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To sir with love: Kalamandalam Easwaranunni and his group presented a Pancharimelam on the mizhavu, as a tribute to K. P. Narayanan Nambiar.

This was evident in the way Kalamandalam Easwaranunni and his well-trained group presented a mesmerising and pulsating Pancharimelam on the mizhavu.

It was Easwaranunni’s tribute to his guru K. P. Narayanan Nambiar, who was awarded the Padma Shri this year, and who is widely recognised as the man who gave the mizhavu a new identity.

Easwaranunni presented the last three phases of the melam. The one-hour performance turned out to be a rhythmic feast.

All the elements of Pancharimelam, except the ‘edamthala,’ such as the kombu, kuzhal, valamthala and elathalam, accompanied the five artistes on the mizhavu. They began with the ‘moonnam kalam’ (third phase). They comfortably played the ‘thakkitta’ and ‘kuzhamarinja kalasham’ (continuous, flowing rhythmic pattern leading to a crescendo).

Usually in Pancharimelam, the kurumkuzhal and the kombu are positioned in front of the main artistes who play the chenda. Here, the kurumkuzhal and the kombu artistes were positioned on the left and the right of the mizhavu players respectively.

For each ‘kalasham,’ the kuzhal players gave indications of the traditional style known as ‘kuzhal minnikkal’ or definite indicators with appropriate gestures to mark the end of a phase and the start of a new one. The ‘kuzhamarinja kalasham’ in the fourth and fifth phases of the melam was perfectly presented.

Kalamandalam Achuthanandan and Kalamandalam Sajith Vijayan accompanied Easwaranunni on the mizhavu in the front row, while Kalamandalam Anoop and Kalamandalam Ramdas made up the back row.

The Koodiyattom plays staged on the three days were ‘Balivadham,’ by artistes of Kalamandalam Deemed University, ‘Sikhini Salabam’ sequence from ‘Subhadra Dhananjayam’ by Suraj Nambiar, ‘Soorpanankam’ by artistes of Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Irinjalakuda, ‘Thoranayudham’ by Nepathya, Moozhikulam, and ‘Naganandam’ by Kalamandalam Krishnakumar. Chakyarkoothu by Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar and Kalamandalam Radhakrishnan and Nangiarkoothu by Kalamandalam Girija were the other performances that were staged in connection with the Mahotsavam.

Two performers who stood out for their subtle acting, crisp hand gestures and evocative expression of emotions were Suraj Nambiar and Kalamandalam Krishnakumar. Suraj emphasised the importance of ‘netra abhinaya’ (emoting with the eyes) in ‘Sikhini Salabam.’

With expert use of hands and eyes, he created images of the butterfly, the flaming fire, the deer and the tiger cub, the elephant and the lion, the snake and the mongoose. Krishnakumar has an amazing stage presence. In ‘Naganandam,’ he was superb.

The programme included seminars, a function to honour Venu G., who won the Nikki Asia Prize for Culture (Japan), Sivan Namboodiri, winner of Central Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award, Rama Chakyar, who bagged the Kerala Kalamandalam Award, and Easwaranunni, who won the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.

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