Renowned exponents of various art forms paid tribute through their superb performances to maestro Ammannur Madhava Chakyar on his 90th birthday celebrations.
Cultural extravaganza: Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar,
Celebrated exponents of various art forms paid rich tributes through their performances to Koodiyattom maestro Ammannur Madhava Chakyar who turned 90. A cultural festival was organised in connection with his 90th birthday celebrations at Irinjalakuda last week. The three-day fete was inaugurated by Bharath Murali, Chairman of Lalitakala Akademi. Danseuse Padma Subramaniam presented Bhagavath Gita in her own inimitable style of ‘Bharatha nrithyam.’ Right from t
he opening scene, when she entered the stage as charioteer Krishna, to the portrayal of ‘viswaroopadarsanam,’ she guided the spellbound audience through the nuances of philosophy and its various facets – karma, gnana, bhakthi – by enacting select verses from the Gita.
Her exposition of Dasavathara for the phrase ‘Sambhavami yuge yuge’ was creative and her delineation was well supported by the musicians and the accompanying instrumentalists.
Malladi Brothers elaborated a sprawling Kamboji, reproduced beautifully by T. H. Subramanian on the violin before rendering the Tyagaraja piece ‘Sree Raghuvara.’ Pathri Sathish (mridangam) and Vaikom Gopalakrishnan (ghatom) played a scintillating thani for that song. Begada blossomed with the Swati kriti ‘Kalayami.’ ‘Seshachala nayakam’ (Varali) and ‘Sangeethagnanamu’ (Dhanyasi) were the other major kirtis sung by them.
Manipuri dance by Guru Singhjith Singh and his team
Margi Madhu, in his Manthrankam koothu, dwelt on wielding the four expedients – sama, dhana, bheda, dhanda – in day-to-day life.
Guru Singhjith Singh and his team performed a Manipuri dance, which turned out to be a rare visual treat. They danced the ‘Rasaleela’ to the accompaniment of the flute. Singh showcased his histrionic talent by performing a solo based on the encounter between Arjuna and Rudra.
As Kalamandalam Gopi (Bahuka) and Balasubramaniam (Nala) excelled in ‘Nalacharitham,’ Sadanam Krishnankutty immortalised the role of Keechaka in ‘Keechakavadam.’ Mellifluous singing by Kottakkal Narayanan, especially the Kamboji piece ‘Harinakshijana,’ was well appreciated.
Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar
On the final night, Thoranayudham Koodiyattom, which forms the third act of Bhasas’ ‘Abhisheka natakam’ was performed.
It is for the first time that the whole play, which is usually performed over three days, was performed on a single night as a trilogy. This story is about the damages caused by Hanuman on Asoka vanika and the subsequent episodes till Hanuman sets fire to Lanka. The first part had Margi Madhu as Sankhukarna, the guard, narrating the beauty and grandeur of the Asoka vanika.
In the second part, Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar, as Sankhukarna, delineated, through the technique of Pakarnattam, how Hanuman destructed the garden single-handedly.
Pride takes a fall
The third part had Ravana, proud of his prowess and valour, pondering over the damages inflicted by a monkey. Ravana was enacted by Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar. The depiction of the lifting of Kailasam and Parvathyviraham with minute details by Kuttan Chakyar was superb and it is a testimony to the training he has received from his mentor Ammannur Madhava Chakyar.
Padma Subramaniam participated in the Navathy celebrations of Ammannur Madhava Chakyar.
Margi Sajeev and Kalamandalam Krishnakumar donned the roles of Ravana for the first two parts and Painkulam Narayana Chakyar played Hanuman.
In addition to these, the cultural extravaganza was enriched by Mathavilasam Koothu by Pothiyil Narayanachakyar, Kamsavadham Nangiarkoothu by Usha Nangiar, Mizhavil thayambaka by Kalamandalam Eswaranunni, ‘Agnipravesankam’ Koodiyattom by Margi and a lecture-demonstration by Rajaneeesh, Suraj, Kapila, Ranjith and Aparna.
In a national seminar, the participants stressed on the importance and advantages of a Gurukulam tradition for fostering and preserving traditional art forms.
An exhibition of photographs threw light on the various characters enacted by Ammannur Madhava Chakyar.
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