Piecing together the story of Malayali nuns

Ariyappedatha Jeevithangal’ traces the lives of young Malayali girls who were recruited for convents in Germany

To describe the documentary Ariyappedatha Jeevithangal as one about a controversy involving nuns being recruited from the Kerala of the late 1960s would only be half the truth, and therefore misleading. But, all of this belongs to five decades ago.

Documentary filmmaker Raju E. Raphael and media activist and researcher K. Rajagopal joined hands about a year ago to study and document a controversy that came to light in the early Seventies. But the seed idea had lain buried for 18 years before the documentary finally took shape.

“While on a Reuters Fellowship to London in 2000, I met a Professor who asked me about the issue in Kerala that had grabbed international media attention. My curiosity was stoked and I located the relevant news item in The Times, The Guardian and Washington Post. The reports indicated that priests in Kerala received £150 per girl sent to Germany,” says Raphael.

 

There were mass recruitments of young Malayali Catholic girls, who had completed matriculation or were studying in the senior secondary classes. The first batch of 20 went from Kerala in 1963. It was in 1972 that this issue of discriminatory treatment being meted out to the aspirants reached the public. The allegations that they were used to do menial work and were being treated badly cast a shadow on the priest who was coordinating the whole thing in Kerala.

Piecing together information on an event that took place five decades ago would be no easy task. Many of the nuns from the early batches were no more, others had re-located to India and continued with their missionary work in remote hamlets. Fr. Werner Chakkalakkal of CMI congregation was one of the priests in India, who was entrusted with the recruitment of aspirants in Kerala while Sister Ludgardis of the congregation of John the Baptist based in Leutesdorf was one of the coordinators in Germany for the recruitment and migration of Kerala girls to Germany. Both of them feature in the film giving their points of view.

Emotional experience

Ariyappedatha Jeevithangal has succeeded in incorporating the experiences of a handful of the nuns who still continue their work in Germany. According to Raphael, “One has only to picture the emotional trauma of a 16-year-old teenager, who had not seen Kottayam or Changanacherry, being transplanted to a distant land where language, food and climate were nothing like what they were used to. What cannot be missed is that some of them have scaled great heights within the congregation and head the order, all by sheer dint of merit.

“On the flip side are situations where many have lost their mind and needed care in restoring their mental health, and others who live with the emotional scars created by the strictures imposed on maintaining filial bonds.”

Religious congregations the world over are known for the cloistered and closeted existence, creating an impenetrable barrier between them and the world outside. Penetrating this insulated zone was not an easy one for a filmmaker.

The credibility quotient for the film attains a high because the filmmakers have been able to get quite a few of the nuns who were part of the initial batches that went to Germany.

What is more appealing is the honesty with which the nuns have spoken of their initial dilemmas, and we understand they have made their peace without cynicism or lingering bitterness. The strength possibly comes from life’s experiences, and the fact that they have carved a space for themselves by their contribution to education, healthcare and other missionary activities in their land of domicile.

Getting access

The access to the convents was made possible by Jose Punnaparambil – writer, journalist settled in Germany, who carried out the research for the project. As a long-time resident he had access to the convents and also personal ties, which facilitated interactions with the nuns. Even as we are taken through the experiences of the aspirants there is an introspective and retrospective look at the evolving role of such organisations. The irony here is that the number of Germans in the congregation is shrinking, and it is the migrant Malayalam nun who holds fort!

Rather than restrict the documentary to a story on the fate of Malayali nuns who were at the receiving end in the initial years, the filmmakers have traced some of the nuns who returned to India and continue with their missionary work. The documentary makers travelled extensively in Germany, and Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in India to chase and document the German Malayali nuns, since some of them are presently leading their retired life in these states.

Rajagopal speaks of his experience of filming them in remote areas beyond Kerala, where they are making a difference to the local population by educating and empowering them. “The Adivasi population among whom they mostly work is equipped to function as barefoot lawyers – creating an awareness regarding forest and tribal rights – enabling them to function effectively within the local political terrain. Education is their main area of activity and some congregations have become self-sufficient to the extent that they share resources with weaker units functioning elsewhere in the country.”

The commentary for the 40-minute-long documentary endows the film with richness, revealing the research and insights received from personal interactions with the subjects of the film.

 

 

Trailblazer on the dance stage

Thankamani Gopinath, the first student of Mohiniyattam at Kalamandalam, was a pioneer along with her husband, Guru Gopinath. Her birth centenary is being celebrated on March 27

Picture this. A poet and a king set up a dance school but no student turns up!

Poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakulam Manavikrama Raja established Kalamandalam in 1930 on the banks of the Bharathapuzha with the primary intention of resuscitating dying performing art forms such as Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Koodiyattam.

The beginning had been made. But, where would the students come from? Noted author of children’s literature Leela Nambudiripad (pen name Sumangala) describes the situation thus: “No respectable family was willing to send their wards to train in these decadent dances, which carried a stigma. Manavikrama Raja convinced his karyasthan Govindan Nair to enrol his daughter Mangatt Mulaykkal Thankamani (1918-1990) of Kunnamkulam, to train in Mohiniyattam under Mangara Kalyani Amma (who, on the invite of Rabindranath Tagore, later moved to Santiniketan).”

This happens to be the birth centenary year of the young girl who entered the portals of Kalamandalam to set in motion, quite unknowingly, the revival of Mohiniyattam. This first student of the dance of the enchantress, in later years, however, earned renown not for her mastery over Mohiniyattam but as the partner in dance of Guru Gopinath.

Connecting the dots in the danseuse’s career to throw light on her can only be done through the words of those who knew her talent. There is little available by way of documentation except what her husband, Guru Gopinath, has put down in his autobiography Ente Jeevithasmaranakal.

In memories

Recalling her memories of her dancer-mother, Vinodini Sasimohan says, “I have not seen her perform because she chose to be a homemaker after I was born. But, I have heard opinions expressed on her Kantuka nritham and Panthadi nritham. Her grace was what many have extolled. She, with my father, Guru Gopinath, appeared as the dancer-duo in Prahlada (1941), the first mythological film in Malayalam. Playback singing was yet to feature in films and it is assumed that both Guruji and Thankamani had sung in the film. She continued to teach dance both in New Delhi and Chennai where they relocated to in the course of their journey in dance. Once my parents settled in Thiruvanthapuram and set up Vishwa Kala Kendram, my mother spent more time on the farm.”

What were the Mohiniyattam memories the mother had shared with the daughter? “In fact,” says Vinodini, “she used to appreciate the new format adopted and always made mention of the costume used during her times, saying it lacked the grace and finesse, which are marks of the form now, she felt.”

Thankamani’s stint in Kalamandalam was rather brief. Marriage to fellow dancer Gopinath in 1937 saw a shift in her dance style. Those were the days when Gopinath had made his mark as the dance partner to Ragini Devi, and on his return to Kalamandalam, Vallathol had entrusted him with the task of leading a Kalamandalam dance troupe with Thankamani and four other dancers.

An ill-timed expression of his desire to marry Thankamani altered the situation. ‘Marriage and dance will not work’ was the stand Vallathol had maintained. The marriage received the blessings of the patrons but the young Gopinath decided to step out of Kalamandalam to carve a niche for himself in popularising Kathakali.

The Gopinath-Thankamani pair, now on their own, earned repute as the handsome couple performing Kathakali Natanam and later Kerala Natanam. After her marriage, she mastered Kerala Natanam and remained the strong woman behind the success of her husband, responsible for teaching and managing the troupe.

Incomparable poise

Piecing together his memories of the Guru and his wife, Koodiyattam exponent G. Venu says, “As the first student of Guru Gopinath at the Vishwa Kala Kendram, where I spent five years, I have had occasions to witnessthe incomparable poise Thankamani chechi brought to her performances. There was a time when no public event was considered complete without a performance by this dancer-couple. Thankamani chechi took charge of the teaching and one could not miss her influence in many of the pieces that Guruji choreographed. ‘Sister Nivedita’ saw her essay the role of Sarada Devi, their daughter Vilasini as Sister Nivedita and Guruji as Swami Vivekananda. There was timeliness in the dance form that Guru Gopinath gave shape to, and her contribution was significant.

”

Those were the times of royal patronage and, impressed by the ‘Mayura Nrittam’ performed before Amma Maharani and Sri Chithira Thirunal, Guru Gopinath was honoured with the Veera Shrinkala. Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi remembers learning dance under Thankamani during the summer breaks they took in Madras [Chennai]. “I do not remember her performance but I do have vivid memories of her as a woman of elegance. Of course, the couple was honoured by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, who conferred on them the status of the palace dancer, and the responsibility of conducting the affairs of the Nrityalayam.”

‘Strikingly beautiful’

A comprehensive picture of the life and times of Thankamani Gopinath comes from Indira Ramakrishna Pillai, veteran social worker, whose father G.P. Shekhar was “a mentor to Gopinath who came to Thiruvananththapuram at the young age of 21.” Sitting in her home, she recalls, “This was the house Gopinath and Thankamani came to as newlyweds; a marriage for which Gopinath spent 10 days in prayer to his deity, Mookambika Devi. I remember she was a strikingly beautiful woman and in the ‘Shiva-Parvati’ and ‘Lakshmi-Narayana’ performances, they were unparalleled.”

Talking from experience and her assessment of the societal norms in those decades, the octogenarian accepts that Thankamani did not get the space she deserved because those were days when women were meant to remain in the shadows. “It only reflects the mindset of the time. Needless to say, Thankamani’s effort in structuring a composition was evident in the technical details incorporated. She was not materialistic, and her spirit of dedication was evident in how she single-handedly managed the students of the Nrityalayam. Her contribution to the Sri Chitrodayam Nrityalayam cannot be confined to her role as a teacher alone. In the early days, she single-handedly took care of the sadhakam as well as their overall education and health, like a mother would. By 1960, she took a formal bow from dance to devote time to her children and her home.”

Thankamani’s was a life that could have left us a bountiful legacy, had she not opted for the domestic role in preference to the one on the stage. Yes, the times prescribed that ‘Marriage and dance will not work.’ The poet may have been right, after all!

Documenting the dancer

* The digital library and documentation centre of the National Dance Museum in the Guru Gopinath Natanagramam has been named after Thankamani Gopinath. On the occasion of the centenary year, a bust of Thankamani will be unveiled.

* The Vishwa Kala Kendra, the dance institution founded by Guru Gopinath in Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram, has undertaken the task of documenting the choreography of the couple during the centenary year and publish a CD of the original Kerala Natanam

The article can be accessed here.

Verses with a healing touch

Kritya International Poetry Festival in Thiruvananthapuram explores how poetry, the language of the heart, becomes a balm for the soul

Poetry begins where I start talking to myself, like a candle, starting to burn with a crackle lines… These lines by Ataol Behramoglu, poet, author and translator from Turkey, acquire greater intensity when read in an assembly of poets at ‘Kritya International Poetry Festival,’ where poets from Europe, South America and Asia meet to share and experience poetry. The festival concludes on November 11.

How different will the festival be this time? “Poetry is the language of the times, of the contemporary. And, a thought process. There is more to the words of a poet who speaks to us through the prism of life. Kritya this time is structured in a manner that ensures poetry reading sessions that will prove more meaningful, with the poets rendering their poems at varied venues and to an equally diverse group of listeners,” says Rati Saxena, director of the festival.

What began in 2005 as a Kerala-bound gathering of poets, took wings as it were on the advice of scholar-poet, the late Ayyappa Panikkar, and travelled to various corners of the country, opening up a discourse and exchange on the poetries of Indian languages. Beginning with Dogri in Jammu (2007), Kritya moved to Chandigarh, Mysore, Nagpur, Wardha and now the festival returns to Thiruvananthapuram. This time the event is being held under the joint auspices of Bharat Bhavan and Raza Foundation, New Delhi.

Speaking about the energies that drive this gathering of poets from across continents, Dr. Saxena draws on her experiences of the therapeutic power of poetry, and recalls the Medellin International Poetry Festival in Colombia where over time the transformation became visible — “from being among the most violent cities in the world, a drug-ridden centre, it has become the Mecca of poetry. At every public space poetry gatherings were held, and over time, the people have reclaimed the city for themselves,” she reiterates.

Poet Sugathakumari sets the tone for the three-day event with a tribute to poet ONV Kurup. While ONV’s poems in translation will be read by participating poets from Estonia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, and China, artist B.D. Dethan will use a canvas to express his thoughts.

‘Carnival in poetry performance’ will see simultaneous gatherings at three venues by a galaxy of poets that include Ashok Vajpeyi, Ataol Behramoglu, Prabha Varma, Neela Padmanabhan, Kamal Vora, Sukumaran, Sreekumaran Thampi, V. Madhusoodanan Nair, and a host of other poets from India and abroad.

Poetry with a healing touch, as therapy, ‘Poetry for freedom of the soul,’ followed by film screenings are scheduled for inmates of the Central Prison and children in an orphanage.

Mahakavi Kumaran Asan Smarakam, Kayikkara, is the venue for ‘Poetic offering to our masters’ where participating poets will pay tribute to Kumaran Asan, icon of the times when Malayalam poetry took a leap from the traditional to the modern.

Lines of thought

The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Resurgence of Humanist Poetry Against Xenophobic Terrorism.’ Explaining the choice of theme, Dr. Saxena is of the firm view that “poetry should take the lead to tell the world that we want change from artificial religiosity misleading the masses. Poetry as therapy is an emerging presence, and such meets serve a purpose.”

Venues

Reaching poetry from across the globe to a cross section of people is what this year’s Kritya Poetry Festival aspires to achieve. With that end in mind, the poets will go to a broad spectrum of venues. Apart from Bharat Bhavan, there are events at Asan Smarakam at Kayikkara, Kumaran Asan National Institute of Culture at Thonnakkal, the Central Prison at Poojappura, Mar Ivanios College, S.N. College Chempazhanthy, the Saigramam Orphanage, State Central Library and University College.

Access the article in The Hindu here

Digital space for women

 

The website http://www.womenpoint.in hopes to compile news and views on women, act as a facilitator and friend for women across Kerala

Why not for a moment we tweak Mao Zedong’s words “Women hold up half the sky” to read, “Women hold up more than half the Kerala sky”? That will make many sit up and ask, “So?” Yet others may choose not to receive those words. But, that is a reality that has got blurred in the overly politicised Kerala society leaving us with the question, “Where are Kerala’s women?”

Certain questions are perennially waiting to be answered, and this happens to be one such. Kerala is at once the news-saturated and the news-hungry state, but there are major gaps waiting to be filled and one such definitely is of those who hold “more than half the Kerala sky”.

“Mainstream media rarely adopts a gender-friendly approach. Nor are the concerns of women high in the priority list. Most often negative stories receive attention and the positive, forward-looking stories are given the go-bye or missed. There is need to strike a balance,” says R Parvathi Devi, activist-journalist, who together with Suneetha Balakrishnan, writer-translator, and Suja Susan George, Director, Malayalam Mission and cultural activist, are some of the faces behind the website http://www.womenpoint.in to be launched this month.

‘Debate, Discussion, Friendship – A Space for Women’ is the tagline for this digital space. Planned as a bi-lingual site, its takes the baby steps in Malayalam, and in good time, the English option will be activated, thus reaching out to a broad spectrum of users.

Comprehensive network

If you are a woman and have a point of view, or are a writer, or you need information on access to legal counsel, this is just what the doctor ordered. This site will play the facilitator’s role, be equipped to provide the information, and network for you. A full-fledged website with news, resource information, documentation on women in Kerala, the macro and micro on issues that need not necessarily be bracketed as ‘women’s issues’ holds out the promise of garnering women as a demography transcending ideology, caste, class and other possible categories that the human can be slotted.

The differentiator here is that coping strategies, access to information, articulating the power in the woman, and providing linkages happen without much ado.

The names for sections leave nothing hazy: Round Table, Viewpoint, Complaint Box and the News Page will be focal points which will draw the user. A click of the mouse takes you to Helpline, Short Stay Home, Organisations, Welfare Organisations, Hostels, Rescue Shelters, and Information on Rights, to name a few. Navigating through the site reveals that every area of human interest finds a space here.

Documentation is not Kerala’s strong point. This might seem a sweeping statement but that is the unfortunate reality, in every field of activity, which cries out for attention on this count. According to Parvathi, this pitfall is something that the site proposes to take care of in the long run, because the prime thrust is to make the site an “inclusive, comprehensive, one-stop shop for news, views, information on women, initially from Kerala, and then expand its reach to rest of the country”.

Access to audio-video clippings on matters relevant to a specific context/topic will be accessible here. “The archive we propose to build will go beyond contributions made to the site. Any woman who has bylines to her credit can have a space dedicated for all her articles providing facility to access and will be a click away for the reader,” she adds, reiterating the extent of inclusivity that underlies this venture. A platform for women seeking legal awareness, ventilation and redressal of grievances, or common facilities like women’s hostels that are available at various locations are some of the features incorporated.

The discussion forum will foster an openness to all shades of views and subject experts will handle specific topics leaving it open for opinions and debate. For a moment, look at the news page – vying for the eyeballs are reports and updates on the latest cases of violence against women, the political turmoil in Tamil Nadu and a researched article on how women in Kerala remain hidden as housewives unable to shed that mantle!

The desire that the mainstream use this as a resource point and the clear thinking is evident.

That this is a site for women as a constituency and will not carry any hint of political leanings is one definite way of garnering woman power. In a state where fragmentation takes place because the political tint raises its head in every issue, the thrust of http://www.womenpoint.in is headed in a positive direction.

This article can be accessed here.

Translating literary legends

A two-volume anthology showcases a range of writers of diverse styles

Globalisation, we are often told, has shrunk the world, broken barriers and created the global marketplace. Much to the chagrin of lovers of literature, the level playing field that is touted turns out to be one that ignores the future of a large number of rich languages that may just fade away because, under the changed circumstances, the number of speakers of a bhasha dwindles.

The diversity of languages spoken in India in itself becomes a limiting factor as regards to the reach of each language – limiting it to a geography and also its becoming alien to the speaker who is part of the Indian diaspora. This is the space that translation attempts to assign for bhasha literature, a demarcation that becomes imperative in a multi-linguistic society like India.

Emerging phenomenon

Situated against this background, the two-volume work The Oxford Anthology of Modern Malayalam Literature fills a void. Malayalam literature remained confined to Kerala, except for extremely limited translations into other Indian languages and some in English. The emerging phenomenon of translating into English bodes well for reaching a larger body of literature across poetry, drama, prose and fiction to a global readership and market.

Covering works in Malayalam from the last quarter of the nineteenth century is no easy task. Considering the fact that literary creations have always held centre-stage in Kerala society, the sheer numbers that required sifting itself would be a daunting task. What academics P.P. Raveendran and G.S. Jayasree, as editors, have achieved is pitching a cross-section of Malayalam literature in translation for the ever-growing number of global readers.

Placing the work in perspective, Dr. Jayasree’s words are, “Moving these works into English has made it accessible globally. Among Indian languages, OUP has to its credit similar works for Bangla and Urdu literature, therefore, it is comforting to see a work on such an ambitious scale being executed for Malayalam literature, which also has no less rich a tradition.” The emphasis definitely was to make major Malayalam writers available to the non-Malayali with the “best writer and best work being the highpoint, thus building together a canon of Malayalam literature,” she adds.

“A publishing wonder, a cornerstone of Malayalam literature” is how Dr. Raveendran defined the work. Earlier exercises on similar lines have been undertaken, in the 1980s, by government-sponsored bodies like the Sahitya Akademi, but there it was a compendium of Indian literature, and Malayalam was just one of the languages that featured.

Endowing the work with a connectedness and continuity are the general and section-specific introductions that enable the reader to fathom the factors that have shaped Malayalam language and literature. Tamil and Sanskrit in the very early centuries, and the instruments of cultural hegemony that happened in ever so many ways with the arrival of English have been dealt with in fair detail, thus positing it within a particular chronology and historical phase.

Translation of a literary work calls for a skill that ensures the retention of the cultural specificities of the text in a manner that it communicates to a reader not familiar with the original language. The only criterion here was that the translations capture the mood of the work. This was possible because only those with earlier translations to their credit were taken, and, in case of translations, which were done ages ago, the editors have stepped in to chisel the content, says Jayasree.

The anthology has taken care to ‘represent as many sub-genres as possible in each section. The prose section, for example, contains not merely literary criticism, but specimens of discursive writing of different kinds,’ which explains the presence of pieces by C. Kesavan, Kuttikrishna Marar, rationalist and atheist Kuttipuzha Krishna Pillai, Joseph Mundasseri, Akkama Cherian, M. Govindan and many such luminaries under this head.

Having ensured that the selection has included representative writing across genres, both Dr. Jayasree and Dr. Raveendran express a sense of gratification in dealing with the exhaustive body of works covered in the tomes. Indian writing in translation is a segment that Mini Krishnan of OUP has been focusing on over the years, and as project editor for this anthology, her consistent inputs to the successful completion of this compilation is priceless, is how Dr. Jayasree puts it. The volumes “bring doyens in one body of work where it was a holistic approach. No compartmentalisation, nor classification like women, Dalit writer and works gaining a space merely for that specific reason,” is how she sums up this exercise.

For the sheer range of authors and works covered, with a brief write-up on each author, and the different skeins that have been given a continuity through the introductions, this anthology is a collector’s item that will take it beyond the realm of academia and translation studies.

“Unprecedented”, was the word that kickstarted Dr. Raveendran’s comments on The Oxford India Anthology of Modern Literature. And that says it all.

The Oxford Anthology of Modern Malayalam Literature

P.P. Raveendran, G.S. Jayasree

Oxford Publishing House

Rs. 1,750

This article can be accessed here.

Tale of our times

Have we run out of themes for re-telling and adaptation, in our classical art forms? It’s a question that arises when the idea of a character from a Shakespearean play or one from Victorian era novels is chosen for representation. And that is the thought that kick starts an interview with danseuse Rajashree Warrier, who has choreographed her latest performance piece ‘Upari – Beyond,’ in Bharatanatyam, on Tess, the heroine of Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

Recasting Tess

“Zeroing in on Tess was the outcome of my reading experiences. My initial introduction to the character was when I read it in school. After all these years, when I picked up the novel again, I discovered a parallel between Tess, a woman in Victorian England, and the positioning of the woman in the 21st century. The parameters that measure her ‘womanly’ stature continue to be virginity, chastity, fidelity, and self-effacement. Nothing seems to have changed for the woman. Thus began my journey of transforming the original piece to draw out the layers of the woman as portrayed in the novel to connect with the present,” says Rajashree, revealing how a character grows when our ways of seeing evolve with life’s experiences.

Hardy’s heroine, as an unwed mother, as part of farm labour in a pre-industrial stage, is a constant reminder that social class binds you, keeps you fastened to double-standards, self-pity, thwarted aspirations, notions of purity, and what is ethical is, of course, decided by the man, be it Alec D’Uberville or Angel Clare.

“My endeavour was to explore and incorporate the potential offered by the character to develop my idiom in dance and body language. Hardy’s vivid description of Nature has aided me in including the presence of insects such as the grasshopper, for its meditative calm and energetic element, and the spider caught in its own web, which complements Tess’ plight. Whistling while she tries to domesticate birds hints at her venturing to do something that was taboo for the woman of her times!” explains Rajashree.

Rhythmic interludes provide the continuity for the portions that she has chosen to highlight in this production.

“Designing the soundscape was a challenge for me. It was a joyous experience to interweave measured sounds and silences,” she says. Instruments used were cajun, hapi, bongos, xylophone and melodica. ‘Upari’ was presented at the India Habitat Centre, as part of a concert series.

Rajashree is also working on a third gender representation, ‘Shikandi’ – a 25-minute piece, which “is an exercise to discover and get to the core to find a body language for the man-being woman and vice versa status.”

This article can be accessed here.

Master of all roles

Meeting veteran artistes trained in the traditional performing arts transports you to an old world – down-to-earth humans, unaffected by hype, no pretences. All they aspire for is that the benign dispensation is a constant in the execution of their art. Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboodiri sums up all of this in his persona.

The seasoned Kathakali performer is now in the midst of rehearsals to fine-tune his delivery as Alonso Quixano in the Miguel Cervantes classic play, Don Quixote’ to be staged on July 8 in Madrid when Spain celebrates 400’years of the second volume of ‘Don Quixote and its author Miguel Cervantes. ‘A complex play of this length to be adapted in Kathakali is a gargantuan task, so P Venugopalan extracted the parts which provide the scope for narration in a Kathakali format,’ says Nelliyodu.  It is as Quixano before he falls into the larger than life illusory mental state and his return to the ‘real’ world that is portrayed by Nelliyodu.

As a Kathakali performer Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboodiri  has donned all the veshams –chuvanathadi, kari, karuthathadi, and minnukku – quite contrary to the normal practice of a performer finding his forte in a specific vesham. He has his explanation for this feature. ‘I hail from a family practising tantric, in Cheranalloor, where learning Sanskrit was a given.  A childhood where the kaliyogam was a part of life was naturally conducive to opening my young mind to the art form. The fact that I belonged to a community that received no concessions to pursue schooling saw me lose out on formal schooling.

‘In fact when I landed up at Kalamandalam seeking entry I was beyond that tender stage when a beginner takes his initiation in the performing arts.  As a person from a janmi family I could not avail myself of the certificate that would grant me concessions.I still remember being told at Kalamandalam that I may not be able to adhere to the customs and food patterns that I was used to, thus prompting me to seek entry at the PSV Natysangam in Kottakkal in 1957. Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair Asan took me under the wings and I trained in the Kalluvazhi tradition,’ Nelliyodu is on rewind tracing his journey in Kathakali.

As was customary in those times when Kunju Nair Asan shifted to Kerala Kalamandalam the shishya relocated to Cheruthuruthy. As his training advanced Nelliyodu became the chosen one to don some of the major roles he was older than the others in the batch and had the physical stature to carry off heavier characters.   ‘For five long decades I have been donning the pradhana veshams although my major maiden public stage was at Thirunavaya as Hanuman, ‘he qualifies while speaking of the spread of characters that have come to him. From the mild Brahman in Kuchelavritham to the Kali in ‘Nalacharitam ‘or as Thrigartha, Dussasana, Baka, Veerabhadra, Nakrathundi, or Simhika, Nelliyodu has delivered each creating a new dimension in the performance. His interpretations of evil characters elevated the role from the mundane display of the negative and the evil.

After his stint in Kalamandalam Nelliyodu relocated to the capital where he headed a full-fledged seven-member team of artistes and musicians in the Kathakali classes held at the Attakulangara High School, for two decades before the School fell into bad times.

‘The Education Department had taken a decision in the seventies that Kathakali must be taught in one school in every district, and the Attakulangara Central School was the chosen one. Today when the School is being resuscitated I am back doing my mite to revive the institution by imparting Kathakali training to a small group of students. This is the least I can do for the  Institution which gave me a salary many decades ago,’ Nelliyodu’s words take you back to the qualities of a man made in a mould which attached little value to the materialistic elements in life. Taking one thing at a time, his mindspace is now taken up by Alonso Quixano and little else.

 Nelliyodu at the Margi  rehearsing for ‘Don Duixote’ to be staged in Spain on the occasion of the country’s celebration of 400 years of Don Quixote and Cervantes.

This article can be accessed here.

Waves of Expressions

Where else would one get a feel of the working of creative artistic minds than in a group show? Truly representative of the cross-section of art expressions of the Kerala’s artists since the late 1960s to present times, is ‘Waves in Silence’ an exhibition of works by fifteen artists currently on at the Suryakanti Gallery.  Art here exists at many levels and in various media.

Technique, mastery over tones, intense and fierce sensibility, fine feeling for line and colour, are all deployed in a manner that the images of the real world are metamorphosed to correspond with the individual’s response to his internal and external world.

Among the works one that catches the eye early on is Riyas Komu’s work in black and white. There evidently is politics in the work. A Kafka-like face with definite character about it has the map of Uncle Sam’s country, the geography split into half – one a closer to white tint and the other half, grey. Race, colour, or discrimination of any kind is what is hinted at.

Art is expressed by the forces of the time and one can detect elements of commentary in ‘Cows’ by P V Nandan and ‘Beyond Reflections’ by Ajaykumar: Nandan’s frame is crowded with the bovine and their eyes say it all, while the place of worship set on the water’s edge with its reflections acquire the deep undercurrent, again something with a finger on the pulse of society.

Achuthan Kudalur’s two untitled paintings are striking both for the abstraction attained and the colour scheme adopted.

Distorted, defaced and mutilated forms of man and the earth mark their presence in ‘Avastha2’ by B D Dethan and ‘Ode to Infidels’ by NKP Muthukoya, the latter’s brush carries a marked presence of the surreal in true Dali style. Dethan rues the deteriorating ecology, and the apprehensive cluster of framed birds within the larger frame are an ominous presence in the work where barren driftwood takes up major space.

Abstracts by Lizzie Jacob display geometry very often and here too the frame is in hues of brown and grey, the dullness itself reflecting a response to the times.

Water colour ‘Secret Dialogues’ by C Bhagyanathan is a soothing presence and representative of his mastery over the medium. Human predicament is undoubtedly the theme here, but said in a very mild slow motion style. Sreelal’s untitled, Nemom Pushparaj’s ‘Stagnant Tide’ and Manoj Vyloor’s ‘Meanwhile’   have stressed their individual points of view, so also Satyapal’s untitled acrylic on canvas.

G Rajendran was among the early artists of the sixties who broke the stereotypical approach to art, which meant portraits, realistic works and very confined expression. ‘Lalita and Aadu’ and another frame by him retain the features of his original palette expression.

T Kaladharan is known for his decorative, ornamental glass paintings, with a strong colour scheme the highlight of most of works, captured yet again in the work on display at the show.

Fractured depictions, indigenous tradition, fine feeling for line and colour, interpreting life through their strikingly personal style which have attained an imprint of its own the 20 works of art offer a feel of the Kerala art scene.

B D Dethan’s remark, ‘Chitrakala has ceased to be a limited world for expression. It has acquired ever so many ways of release, what with the coming together of a thinking artist and the world offering technology for expressing art,’ sums up the vitality that exists in the Art world today and is evident all through ‘Waves in Silence’.

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To the theatre born

He does not come with the credentials of a strong theatre lineage or of having gone through the academic structure of theatre training, but Gireesan Sopanam is an actor one cannot miss when sitting through many of the dramatist Kavalam Narayana Panicker’s plays.  

Celebrity status eludes theatre-persons even in these days of hype and self-projection. The recent staging of Kalidasa’s ‘AbhijnanaShakuntalam’ has reaffirmed that Gireesan is in theatre for the long haul.

“You have to spin it out of yourself, like a spider. It is the only way,” said the British thespian, John Gielgud, who had embraced a fresh take on the Bard’s Hamlet, Richard II, Lear and Prospero. And, when the actor puts his thirty-four years in theatre on rewind, you realise Gireesan has done just that.

“I do not know whether to term it as coincidence, but it was the very first shloka that Dushyantan delivers in the play staged recently that I was asked to recite,decades ago, when Kavalam sir put me through an informal screening to assess my suitability for his kind of theatre.”

Happenstance is how one could describe it. His acquaintance with the theatre actor Jagannathan (who later entered films) landed him a ‘very temporary’ assignment in the AnandMarg School in the capital.  Blissfully ignorant about the world of theatre, his response to the former’s query, “Have you heard of KavalamNarayanaPanicker?” was, “I know he is a lyricist.” My impression was corrected by the explanation that followed.

An informal meeting with KavalamSir ended with his remark, “If you have not seen many plays, good.” Years later the young Gireeshan would understand the ramifications of those words. The master was trying to probe the extent of unlearning the new aspirant would have to do. But here was a clean slate waiting to be written on by none other the person who was etching his own journey in theatre on hitherto unseen ways.

Those were days the lead actor, Jayarajan had stepped down from his role in ‘ÁbhijnanaShakuntalam’ and the newbie was taking his maiden steps into a field. In true Kavalam’s method of initiating his actors Gireesan went through physical training in kalaripayattu at the CVN Kalari, and, “voice training under SivasankaraPanicker, who was also a ‘kuttanaadan’ which meant there was more to the lessons I learnt from him. Voice control, the rhythm and pitch that were demanded on stage grew in me over time. These two stages were methods to test the actor who came with dreams of becoming a theatre actor. Only those who had the patience and resolve to rough it out through these two stages would start theatre-training,” recalls Gireesan.

For a dramatist who knew the components that went into his plays Kathakali and Koodiyattam workshops were de rigeur. That too was not enough: just sit and watch the rehearsals was the next. If the learner had not given up playtill then, this ‘watch and wait’ schedule could turn the eager learner away.For Gireesan all of these steps were breaking-in phases which further stoked his interest in the style he saw emerging before him.

The first unlearning that happened was that there is more to theatre than delivering dialogues on stage and ‘doing’ a play was not the same cup of tea as play-acting. Unknown to himself, probably Gireesan found his comfort zone because he was under a personality who was father-figure sans airs, and had something endearing in the manner he dealt with his team.

‘Karimkutty’ with Kaladharan and Jaganathan in lead roles saw Gireesan as one among the     ‘çhathapada’ make his formal entry into a Kavalam play. This was followed by small roles in ‘Karnabharam’ and ‘AbhijnanaShakuntalam’.

Early in his career when he was given therole of the ‘Vidushakan’ the actor was apprehensive and quite unsure of his ability to deliver, particularly because his impression of a Vidushakanwas the equivalent of a jester. No weighty role this, was what was playing in his mind!

Looking back GiireesanSopanam says, ‘But for that Vidushakan’s mantle that I donned decades ago, I would not have developed the confidence to accept any character, irrespective of the shades of hero, anti-hero or any other.’

When senior actors with Sopanam moved,Gireesan became the ‘true shishya’, donning the key rolesand accompanying the master when he conducted workshops. Kavalamhad no qualms about telling the organisers, ‘speaking is not my forte. My plays are not to be heard like radio plays.  It has to be seen and experienced.‘Every such assignment he would take a percussionist and two actors along to present his play, and each such excursion out of the state was enriching, adds the actor.

All plays in the Sopanam have had Gireesan in it, most often as the central character but he is quick to add, ‘individual performances do matter, but in the final reckoning it is the whole play that makes the impact.’

“Úrubhangam”, “Kalivesham”, ÄvanavanKadamba”, “Bhagavadajukam”, “Malavikaagmitram”,  “Ïlliyana”(in collaboration with Greek theatre), “Swapnavasadatta”, “Mayaseetankam”,figure in his list of Kavalamplays.

How would he sum up his thirtyfour years in the Kavalam School of Theatre – Sopanam?

“It is matter of pride to be known as Kavalam sir’s student. But for this shift in my life I would have been tethered to Kerala with limited exposure. For scores, it is 30 years and 30 plays. Beyond that – language skills (acting in Sanskrit and Hindi adaptations of Kavalamwith smooth transitions from one to the other in the same play),and performances in the then, Soviet Union, Japan, Greece, Austria and South Korea, theatre productions in Bahrain using local talent are no mean achievement.

Gireeshan is not laughing all the way to the bank, nor has he earned celebrity status. But inestimable is the wealth of Sopanamexperience that has seeped into him: visual poetry communicates. Language is never a problem. Total communication is no hindrance to theatre appreciation.

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Making art forms accessible

The performing arts in Kerala often find itself caught in a time warp. The generation of performers and the aesthetes who could relate to the nuanced and subtle art form are dwindling. But, to let a 2000-year old Sanskrit theatre die in the absence of patrons and appropriate sustenance would mean snuffing out the few practitioners still holding fort, and a clutch of young men and women waiting to make their mark in the Koodiyattam circuit.

Reviving art forms does not happen without an appreciative audience. And, that does not happen overnight. It requires regular inputs to equip the viewer to enjoy the finer details of the artiste’s delivery. The Paithruka Kala Aswaadhana Paripaadi conducted by the Koodiyattam Kendra of the Sangeet Natak Akademi steps in to bridge the growing gap between the performer and the viewer.

‘Koodiyattam is a complex art form, it requires a learned audience, and through the monthly performances across four centres(Thiruvananthapuram, Harippad, Ernakulam, and Kannur) what is being attempted is a manner of educating the audience through well-structured lec-dems followed by an enactment,’ says K K Gopalakrishnan, Director of the Koodiyattam Kendra, who is steering this initiative.

In August 2012 the maiden presentation commenced at Thiruvananthapuram, after which three more centres holding such shows followed soon. The highlights the recital is that equal opportunity is given to the seasoned Koodiyattam and Nangyarkoothu performers, and the younger generation of trained artistes –Kalamandalam Sangeeth Chakyar, Kalamandalam Jishnu Prathap, Charu Agaru, Krishnendu and B Prashanti – to mention some from the young aspirants.

‘Rangaparichayam’, or experience in public performances only can hone the skills of the new performer, and the exposure has come as a positive stroke for each one of them.

According to Gopalakrishnan, ‘Each programme is steered by the artiste. It is down to business with no fanfare. An introduction to the predominant mudra and its multiple connotations in each selected piece, followed by a Q&A session with the audience prepares the lay viewer to understand the selection for the day.’

The silver lining for the Kendra which works on a shoestring budget is the support it gets from the PTA of the school that provides a venue in the case of the Kannur performances, and the support extended by the State Department of Education, at all the venues. Since the Palakkad-Thrissur belt is the nursery of Koodiyattam, most of the artistes who hail from this region, find the travel to the venues convenient. For the Koodiyattam Kendra this is no mean achievement, and a rewarding experience.

An uninterrupted series of over hundred performances in the capital is a creditable achievement. For the people behind the innovative exercise, the regulars to the shows are increasing, slowly but steadily. ‘Koodiyattam does not and cannot expect a large crowd, it is something to be savoured by an informed ‘sahrudayan’, and best enjoyed within the dim halo created by the traditional vilakku. After Manthraankam and PurushaarthaKoothu for the annual programme in the last two years, a five-day long presentation of the complete Soorpanakhankam Text scheduled for this year promises to have a more discerning and interested viewer,’ the sense of satisfaction in K KGopalakrishnan’s words cannot be missed.

 

Performing in a koothambalam is the dream of every Koodiyattam performer. Since tradition has given only the Chakyars the traditional performing rights in this space, the koothambalam had remained inaccessible to the lay learner. But the koothambalam in Haripad has come as a saviour by providing the venue to performers who do not belong to the Chakyar community. Every month on shashti day the koothambalam invariably has a performance scheduled, thanks to the cooperation extended by the administration.

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