Kundilasseri and Nelluvai, all located in Thrissur and Palakkad districts. As the dance was considered inappropriate, there were few takers.
Acknowledging Mohiniyattom
Vallathol Narayana Menon, who founded Kalamandalam along with Manakkulam Mukunda Raja, however, saw the beauty and artistry of Mohiniyattam, and resolved to give it its proper place among the art forms.
Despite the severe opposition, in 1932 he managed to introduce a course in Mohiniyattom in Kalamandalam. It was a futile attempt as the only girl to take up the course after a lot of persuasion, Thankamani, left in 1935 to get married to Guru Gopinath.
Not one to be deterred by temporary setbacks, in 1937 he again revived the course, which resulted in the creation of an artiste of the late Kalyanikutty Amma's stature. However, this too was short lived as the two teachers, Madhavi Amma and Krishna Panicker, retired in 1940.
It took the poet another decade to fulfil his mission of making Mohiniyattom an integral part of Kalamandalam's curriculum. In 1950, he revived the course with a new teacher, Thottassery Chinnammu Amma, and five students. Sathyabhama was one among them. Initially Sathyabhama was a part-time student who also attended a regular school but later became a full- time student at Kalamandalam. Chinnammu Amma had not practised Mohiniyattom for many years, and her repertoire was limited to a few pieces, a cholkettu, two jatiswarams, a varnam and a padam, which she taught her students.
Innovative teacher
Vallathol, who was convinced that Sathyabhama alone could give a new lease of life to Mohiniyattom, appointed her as teacher when Chinnammu Amma retired. In the meantime, Sathyabhama was also able to learn a few pieces from Kalyanikutty Amma, that the latter had learned when she was a student.
With this background, which cannot be called extensive, Sathyabhama developed her own ideas, choreographed several new pieces, and revived the kutcheri tradition of Mohiniyattom.
She emphasised the lasya aspect of Mohiniyattom, which she saw as its principal strength, and in creating new works, but always within the bounds of tradition.
Sathyabhama consulted with the other great artistes in Kalamandalam like her husband Guru Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair as well as music and Sanskrit scholars and incorporated their suggestions in her choreography. Such careful attention to authenticity gave a new dimension to her compositions and since then all of it became the basic items of the art form itself. She retired from the Kalamandalam as its Principal in March 1993.
One of her innovations in Mohiniyattom that deserves special mention is the change in hairstyle that she introduced. She refrained from imitating Bharatanatyam and laid stress on Keralite aesthetics. This coiffure involves the hair being bunched up on the left side of the head with strands of jasmine flowers circling it, inspired from Ravi Varma's paintings on Kerala women. During her lifetime even Kalyanikutty Amma was vehemently opposed to it; but this change was universally accepted.
Sathyabhama retired from the stage when she was hardly 24, an age at which most dancers just begin their professional career.
She retired because of the demands made on her time by her choreography, teaching and housekeeping.
But she has no regrets, as the premature retirement helped her groom her disciples.
Almost all the present day Mohiniyattom artists are either her direct disciples or their students, making her a legend in Mohiniyattom.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
