Kavalam Narayana Panicker was my guru and mentor. He elevated the status of Mohiniyattam to a global platform and gave it an essence that was unique to the soil and culture of Kerala.
He gave it an auditory identity by adapting Sopanasangeetham, vaaythari and tala unique to the State into the format of Mohiniyattam. Silence is an integral part of the rhythm and beat of Kerala. By adapting that for Mohiniyattam, he infused the dance form with aesthetics that immediately struck a chord with audiences. Instead of only concentrating on the heroines, Kavalam sir’s lyrics were an ode to nature and her wonderful creations. He did not neglect the heroines. They were there in splendid creations such as Radha, Gandhari, Kannagi, Yashodhara…
I have performed many of his dance pieces at many places in India and abroad. A piece like Yashodhara had the audience in tears as his lyrics depicted her dilemma of having to choose between the Buddha and Siddartha.
He gave me the confidence to explore and experiment. His only condition was that any kind of experimentation had to be within the framework of Mohiniyattam. By widening and enriching the Mohiniyattam repertoire, he was able to make the pieces relevant to a modern viewer.
Kavalam sir was not a dancer but his aesthetics were so sharp and refined that he could motivate a dancer to find new nuances and meaning in the lyrics. For instance, when I was performing his ‘Varsham’, he asked me to imagine how it would be to feel the first raindrops on the skin even as dark clouds heralded the monsoon. That helped me give the piece a different imagery and a different dimension.
His erudition and familiarity with rhythms and music of Kerala helped dancers like us to learn more about the richness of our traditions and arts.
