Death of a dancer, passing of an era

Kottakkal Shivaraman was a master Kathakali dancer, he expertised in minuku that is streevesham (female roles) and took it a level that is iconic. He was a living legend, who gave life to mythical characters for almost six decades. Over the decades he was a delight to connoisseurs of this dance form. His pairing with Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair are stuff of folklore now.

Kathakali is an amazing artform, a dance drama with heightened aesthetic sensibility. If you can comprehend the nuances and subtleties it indeed is one of the most fulfilling experiences. This blogger has had the fortune of watching many live performances (and try to learn for few months…it takes years and ages to master. Must say it did help to understand and appreciate this wonderful dance form). I have heard stories about my grandfather (who unfortunately was polio afflicted on one leg…and lived a life dabbling in ayurveda) who could tell from far away, sitting at home with faintest of hint, the exact scene. He was quite crazy about Kathakali (he even encouraged his children in dance and theater, amazing man). One of cousin used to go into frenzy enacting chenda vadyam and would froth and later become unconscious; people said grandfather’s spirit has gone into him. It used to scare me a lot those days. There is something primal about Chenda and with splendor of characters of Kathakali it goes to a different level, surreal. Somehow that effect is absent when you watch it on TV.

One of the important aspects of Kathakali apart from the visual splendor is the use of light. Long back I happen to listen to a speech by Mr. Menon (I guess it was Delhi…only thing I recall about him was he attended these programs quite regularly with his wife who was an ex ambassador. He died few years later, I did attend his condolence meet). He spoke so eloquently about Kathakali, how in olden days the vilakku (lamp) hid the darkness and the characters emerged from nowhere. This is one experience we miss with the loss of darkness. I thought it was one of the most brilliant speeches I ever listened to.

Post script: It is unfortunate that the Indian government failed to recognize (unlike the State government though) and reward great souls like Kottakkal Shivaraman. Just look at the way they elect people to Rajya Sabha who are supposed to be represent art and culture, it is a dubious process. Judiciary should intervene. This is why it is important to have coalition governments. Like in Kerala there are some iconic figures in different artforms across the country who may not be marketing themselves nor scheming for power. It is the responsibility of the government to recognize and encourage these. It is a matter of grave concern that Union Government has failed in its duties to respect and value the cultural icons of the nation. Culture is not only about movies and people involved in it, indeed it is marginal. It is a shame that in the name of art some pretentious people are being given importance. I guess there are too many fixers to exaggerate these people, it makes market sense.

This blogger like to know why are likes of Padma Subramanium not selected to Rajya Sabha, she is truly iconic. I have seen the programs that used to come in DD decades back, wherein she went to different temples and try to study and interpret the dancing sculptures. It was brilliant, a masterpiece, arguably the best program made on Indian classical dance.