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Workshop on Kathakali
HARIPRIYA NAMBUDIRI
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A three-day Kathakali camp threw light on the technical and aesthetic nuances of Kathakali.
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Immortal play: A scene from ‘Nalacharitham.’
A three-day Kathakali camp was conducted at Ambalapuzha under the joint auspices of Sandarsan Kathakali Vidyalayam, Kerala Kalamandalam and Vazhengada Kunju Nair Memorial Trust, Karalmanna. This venture was a continuation of the camps conducted by th
e trust as a refresher course for young artistes and also to bring about a deeper understanding of the art-form among art lovers.
Many up-and-coming artists from all over Kerala participated in the camp along with students from S.D. College, Alappuzha.
On the first day, K.B. Rajanand familiarised the students with common mudras in Kathakali followed by Thapassattom cholliyattom by Ettumanur Kannan. Later in the day, ‘Kalyana sougandhikam’ was performed by Kalamandalam Manoj and Sadanam Bhasi. Manoj, who has been trained in the Thekkan chitta, proved that he is equally versatile with the structure-oriented Vadakkan chitta also.
Captivating performance
Sadanam Bhasi, a disciple of the late Keezhpadom Kumaran Nair, captured the attention of the audience with his agile movements. He stuck to his guru’s style of ashtakalasam and attom. The Hanuman he depicted was a loving and caring elder brother of Bhima. Manoj rose to the occasion to be in step with Bhasi’s elegant portrayal.
The second day started with P. Venugopal’s appreciation class for ‘Nalacharitham Randaam Divasam.’ He threw light on the sahitya of ‘Nalacharitham’ and made them aware of the misinterpretations that were common on stage. A cholliyattom performed by the kattalan in ‘Nalacharitham’ was staged by Kalamandalam Mukundan under the guidance of Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody.
A demonstration of ‘Parvathi virahom atom’ was staged in the afternoon. As the students wanted to understand the nuances of Kathakali, it was explained by enacting popular film songs such as ‘Aayirom padasarangal kilungi’ and so on in Kathakali style.
Rare scenes
‘Nalacharitham Randaam Divasam’ was performed later in the day. The audience got the opportunity to watch certain scenes that are rarely performed on stages. It shows Damayanti meeting Sardhavahasangham and going to Chedi to meet her father. Nala was enacted by Kalamandalam Shanmughan, Damayanti by Chambakkara Vijayan and Kattalan by Kalamandalam Mukundan. On the third day, Ambalapuzha Gopakumar took a class on ‘Nalacharitham Munaam Divasam’ and the artists followed it up by a cholliyattom of Bahuka by Shanmughan.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
