Kathakali (Kalyanasougandhikam)

The DVD on Kathakali from Invis Multimedia has the Margi troupe performing Kalyanasougandhikam, a chapter from the epic Mahabharata, depicting the travails of Bheema who goes in search of Sougandhika flowers at the behest of his beloved wife Panchali. On the way, he meets his half-brother Hanuman and the story unfolds in the unique dramatic style of Kathakali.

The artistes are Inchakattu Ramachandran Pillai (Bheeman), Kalamandalam Ratheesan (Hanuman)  and Margi Vijayakumar (Panchali).

Kathakali is a 300-year-old classical dance drama of Kerala, which combines the facets of the ballet, opera, masque and pantomime. This art form adopts events and stories from the great Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The richness of this classical dance is its magnificent mixture of colour, expression, music and drama that are unparalleled in any other art form.

It is believed that Kathakali evolved from Ramanattam, a set of plays written by   Kottarakkara Thampuran (erstwhile ruler of a province in Kerala) based on Ramayana. Later on, stories from Mahabharata and Puranas were written and staged in similar manner and this particular art form came to be known as Kathakali, which literally means ‘story-play.’

Like other classical dance forms of India, Kathakali has adopted the basic concepts from Natyasasthra, a treatise on dance and dramaturgy by the Sage Bharatha. It has adopted mudras or hand gestures from Hasthalakshana Deepika, a treatise on mudras. The most important feature of this art form is that it has gained a high degree of stylization in all the four aspects of acting which are:

Angikam     (pertaining to body),
Vachikam   (relating to the vocal including proper pronunciation,   modulation of voice accents and percussion),
Sathwikam  (representation of psychic condition)   and
Aharyam     (costume, make-up, stage props)
 
The Kathakali characters are categorized into five; Pacha, Kathi, Kari, Thaadi and Minukku. Falling in these five categories are Devas (Gods), Asuras (Demons) and human characters. It is noteworthy that this dance form has gained a stylization even in characterization.

Another distinctive characteristic, which makes Kathakali stand apart from other classical art forms is its extraordinary costume and exquisite facial make up. The facial make up of each and every character differs, so as to bring out their innate nature. This impressive makeup on the face plays a big role in attracting and holding the attention of the audience to the exquisite facial expression of the actor. The exceptional costume and makeup gives Kathakali artists a supernatural image in the eyes of the audience.
 
The orchestra of Kathakali includes Chenda, Maddalam, Elathalam (Gong) and Chengila (cymbals). Vocal accompaniment is provided by the singers and the performance follows the Sopana style of music.

The end of 19th century witnessed the decline of the traditional art forms of Kerala and the beginning of 20th century saw a cultural renaissance all over India. Kerala Kalamandalam established in 1930 at Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur, by poet Mahakavi Vallathol marked the cultural renaissance in Kerala. Kalmandalam thus became a cultural centre to watch and learn the traditional art forms of Kerala like Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniyttam etc. Margi theatre at Thiruvananthapuram is another centre for learning these traditional performing arts of Kerala.

Vocal- Kottakkal Madhu, Vengeri Narayanan
Maddalam - Kalanilayam Babu
Chenda - Margi Krishnadas

Injakkattu Ramachandran Pillai

Injakkattu Ramachandran Pillai was trained by the renowned Kathakali maestro Mankulam Vishnu Namboothiri in Gurukula style. He is a specialist in Pacha and Kathi type of characters. He is the recipient of the prestigious Kumar Gandharva Award and Kalamandalam Award. Injakkattu Ramachandran Pillai is now working as the Principal of Margi Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Kalamandalam Ratheesan

Kalamandalam Ratheesan, son of renowned Kathakali artiste Oyoor Kochu Govindan started his training in Kathakali at the tender age of six from his father and later joined Kalamandalam for further training. He was awarded the National Scholarship by the Government of India and had the opportunity to train under a great teacher, the late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair. He joined Margi in 1984 and has performed in almost all countries in Europe and Asia.

Margi Vijayakumar

Margi Vijayakumar learned Kathakali from 1975 to 1983 at Margi. He was trained by renowned artistes like Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Mankulam Vishnu Namboothiri, Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai and Thonnakal Peethambaran. Margi Vijayakumar, an expert in Sthree Veshas (female characters), is currently working in Margi as teacher and has given performances in many countries.