Kathakali

An Overview

Kathakali has borrowed generously from extant forms of classical, folk and ritual arts.For its theatrical content, Kathakali owes a lot to kutiyattam, the sole surviving sanskrit theatre tradition in India. For its intricate, intriguing and colourful Make-up and costuming, Kathakali is highly indebted to Kalamezhuthu(floral drawing) in the Bhagawathi temples Theyyam and Mudiyett, the folk-ritual traditions.The body-exercises in this dance-theatre tradition are an adaptaion from Kalaripayatt (tradition martial art of Kerala).The vocal and instrumental music of Kathakali is a definite inspiration from the indigenous singing and drumming tradition in the Hindhu temples.Of all the traditional temple arts now in vogue, Kathakali commands universal appreciation and recognition for it is the cnfluence of dance,theatre,music-vocal and instrumental.With the synchronization between the sights and sounds at optimum level, Kathakali has been hailed as the zenith of Thauryatrika. Kathakali is till date the most dynamic of all the traditional art forms which primerly lie in its capacity and flexibility to gather influences from the extant classical, folk and ritual heritages.

Literature

Ramanattam is based on the eight plays composed from Ramayana by Kottarakkara Thampuran, one of the provinicial kings of south Kerala. This are Puthrakameshti Seethaswayamvaram, Vichinnabhishekam, Kharvathom, Balivathom, Thoranayudhom, Sethubadhanam and Yuddham. While the slokams of the plays are laden with lots of sanskrit words, in the padams often abound in simple yet striking malayalam words. Ramanattam recieved immense poppularity as a highly dramatic mode of narration. With the four plays of Kottayath Thampuran one of the provincial chieftains of deep north Kerala, Mahabharatha grew into prominence. Bakavadhom, Kalyanasaugandhikam,Kalakeyavadhom and Kirmeeravadhom are noted for literary quality, structural finesse and characterisation. The slokams in these plays are solid in terms of literary flavour while the padams are filled with visually rich metaphors and images. In other words, the identity of a model Kathakali play is realised in the compositions of Kottayath Thampuran.Unnai Varrier’s Nalacharitam ranks first amoung the rest of the Aattakathas in tearetical intencity, sentimental depth and in the exploration of himan predicaments.

Vocal & Instrumental Music

The vachikabhinaya in Kathakali is independent of the actors in the sense that there are two vocalist who stand behind the actors on stage and sing the text of the play which is a combination of slokams, padams and a few dandakams. While the principal vocalist holds a gong in his hand the supporting vocalist wields a pair of cymbals to mark the rhythamic beats. Till 20th centuary, Kathakali vocal music was probably an of shoot of the sopana style of singing in the Hidhu temples of Kerala. Late Mundaya Rama Bhagawathar and Venkitakrishna Bhagawathar were vital in revolutionizing the structure and content of Kathakali music. They judiciously employed the technics of Karnatic classical music in the vocal music renditions of Kathakali.The two major musical instruments used in Kathakali are the Chenda and the Maddalam. Then the lesser once are edaykka, the gong and the cymbals. From the time of Ramanattam, Maddalam was the leading percussion. By 18th centuary, Chenda, the high sounding musical instrument, came to the seen.

Make-up & costuming

The training part of the Kathakali make-up and costuming is intriguing. The students sitting in one or two rows in the Kalari do the drwaings and the paintings on the earth and ports. After there arangettam their hands switch from the ports over to the acters’ face in the dressing room. The faces of the noble, wicked and the grotesque come alive through the thin and bold lines and colors; predominently green, red, black and white. Thick white paper trimmed to round-shape and affixed to rice-paiste broadly known as ‘Chutty’ adorns in the face of the male characters in Kathakali. Mostly natuaral colors like manayola are used for the Kathakali make-up. Mates are spred in the green room for the acters to lie down. The costumes of Kathakali are elaborate with so much of ornamental details. A wide variety of headgears used in Kathakali are a delight to watch. The billowing scerts and golden ornaments are an unending amusement to the beholders.Kathakali characters are divided on the basis of make-up and costuming in to Pacha,Kathi,Thadi,Minukkuand Pazhuppu.Kathi is sub divided in to two ,kurumkathahi and nedumkathi and Thadi in to red, white and black.Pacha sigmifies the noble characters,Kathi, the prathinayakas/antiheroes and Thadi, the demonic characters. The Hanuman is the white beard character Balabhadrar appears in Pazhuppu. Aboriginal hunters and she-demons are black-beard characters while female characters , sages and messengers belong to minukku.

Grooming

A student of Kathakali acting/dancing has to undergo a series of physical exercises besides learning texts of all the Kathakali plays in vogue.For primary communication,the Kathakali actor uses the hand gesture language; twenty four basic hand-gestures are taken from the text Hastalakshanadeepika.The vocabulary of the hand-gesture language runs up to 500 to 600 words.Body-massage forms a major segment of training in Kathakali.During monsoon-June,July,August&September- the teachers massage the oil-soaked body of the students from head to foot in the we hours of the morning.Each part of the body is repetitively trained in the Kalari after which the student enters a full-fledged cholliyattakalari where there is a virtual integration of acting,dancing and music-vocal and instrumental. Cholliyattam is in real terms a performance For temple without make up& costumes.Training kelikottu(an stretches from six to eight years from the tender gong and age of 12 up to 14.

Stage & Dressing-room

A couple of palm-mats spread on the temple-yard constitute the traditional Kathakali stage.A Nilavilakku is lighted in front of the stage as the first ritual.The Maddalam palyer then comes on stage,placces it along the waist, and the sound that emanates from it heralds the performance to follow.The dancing flames of the lamp facing the gods and the demons provide a divine aura to the arangu embraced by darkness.Adjacent to the stage is the dressing-room with floor-mats and a small lamp placed at the center.The facial make-up and detailed costuming transform the actor into character within four to five hours.Female-characters and sages have only simple make-up and costuming.As the actor is ready to move on the stage, he/she prays in front of the lighted lamp and bows before his/her Gurus in the dressing room.By mid 20th century, Ksthskali moved to the prosceium stage especially with scores of invitations every year to the Kalamnadalam Troupe for performance in the national and international dance-theatre festivals.

Performance

For temple performance, there is the traditional kelikottu by dusk which is symbolically an announcement of the grand Kathakali to begin a couple hours later.In the past, this was the sole means of publicity for an overnight Kathakali recital.On stage, after the arangukeli performed on the maddalam, there is Thodayam on eof the two invocatory items.Two or more junior dancers so the thodayam behind the curtain bwhich is praise of the gods.Next to Thodayam is the Purappad in which two or foue dancers appear in the make-up and costuming ogf Loard Krishna.

Female roles too are incorporated in the purappad.Both thodayam and purappad are pure-dance pieces.melappadam offers the vocalistvvand percussionists tremendous oppertunities for unleashing their creativity and expertise.Manjuthara, one of the Astapadi of the 12th century Oriyan poet, Jayadeva, is sung in melappadam laying emphasis on raga and laya.