A Stage for Kutiyattam

The dwindling clan of Kutiyattam connoisseurs in the city has a reason to rejoice. The artform is soon to receive a permanent performance venue on the premises of government Museum. Fortnightly performances of Kutiyattam, Nangiarkoothu and Chakyarkoothu will be organised here under the aegis of Kutiyattam Kendra (Centre for Kutiyattam) functioning under Sangeet Natak Academy. Margi theatre group will stage ‘Tapathisamvaranam’ Kutiyattam on August 8 to mark the launch of the programme.

The initiative is part of Kutiyattam Kendra’s sustained efforts to disseminate the ancient theatre tradition and allied artforms, said Kutiyattam Kendram Director K K Gopalakrishnan. “We had conducted a string of workshops all over the State for traditional theatre arts in the first quarter of 2012. We had orgainsed 27 events at different venues stretching from Kasargod to Kovalam, including performances, lecture demonstrations, and workshops,” he said. The workshops introduced the audience to artforms such as Kutiyattam, Nangiarkoothu, Chakyarkoothu and Patakam which were traditionally considered as temple arts  and had few patrons among commoners.

Gopalakrishnan added that the Centre is pursuing tie-ups with universities and other organisations to continue its state-wide activities. “A majority of the programmes held this year were in association with universities. This ensures a discerning crowd of audience for the performances and there is the prospect of moulding a younger lot of Kutiyattam enthusiasts. The other advantage is that the Centre manages to save a lot of money which allows us to channel the funding from the central ministry towards remuneration and aid for the practitioners of these less popular art forms.”

The fortnightly events to be held in the city will include Kutiyattam and other traditional theatre  arts. The Centre has chalked out a schedule by which a performance will be held on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. Apart from seasoned artistes, students of these artforms will also be given the opportunity to perform. “Owing to their ritualistic moorings, traditional art forms like Kutiyattam have still not managed to free themselves from the clutches of caste-based segregation. Many talented youngsters are put off by the lack of opportunities. The regular stage for the arts will hopefully contribute in bettering the situation,” he said.

The Kutiyattam on August 8 will open with a ‘Mizhavil Thayambaka’, an adaptation of the percussion ensemble usually rendered on Chenda and developed by Kutiyattam maestro P K Narayanan Nambiar. While Mizhavu will take the lead in this form of Thayambaka, Thimila and Idaykka will serve as accompaniments. The performance will be held at the Band Stand, Museum Compound at 5.30 pm.