Rhythmic essays
JAYARAMAN V
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A double thayambaka by Bhadra and Durga evoked an enthusiastic response from listeners.
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When Vaidyamadom Cheriya Narayanan Namboothiri, after listening to Bhadra and Durga presenting a double Thayambaka, remarked that the sisters had an innate flair for it but are lacking in `saadhakam,' their parents, Pariyarathu Kuriyedathu Manakkal Madhavan Namboothiri and Bhavani Antharjanam, were spurred to give their daughters stringent and systematic training.
Kuriyedathu Mana is near the Randumoorthi Temple of Thrikangottu, near Ottappalam, in Palakkad district. It was the temple priest, Kandamangalam Narayanan Namboothiri, an ardent melam lover, who made Bhadra dabble in chenda just for the fun of it. But the result was amazing and later the younger Durga too arrived on the scene.
Advanced training
The sisters' parents then engaged Kalamandalam Shashi Poduval to impart advanced training to the sisters and their `arangettam' took place in 2001, on the premises of the temple. It was then that Mattanoor Sankarankutty started training them in the subtleties of the art of thayambaka.
When Mattanoor found it difficult to continue their lessons owing to his tight schedules, Malamakkavu Kalamandalam Prabhakara Poduval took over as the guru of the sisters.
Sensing their dexterity with the stick and the palm, the late Alipparambu Sivarama Poduval came forward to present a triple thyambaka with them.
The sisters' recent performance during the Ravipuram Sree Krishna Temple festival in Kochi evoked a warm response. The sisters looked confident while unfurling rhythmic mysteries in `champa,' `panjari' and `adantha.' Their strokes were sufficiently weighty, whether with the stick or the palm.
It should be said to the credit of the sisters that they did not make forays into unwarranted realms, only to reach a blind alley, and then make a retreat without knowing how to touch the crescendo, a common feature that mars even major thayambaka performances.
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