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Veteran of the stage: Paimkulam Rama Chakyar .

After a pause, he adds with a wide beam on his face: “For me, it’s sweeter as it came quite unexpectedly.” He was one of the first two students of Kerala Kalamandalam, when Koodiyattom was included in the syllabus in June 1965. The head of the department was none other than his maternal uncle, the legendary Guru Paimkulam Rama Chakyar. After he Rama Chakyar completed the six-year course and the two-year post-graduate course, he was appointed as an instructor at the Kalamandalam in 1975. He continued at Kalamandalam till he retired in March last year. Thus, all the Koodiyattom artistes who passed out from Kalamandalam were groomed by him and his disciples.

What made him a brilliant performer and teacher in both Koodiyattom and Chakyarkoothu was his stewardship under Guru Rama Chakyar and the innumerable stage experience that he earned along with him, coupled with his inherent artistic aesthetics. Classes on Sankritised librettos, which he learned from veterans like the late Sanskrit scholar Unnikrishnan Elayath during his formative years and his subsequent experience as a renowned trainer and practitioner of the art helped him become a seasoned exponent, especially during the last two-and-a-half decades.

As a performer, he is hailed for his brilliance in both the technical and traditional aspects of both Koodiyattom and Chakyarkoothu. He is equally at ease in both character roles and as vidooshaka (court jester). What makes Rama Chakyar dear to both Koodiyattam aficionados and Sanskrit scholars is the fact that he is one of the few Chakyars who are familiar with almost all the prevalent repertoires of Koodiyattom and Chakyarkoothu. Today, there is no one to excel him in presenting the entire Purusharthakoothu in full text He is equally acclaimed for his presentation of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata stories in the Chakyarkoothu format, complete with impromptu remarks that connect the mythological stories to contemporary issues.

Sugreeva of ‘Balivadham,’ Vidooshaka of ‘Bhagavadjjukam’ (Shandilya), Naganandam (Aathreyan) and Subadradhananjayam (Kaundinyan), Jatayu of ‘Jatayuvadham,’ Hanuman of ‘Thoranayudham’ and Shoorpanakha of ‘Shoorpanakhangam’ are among his celebrated roles in Koodiyattam.

Rama Chakyar has performed at almost all the leading centres and festivals in India and abroad. He has served as a visiting professor of Stony Brooke University, United States. Margi, Thiruvanthapuram, has now approached him to support its faculty as a visiting professor. He is also the expert member of the Thiruvanthapuram-based Koodiyattam Kendra of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.

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