Versatility his forte
SHILPA NAIR ANAND
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Kathakali artiste, painter and sculptor Sadanam K. Harikumar's artistic skills know no barriers.
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Photo: H. Vibhu
CREATIVITY EXPRESSED: Sadanam K. Harikumar with a painting by him. Photo: H. Vibhu
It is difficult to categorise artiste Sadanam K. Harikumar. His creative and artistic skills break down barriers of art, form and medium. He is not only a Kathakali artiste, but also an artist, sculptor, dancer and singer. The disciple of Sadanam Balakrishnan and Kizhpadam Kumaran Nair in Kathakali, he dons the pacha and kathi veshams. He has learnt Bharatanatyam under Kalamandalam Leelamma and Carnatic music under C.S. Krishna Iyer.
While he has formal training in Kathakali, Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, he is a self-taught sculptor and painter. "While I was teaching at Shanti Niketan it occurred to me that I could experiment with clay. Well-known sculptor and painter K.G. Subramaniam who was at Shanti Niketan at the time was encouraging. He told me my sculptures had a very individual style, devoid of influences," recalls Harikumar.
Each of the forms he dabbles in requires single-minded devotion and sadhana. So how does he manage to do justice to each? "Each of these art form is important to me. Sculpting is my means of self-expression. For instance, when I sing a Thyagaraja kriti, I am rendering what has been done before by so many masters before me. But when I sculpt or paint, it is an expression of my creativity."
Writer-cum-director
Harikumar has also written and directed attakathas such as `Shapamochanam,' `Karnaparvam,' `Abhimanyu,' `Manikandacharitam' and `Charuduttan,' which is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
He tries to widen the scope of Kathakali with his attakathas. "There are very rigid roles and role models operating in Kathakali as people still expect a certain amount of servility from Kathakali artists. This feudal attitude is unfair because the new generation is not used to it.
"Innovation in performance and attakathas too are frowned upon. As far as Kathakali is concerned there are a few trademark attakathas such as `Balivadhom,' `Karnashapadam' or `Kalyansougandhikam' that are staged and there is nothing beyond those. There should be improvisations, otherwise an art form will stagnate," says Harikumar.
His sculptures and paintings show a clear influence of mythology that form the basis of attakathas. Daksha, Kadrum and Soorpanakha's stories find sympathetic expression.
"I feel that the punishment handed down to Daksha unfair, and though Kadrum may be the mother of the nagas, she is a mother nevertheless. And that empathy probably shows in my sculptures," Harikumar says. For him the act of sculpting, forming a form from clay or mud is a miraculous act of creation that never ceases to astonish him.
Harikumar now wants to experiment with bronze and see how that medium will transform under his touch.
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