Kathakali in the air
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All India Radio, Thrissur, will air a week-long Kathakali Sangeetotsavam from August 26. K. PRADEEP
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aural treat: Kathakali music finds a place in AIR, Thrissur’s Onam programmes.
There’s a virtual treat in store for Kathakali fans this Onam. All India Radio, Thrissur, as part of its Golden Jubilee celebrations, will air a special, week-long Kathakali Sangeetotsavam beginning August 26. This is the first time Kathakali f
inds a place in AIR, Thrissur’s Onam programmes.
“The only time Kathakali featured prominently in the programme of AIR was way back in 1982. That was when the Thiruvananthapuram station organised live performances and relayed the same the next day. This time, we at Thrissur, have scheduled one-hour programmes from 10 to 11 p.m. till September 1. On one or two days, it will be aired from 9 to 10 a.m. owing to the cricket commentary in the evening. Kottakal Arya Vaidya Sala, that has a long-time link with Kathakali, will be the sponsor.
“Actor Nedumudi Venu has consented to present a brief introduction for every episode,” says S. Narayanan Namboodiri, the programme executive who has spared no efforts to popularise Kathakali through AIR.
AIR, Thrissur, has been broadcasting Kathakalipadangal regularly right from the time it became an independent station. It has an archival collection of over 175 hours of Kathakali sangeetam.
“Thrissur, the cultural capital of the State, has perhaps the most number of listeners for Kathakali sangeetam. The proximity to Kalamandalam has also helped. In the past, recording and preserving of the masters was not easy. Now with CDs, the work of preservation has become much more effective. We have over 10 hours of Kathakalipadangal sung by Hyder Ali alone.”
Two regular programmes aired by AIR, Thrissur, that garnered much attention are ‘Kalivilakku Theliyumbol’ and ‘Sammyamakannoru Udhyanam.’ The former is a one-hour documentary aired every second Friday. It focuses on a particular story, especially the literary and music part of it.
A detailed analysis, with expert opinions, all spiced up with appropriate parts from the plays are presented. Usually this detailed study of a play may go on for a few episodes. “We have broadcast some special episodes in this programme, like last year we presented Ramayana during Karkidakam. Some episodes were dedicated to specific ragas used in Kathakali.”
Listeners’ programme
The second one is a listener’s request programme, the only one of its kind for Kathakali. “We began this only this year but we have had tremendous response. It is as popular as that of film music. We have been able to form a regular group of listeners, some of them being luminaries in the field. There are also a growing number of new listeners being drawn to our programmes.”
Music is an essential part of Kathakali, one that has evolved into a genre of its own. And All India Radio, Thrissur, has certainly done a lot for its cause.
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