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Magazine
Classical art goes global
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Kathakali plays in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil have fascinated viewers across the seas. S. BINU RAJ
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“When we present a story rooted in their culture, it is more effective and Kathakali gains popular appeal,” says Bhaskar.
A modern avatar: “Thataka Vadham” In Tamil.
The myriad hues painted on a Kathakali artist’s face can be interpreted as diverse cultures and traditions. K.P. Bhaskar found that this unique character of Kathakali makes it easy to fit into any culture.
Thus he took Kathakali across the seas and presented it in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil languages but ensured that his productions adhered to the art form’s strict rules. The costume, make up, music and even the rhythm are traditional but the viewer hears Mandarin or Malay in traditional Kathakali ragas like Adantha or Chempada.
Cultural fusion
“Singapore is a country that has fused many cultures; Indian, Chinese and Indonesian cultures co-exist with a Western ethos. Thus I found Singapore the best place to present Kathakali,” says Bhaskar.
Though this octogenarian established Bhaskar’s Art Academy in 1952 in Singapore, his experiments and innovations in Kathakali were as late as 2002. In Asian classical theatre,
Kathakali shares equal status with the Chinese Opera and Japanese Noh Theatre. Though Kathakali stands apart with its complex facial expressions and eye movements, Bhaskar found that some elements connect Kathakali with other Asian theatre forms; this revelation resulted in his linguistic innovations in Kathakali.
Chinese story
The Chinese classic, adventures of the Chinese monk Sanzang, is Bhaskar’s latest innovative production. Bhaskar roped in Dr. Grant Shen, well known stage director and Asian Theatre specialist at the National University of Singapore, to write the script. The play is based on an episode from Journey to the West, a classical novel about the adventures of the Chinese monk Sanzang who attempts to bring the Buddhist Sutras from India to China.
Kidnapped by the Spider spirits, he is rescued by the valiant Monkey God. Chinese scholars have often pointed out similarities between the Chinese Monkey God and Hanuman in the Ramayana. Sanzang is none other than Huen Tsang. “I chose this play for my first Kathakali production in Mandarin because of the Indian connections,” says Bhaskar.
“Bhaskar asked for the Kathakali script to be in classical Chinese, unlike the librettos of Chinese opera, which are routinely composed in colloquial or modern Chinese. This was a wise choice. Classical Chinese affords two important qualities. First is the economy of verse. Since every word of the libretto is performed in Kathakali, fewer words mean freedom in acting. Second is the effect of the medium. The rigorous rhyming and verbal parallelism required of classical Chinese contribute not only to the structural aestheticism of Kathakali but also complement the ambience of the performance,” says Dr. Grant Shen who has also written an English libretto for a dance-drama on Shakuntala. The blend of Chinese verses and the language of Kathakali mudras enthralled Chinese audience in Singapore.
Since Kathakali is totally strange to audiences in South East Asia Bhaskar formulated a brief introduction to be shown before the plays.
This includes a slide show depicting the five main characters in Kathakali, which are distinguished by their face colour and costumes. Live sub-titles are also shown before the main stage.
Play in Tamil
Like a traditional night-long performance in Kerala villages, Bhaskar’s troupe has had a night-long performance in Singapore. Inspired by the 18th century poet Arunachala Kavirayar’s Tamil opera “Ramanatakam”, Bhaskar produced “Thataka Vadham” in Tamil. Bhaskar says he has plans to present Kathakali in Hindi too. “The problem is that other languages rarely fall into the frame of traditional Kerala rhythm,” he says.
Bhaskar produced “Cherita Singapura” in Malay, based on the legend about the founding of pre-colonial Singapore, and commissioned a Malay poet to write the verse.
The story depicts how prince Sang Nila Utama braved the rough sea and spotted a fearsome lion in the wondrous jungle. Hence the name Singapore or ‘Lion City’. “When we present a story rooted in their culture, it is more effective and Kathakali gains popular appeal in Singapore,” says Bhaskar.
But audiences in Mexico appreciated “Thataka Vadham”, “Narakasura Vadham” and “Baka Vadham”, all stories taken from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Bhaskar’s Academy’s month-long Kathakali performance in Mexico during the prestigious Festival Internacional Cervantino was indeed remarkable. His artistes include Biju S. Pillai, principal dancer and choreographer from Kerala, Wong Chee Meng a Singapore national who dedicated almost a decade for studying Indian music and dance.
Singapore nurtures all cultures and many classical art forms have flourished here. Bhaskar points out that Singapore has brought out a postal stamp on Kathakali back in 1963, whereas Kathakali’s homeland took a few more decades to do so.
He was honoured by the Singapore government’s Pingat Jasa Gemilang award; the only theatrical artiste in Singapore thus honoured.
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