“Kumily Calling” has always stressed that Kerala is home to numerous traditional art forms and has a rich cultural heritage which remains unknown to the world. Yodha Cultural Village is doing yeoman service by showcasing some of these art forms. They offer cultural programmes every evening focusing on various art forms of Kerala including the traditional arts such as Kathakali and Kalarippayattu.
As we have already given our readers a peep into their Kalarippayuttu programme this article will feature their Kathakali performance. Kathakali is an ancient art form which is said to have originated in Kerala about 500 years ago. Kathakali is said to have evolved from various other art forms like Kutiyattam, Krishnanattam and Kalaripayattu. Kathakali combines spiritualism with drama, dance, and music. Kathakali performances are usually based upon the epics of the past.
The costumes and make up used in Kathakali tell their own story. At Yodha Cultural Village we get a peek into the painstaking effort involved in preparing for the show and how an ordinary artist is transformed into a character of pomp and grandeur through the meticulous steps of putting on the costume.
The team at Yodha’s Kathakali performance is made up of four individuals. Two of them perform the dance drama and two who are the orchestra take care of the music and the narration. One of them played the chenda (drums); while the other who is also the narrator played the ilathalam or cymbals.
The show commenced with the artist dressed as the female character displaying the 24 Basic Mudras (hand gestures) as well as the Navarasas or nine emotions to the audience. The nine emotions such as Sringara (love), Hasyam (comic), Karunam (pathetic), Raudram (anger), Veeram (heroic), Bhayanakam (terrible), Bibhatsam (odious), Adbhutham (wonder) and Shantam (peace / bliss) were all displayed by the artist. The dance and story line of Kathakali is based on the Mudras and Navarasas.
The performance was made interactive with the artist calling up various members of the audience to come and try to perform the Navarasas demonstrated on the stage. This enabled the audience to understand the intricacies and the amount of effort involved in these expressions. It was also a fun experience for the some of the expressions attempted by the members had the audience bursting into laughter.
The second part of the show was the enactment of a portion of the Narakasuravadham (The Slaying of Narakasura) which is an Aattakatha (Kathakali play) based on the Bhagavatam. The actors depicted the portion of the play when Nakrathundi the demoness sent to heaven by Narakasura to capture some divine damsels falls in love with Indra’s son, Jayantha, and tries to woo him. Jayantha rejects her, and she attempts to capture him. In the subsequent fight with Jayantha, Nakrathundi is mutilated by Jayantha who cuts off her nose and Nakrathundi returns in humiliation to Narakasura. The nuances exhibited by both artists were exceptional and the same was greatly appreciated by the audience.
As the show ended the audience remained spell bound and only wished they could see more of the play. If you have still not visited Yodha Cultural Village do visit and witness first hand their Kathakali and Kalarippayattu shows which are held back to back in separate auditoriums.
