Devakoothu, performed bya female dancer, is aninteresting bridge betweenthe folk and classical traditions.
It all happened a few centuries ago in Perinchalloore village, what is today Taliparambu, in Kannur district of north Kerala. Perinchalloore was known for the dominance of its priestly Namboothiri caste.
Balan Nambiar is an artist with several exceptions and firsts to his credit. As his creative works and research on ritual art celebrate his six decades of artistic life, thevNational Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, will hold a month-long retrospective of this veteran painter turned enamellist and sculptor.
The conceptualisation of a new Theyyam, Alanthatta Daivathareeswaran, in Kasaragod, was a special event that was a confluence of tradition, folk lore, belief and rituals
Few are aware that though Theyyam is a traditional Hindu ritualistic art form, by including Muslim characters it has been celebrating communal harmony.
A group of Kutiyattam artistes and aficionados is producing a detailed documentary film based on sexagenarian Guru Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar to straighten the modern history of the art and preserve the classy Kalamandalam style with all its essence evolved through the late thespian Painkulam Rama Chakyar
Sarvatjnapeetom , a Kathakali adaptation of the popular Pottan Theyyam, waspremiered in Kasaragod
Since 1958, from the beginning of his career, Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair, popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi, has been the favourite of the art form’s aficionados.
Apart from his legacy, what makes the Kalarippayattu exponent septuagenarian, S.R.D Prasad Gurukkal, different from the practitioners of other martial arts? It is his reputation as an acclaimed author on the subject and an orator in both Malayalam and English.
Guru Chemmencheri Kunhiraman Nair, born on June 26, 1916, is a living legend — for the general public of northern Kerala, the Kathakali aficionados across the globe and the entire artiste fraternity.
Krishnanattam, the forerunner of Kathakali, is slowly losing its original identity.There is an old saying that to appreciate Kathakali one should observe the face; for Krishnanattam, the audience must carefully watch the actor’s footsteps.
THE mellifluous elaboration of the raga Padi creates a new mood for the Kathakali connoisseurs in the front row. This slowly soothes away the midnight pressure on their eyelids.
A shokavanikamkam , the fifth act of Shakthibhadra’s play Aschrachootamani written in the eighth century, is considered an acid test for a Koodiyattam actor in lead roles. It comprises solo portrayals of Ravana spread across 14 days of presentation and proceeds through three phases of acting namely, Purappad, Nirvahanam and Natakam.Lovelorn Ravana
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama gets the much deserved Padma Shri for her yeoman service to the art of Mohiniyattom.
Kerala is the only Indian State that can boast of four stylised classical arts traditions and several folk and ritual arts legacies. Of these Kutiyattam and Mudiyettu are already recognised by the UNESCO as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.’ Nevertheless, no one cared to record the art and artists for posterity.
Hardback • 352 pages • ISBN 978-93-89136-98-2 • Anthropology