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On a linguistic treasure hunt

K. PRADEEP

Academician Kaipalli Kesavan Namboothiri has written a five-act play on Adi Sankara in Sanskrit.

Photo: Vipin Chandran

SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY: Kaipalli Kesavan Namboothiri's `Sarvajnasankaram' is on the lines of a typical Shakespearean play. Photo: Vipin Chandran

Apart from Koodiyattam plays, it was Kavalam Narayana Panikkar's bold experimentation with ancient Indic forms, especially Sanskrit dramaturgy, which opened new possibilities in modern theatre. His Sanskrit plays, combined with Kerala's unique repository of different forms of music, dance and theatre, saw the birth of a distinctive theatre idiom. Taking off from here, driven by a passion for the Sanskrit language, Kaipalli Kesavan Namboothiri has written a five-act play on Adi Sankara in Sanskrit.

What makes this play and the other Sanskrit literary works of this retired Malayalam professor so special is that they are suited for the modern order. Titled `Sarvajnasankaram,' this work is on the lines of a typical Shakespearean play, easily adaptable for the proscenium theatre. The dramatic beginning where Sankara is caught by a crocodile, couple of songs, dance ... the whole story progressing through dialogues is structured on the model of Elizabethan plays.

For a modern audience

"Realising that the play is for a modern audience I have used only 40 slokas in it. I have used normal dialogues and two songs. One of them is a patriotic song, in 10 ragas, about the greatness of our country, its rich culture and tradition. The story progresses through 10 main characters and is of around three hours' duration," explains Dr. Namboothiri.

Dr. Namboothiri never learned Sanskrit formally. It was a love affair that grew and soon he was besotted with the language that he decided to spread the word in his own small way. "I did English for my graduation and Malayalam for my post-graduation. Although Sanskrit always fascinated me though during my college days, I did not really take it up seriously.

"My father, a traditional physician, was the one who initiated me into the language. Then it was a journey on my own into the treasures of the language."

For a few years before he got a lecturer's job at the Sree Sankara Vidyapeetom College, Perumbavoor, Dr. Namboothiri assisted eminent scholar Vettom Mani in the making of the `Selected Malayalam Poems of 2000 Years.'

"That was a great experience. I was assigned to do the annotation of various chapters, compilations, designing and commentaries. It was here that I was introduced to the Sangham poems, like `Silapathikkaram' and `Pathittu Pathu.' A Tamil scholar would read the verses and I did the Malayalam translations. It helped me greatly in my linguistic awareness."

Dr. Namboothiri's doctoral thesis, `Influence of the Namboothiri Language in the development of Malayalam,' is a comprehensive work that throws new light on how Malayalam language evolved through ages.

"I wanted to work on something that would be of some benefit for the others who pursue this line of thought. I travelled a lot, examined old palm leaf manuscripts and found so many earlier theories flawed. Now, I have begun research on the influence of Prakrit languages on various South Indian languages. I don't think I have the time to do a regular thesis. So, it will be just a preamble, a bilingual one that could be later worked on by interested students."

Apart from numerous articles and poems in Malayalam, his other contributions to Sanskrit literature include a translation of Kumaran Asan's `Veenapoovu,' a few songs on Lord Ayyappan and the recently published `Aryageethi,' kritis set to specific ragas and talas, which can be rendered in Sopanam, Carnatic classical and semi-classical styles. "For the translation of `Veenapoovu,' I have faithfully followed the original text, not attempting to include anything of my own. `Aryageethi' is incidentally my only published work. I'm indebted to Ooramana Rajendra Marar who asked me to write this and also provided the musical assistance."

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