Whither Kathakali?
------P .G .Panikkar
I was lucky to see four Kathakali performances in Kollam fest organised by the municipal corporation and the Kerala government with lot of fan fare. In fact, there was one more Kathakali performed in the Kollam fest which I could not attend as I did not came to know of the same for want of proper publicity. The Aaattakathas I could see and enjoy were Nalacharitham first day , Keechakavadham , Karnasapadham and Balivadham. Great artists like Kalamandalam Gopi Aassan, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair ,Sadanam Krishnan kutty, Ramachandran Unnithan ,Naripatta etc were on stage. Musicians like Pathiyoor rendered good performances .Naripatta`s Hamsam, Madavoor`s Keechakan , Uniithans`s Sugreevan etc are worth mentioning for their in depth performances and elegance.
The performances were conducted in the same temporary auditorium except for Karnasapadham which was shifted to another stage to accommodate a professional drama competition. Shifting of stage to another place for the Karnasapadham for professional drama festival itself indicates the apathy of organisers towards Kathakali. I could not see any sign boards indicating the details of Kathakalis conducted at Kollam fest .Hence one had to depend on hear say to know the dates of Kathakalis at Kollam fest . Even the people in the entrance gate were not informative. In fact, they misguided me about the Kathakali stage.
The performances of all senior artists were good , including the percussionists and musicians .The scanty attendance of general public to see Kathakali was perhaps due to poor publicity given by organizers with out giving due importance to Kathakali . The Krishna temple of Ashramam situated with in a few yards from the venue of Kollam fest ,Ammachi veedu temple of Kollam etc are famous for conducting good Kathakalis. Kollam has a Kathakali club also .But it is doubtful whether the festival authorities have taken any proper guidance from Kathakali lovers of Kollam before conducting the classical art form there .
The stage given on second day for Karnasapadham was on a much higher elevation .Actually it was not suitable for a Kathakali performance as (a)the wooden stage was giving much sound when Kalasam was performed by artists and through the mike it was amplified (b) The stage floor was too high for a Kathakali performance. After all no body is interested to see the bottom of the uduthukettu ( dress bottom )of the Kathakali artists .The umbrella shaped Kathakali dress is not designed for high stage dance as Kathakali is a temple art.(c) The steps to the stage should have been more inclined and wider for Kathakali so that the actors should be able to climb them easily It was observed that the senior artist Chavara Parukutty who acted as Kunthi in Karnasapadham was struggling to climb the steep steps to the stage.
I found that in all the four Kathakalis ,I saw there ,there was no Aaattavilakku (tall lamp used in Kathakali )provided in the front. With the arrival of modern lighting system perhaps there is a trend to avoid the tall "Aattavilakku". It may be difficult to carry a tall and heavy bronze lamp when Kathakali is performed out side Kerala. But in any part of Kerala this particular lamp is amply available. It should be remembered that the aattavilakku gives a glory during "Thiranottams " of kathi,Thadi characters like Ravana, Bali etc. We miss it if the tall lamp is avoided as done now a days in may places. In this connection I remember the great actors of years like Chenganoor Ramanpillay Aassan. His Ravanan,Jarasandhan, Keechakan etc were superb and he used to insist on the type of lighting he preferred. Chenganoor always used his own specially built designer Kireedam(crown) !!
Though after the Karnasapadham the remaining Kathakalis were performed in the original stage it self, the stage arrangements were altered to suite the drama festival. Hence it was felt that the area covered for artists to perform Kathakali was not sufficient. For Keechakan ,Valalan, Baali ,Sugreevan etc to act there should be a bigger stage.
It was very clear to any body , that there was lack of coordination in the stage between the performers and organizers at Kollam fest . The Pandam ( lighted sticks with cotton and oil poured in) used for the thiranottam in Baalivadham did not light properly and extinguished in the middle. Sad to say , that as there was no body to attend and soak pandam with oil in time. Even the small Kalivilakku(small lamp lighted ) in the front of the stage extinguished before the play was over. No body found caring it .When Bali was running after Sugreevan the kathakali viewers hardly could see the actors for want of proper light in the auditorium.
My observations about the modern Kathakalis like those conducted at Kollam fest are as follows
(a) When a classical art form like Kathakali is performed in stage after inviting very senior artists of Kerala ,the organisers should arrange all that is needed for the artists to perform .Those include a good aattavilakku, good stage, good sound system, proper place for make up( chutti ), food , toilet facilities etc. In many places like old temples it may not be able to arrange every thing, but a human approach towards Kathakali artists must be followed. It is not only the payment made to the artists, but some thing more is needed in any Kathakali stage.
(b) Stage constraints will restrict the performance of artists. Hence the same should be avoided. When two chuvanna thadi (red beared characters) come on stage like Balivadham they require enough space for them to perform.
(c) High wooden stages are not suitable for Kathakali. I doubt many of the viewers may not have seen the Dushassana observing the dialogue between Kunthis and Karnan in Karnasapadham acted in Kollam fest.
(d) In this Gods` own country where (Pantham koluthi Jadhas ) processions with lighted sticks are very common, how the Panthams in Thiranottam got extinguished at Kollam fest ?
(e) Why there was no body to pour oil in the lamp in a Kathakali performance?
It is sad , that Kollam fest organisers could not arrange an "Aattavilakku " for the four nights? Where all Aattavilakkus of Kollam gone when such a lamp could be arranged on the fifth day? Now a days such lamps are used only to decorate the front corridors of five star hotels!!
At Kollam fest Kathakali was given a second rank compared to professional drama competition and other popular art forms .Hence even a suitable stage was not arranged for Kathakali. This is the general attitude towards Kathakali now.
Hence, for the survival of Kathakali the government has to take some strong steps. More Kathakali padams should be included in school text books so that the children get acquainted with the Aattakathas and Kathakali literature.Kathakali mudras should be taught in school levels .
Like music , sports and craft teachers in schools kathakali teachers also are to be employed in more numbers. This will attract more younger people to learn Kathakali as a regular income is ensured for the artist.
The new young artists also have to learn the meaning and bhavams of the kathakali padams to perform better on the stage. I observed that they do not understand the meaning of the verses and perform. Long before cinema came to Kerala , background music is introduced in Kathakali.This is for giving the artist time to act the verse.
If the classical art of Kerala named Kathakali has to survive, more attention and joint efforts are needed by all concerned including the artists, the government and the public. The way in which Kathakalis were organized at Kollam fest should be an eye opener for all of us. Let us not extinguish the Kathakali lamps. Let us hear more Kelikottu in Kerala and make coming generations also hear the Keli of Kathakali. Earlier we act, better for us, for kathakali and Kerala.
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