When does an active audience crave for a few minutes more of performance after the curtains fall? When the artist handles the art the way it deserves.
The torchbearer of Kalamandalam style of Koodiyattam, Kalamandalam Sangeeth Chakyar, performed in the city recently, letting the aficionados experience sheer acting brilliance.
Nurtured within his alma mater, Kerala Kalamandalam, under the prudent tutelage of Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar, Sangeeth is one of the leading performers among the younger generation.
In Koodiyattam, the process of transformation of an artist into an actor happens from the moment a red piece of cloth is tied on the forehead with prayers, prior to the make up in the green room. As prescribed in the Natyasastra, “Swosmi ethi manasasmara”, the actor steps into the shoes of the character while lying down for the elaborate make up.
Sangeeth performed ‘Kailasodharanam and Parvativiraham’ from Thoranayudhanga - 3rd act of Bhasa’s Abhishekanataka which is an ‘Ekanga’ (single act) of Ravana as the narrator.
In it, Ravana recalls his glorious past when he hears the news about Ashokavana being destroyed by Hanuman. Ravana the narrator details the capturing of pushpaka vimana, lifting of Kailasa and the ending of Parvati’s sorrow.
Though known as a minimalistic theatre, Koodiyattam uses sathvikabhinaya. It was impressive how Sangeeth portrayed the majesty of Kailasa with mere eye movements, keeping the audience on tenterhooks as he enacted the mammoth task of lifting Siva’s abode.
The second half of the performance dealt with ‘Parvativiraham,’ scenes where Parvati finds Ganga in Siva’s locks. The spectacular show of pakarnattam - the transformation between roles of Siva and Parvati, invoking masculine and feminine energy was followed by Parvati’s bhavatrayam where the exceptional artistry of Sangeeth was on display as he mixed Parvati’s contrasting emotions of love for Siva, anger towards Ganga and helplessness regarding her fate.
While accompanists in many of the art forms are sidelined, mizhavu, the principle percussion instrument of Koodiyattam, is the backbone of the performance. “If a performance is said to be successful, 50 per cent or more credit should be given to the mizhavu accompanists,” says Sangeeth.
So revered is this instrument, that the actor honours the mizhavu with ‘abhivadyam’ (salutation) before starting the performance. The only time the mizhavu is silent is when the sloka is being rendered.
For ‘Kailasodharanam’, these copper drums were set to resonate by Kalamandalam Rahul Aravind and Kalamandalam Vijay. Kalamandalam
Aneesh supported the performance with his idakka and Kalamandalam Ravikumar embellished with the chutty (makeup).
Being a traditional Chakyar belonging to the Kuttanchery Chakyar clan, Sangeeth handles both ritualistic and secular stages alike. In ritualistic performances there is less space for elaboration and improvisation; rather, one has to follow the text precisely. “Today, ritualistic performances attract meagre audiences, but I perform with the belief that the almighty is watching”, he says. On the other hand, the actor’s manodharma and perspective can be staged on secular performance spaces. “In secular performances, the actor enjoys more liberty in reflecting his inner thought processes”, he adds.
Koodiyattam is stylised and has mudras for grammar and conjugations. It is based on natyadharmi. Following the rich lineage of Painkulam Rama Chakyar, whose seminal efforts liberated the art from the ritualistic bonds to form the Kalamandalam style of Koodiyattam, Sangeeth gives importance to his audience. He believes that at moments when the story and mudra is difficult to understand, slight simplifications can be made for the audience’s sake. Sangeeth shows adherence to his guru’s view that the audience’s satisfaction is more important than self satisfaction and claims that the Kalamandalam style is the perfection of body language.
As a young performer on a mission to recreate tradition, the path is not always smooth, what with organisers demanding capsule-sized performances and the lean probability of getting interested audience. “The challenge is to take forward the tradition without corrupting, as it was handed over to me”, concludes Sangeeth.
