Chat Corner
‘Artistes should preserve an art’s distinct identity’
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Nangiarkoothu has moved outside the temple and the rituals have changed.
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Photo: K.K. Najeeb
Usha Nangiar
Usha Nangiar was born into a family of mizhavu performers. Today she is one of the leading exponents of Nangiarkoothu and has enthralled audiences all over the world. She has also prepared and composed the acting manual of ‘Subhadra’s Nirvahana’ in the fifth act of ‘Subhadra Dhananjayam’ and composed the acting manual of ‘Mandodari’ in ‘Asokavanikankam,’ in the fifth act of ‘Ascharayachoodamani.’ Usha has conducted workshops on Nangiarkoothu and Koodiyattam and also presented scholarly papers on the form, especially on the female characters in Koodiyattam and Nangiarkoothu. The veteran artiste worked with Adishakthi Theatre Research Laboratory, Puduchery, for three years in connection with the project ‘A dialogue between Nangiarkoothu, Koodiyattam and contemporary theatre’ and gave a solo performance titled ‘Khandaraprastha Agani Ahuthi,’ under the guidance of the Adi Shakthi director Veenapani Chawla.
Excerpts from an interview…
Beginning
I come from a traditional family in Thrissur that practises temple art forms. My father, the late Chathakudam Krishnan Nambiar, played the mizhavu. It was my father’s wish that I study Nangiarkoothu. Besides, Rama Chakyar asan was his close friend. He used to advise my father to teach me the art form. My father used to take me with him for performances everywhere. Father being the eldest in the family did not want the art form to come to an end. The others in the family except one or two had moved out in search of jobs.
I started learning Koodiyattam in 1980. I studied at the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam under Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and Ammanur Kuttan Chakyar. As my father was Paimkulam Rama Chakyar’s friend, obviously I should have joined Kalamandalam. But there was a problem as I would have had to join after my class seven. I did not want that to discontinue my formal education. So, I joined the gurukulam at Irinjalakuda.
Arangetram and training
Initially, gurunathan used to come to our house for the first two years. After that my father took me and my cousin to the gurukulam. I graduated in Statistics from Kerala Varma College and then I began my stay at the gurukulam for almost eight years from 1989 onwards.
Practice sessions used to begin with ‘sadhakam,’ as in the case of all forms of music and dance. There was purappadu, followed by a short vesham. For the arangetram, women usually performed a piece from ‘Sree Krishna Charitham’ while men performed an excerpt from ‘Balacharitham.’ My arangetram was at the Paimkulam Kudalattupuram temple. I enacted Subhadra’s vesham for 10 minutes.
Memorable performances
I have performed in India and abroad with Ammannur’s troupe. Performances in Finland and Paris were well received. There is a difference in their perception towards our art forms. Most foreigners come to see and appreciate the form. Even the language barrier does not prevent them from connecting with the performance. In Finland, we performed ‘Kamsavadham,’ which they enjoyed a great deal.
On the role of women
Orthodoxy, tradition and custom may have played a role in keeping women characters and women on the periphery of Koodiyattam performances. Moreover, in Koodiyattam, the ‘Panchakanya’ (Ahalya, Sita, Mandodari, Draupadi and Tara) did not appear on stage. A lamp was used to depict the characters. Instead of wringing my hands in despair because I could not play male characters, which were the important ones, I decided to delve into the female roles in the plays. With the encouragement of my gurus, I researched on the women characters in the epics and succeeded in moving them centre stage.
Changes over the year
A lot of changes have taken place. Nangiarkoothu has moved outside the temple and the rituals have changed. The dress has become more exquisite and colourful. The headgear, which used to be made of ‘kavunku paala’ and ‘thechhi poovu,’ has been replaced. Soon, I fear it will lose its status of a ‘parambarya kala’ or ‘anushthana kala.’ Today it is becoming more institutionalised. There is harm in that but I hope the essence of the form is not lost. I firmly believe artistes must preserve an art form’s distinct identity.
As a teacher and performer
I am a faculty member in the Theatre Department (Ancient) of Kalady Sanskrit University. I joined in 1997. I also work with my husband V.K.K. Hariharan, a mizhavu player, who runs the Krishnan Nambiar Mizhavu Kalari. I also teach Nangiarkoothu to seven students. It remains to be seen how many will continue. It is a demanding art form and one needs patience and dedication in equal measure to become a good performer. The performer has to go on an inner journey of the character to make a performance stand out. Unfortunately, today, many performances remain an exercise and not an exploration of the scholastic, aesthetic and technical aspects of Koodiyattam or Nangiarkoothu. For me, each performance is a journey into the heart of the character. It is an intense spiritual and aesthetic experience.
G. JAYAKUMAR
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