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Schooling talent: A test will be conducted to select students for admission to the high school of Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture.

Two years may not be a very long time in the history of a university. But for Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture (KKDU) it is stock-taking time. Officials have already chalked out new schemes and initiated radical changes to streamline the functioning of the university.

Every cultural institution, that is also teaching performing arts, faces a common problem – to ensure that the students become accomplished performers and not only academicians. The number of students who turn performers is dwindling. KKDCU is now feeling the pinch.

“To prevent this, we have to bring in changes right from the school level. It is a fact that many students enrol here to secure a degree that will enable them to secure a teaching job. Art is such a competitive field these days that only the best survive,” says N. R. Gramaprakash, registrar, KKDCU.

Under the prevailing system, children are admitted to the high school at Kalamandalam. Although proficiency in different art forms is a requisite for admission, often, the authorities are forced to turn a blind eye to the quality of the candidates. “The high school was begun to provide formal education to aspiring artistes. But we, usually, get many children who have no leanings towards any art. Some children are sent here because education is free of cost; this includes hostel, mess facilities and an attractive stipend. So, the revamp, has to start from the school-level itself,” says Dr. Gramaprakash.

The first Vice-Chancellor of KKDCU, K.G. Paulose, has already set the ball rolling. “ From the coming academic year onwards we have decided to modify the admission process. Candidates will have to undergo a written exam and those who qualify will have to attend an interview. Certain norms will be adopted for issuing stipends too,” says Dr. Paulose.

Since the Kalamandalam is a centre for training, performing and preserving of arts, the focus should be on perform

ers and not academicians. “School education need not be formal. More attention should be paid to training them to communicate better in languages like English, developing soft skills and so on. Now, classes begin early in the morning where the children undergo intensive training in the different art forms. They, then, have to go to school and in the evening they are back at ‘kalaris.’ I have noticed young boys becoming frustrated at the end of a long, tiring day,” says Dr. Gramaprakash.

“Kathakali and Koodiyattam have always been our USP. But, of late, there has been very few takers for acting or ‘vesham’ in these art forms. On the other hand there is huge demand for seats in other disciplines such as chenda, Mohiniyattam and so on. More than a passion for the arts, many youngsters seem to have a keen eye on the market. We are attempting to encourage youngsters to opt for certain courses by offering a monthly scholarship of Rs. 750,” says Dr. Paulose.

Post-graduate courses in Kathakali, Koodiyattam and Mohiniyattam, and MPhil and PhD programmes are bound to make this premier institution a much-sought-after destination for art students and scholars.

Plans are afoot to have a two-tier system in place soon. The first one will be till the graduate level. “We plan to monitor the progress of the students, especially in their practical application of art. Changes in syllabi, scholarships for merit and formal education will all be there in this first tier. From the post-graduate stage, it will be research-oriented.

“One of our experiments for the first semester of the post-graduate course has succeeded. We structured the syllabus in such a way that the practical was given importance. For this examination, say, for Koodiyattam, students were given various scenes to choose from. They were given 30 minutes to prepare and then stage it. The performance was captured on video. Later, the students were shown the videos and told where they went wrong. A student needs to secure 60 per cent marks in the practical,” explains Dr. Paulose.

Like any fledgling institution Kalamandalam is going through teething troubles. But vision and steadfast support of the authorities ought to make it a centre of excellence in traditional arts.

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