SPICMACAY (Society for the Promotion
of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) is doing an excellent work
in promoting Classical Music and Performing Arts. By conducting
lecture-demonstrations and performances by eminent artists, they had been
instrumental in spreading awareness about classical, music and dance among
children at schools and colleges all over India. Dehradun chapter is doing a
wonderful job.
Last week, John Martyn Memorial
School, in Salangaon, a small village near Dehradun hosted a Kathakali show by
SPIC MACAY. Some students and staff from a couple of neighbouring schools also
had come to watch the program.
Sri Kalamandalam Amaljit did a
demonstration accompanied by lecture by Ms. Surya S. Nair. He explained the
rigorous training routines which prepares the body for the highly stylized dance
and showed how the coordination eyes, eyebrows, lips, hand gestures creates
expressions, creates, words, sentences etc.
After this enlightening
experience, Sri Sadanam M N Harikumar enacted a scene from Kalyana Sougandhikam
with Padam ‘vazhiyil ninnu poka, vaikathe…’ The dance and abhinaya in this was
superb.
As this padam was going on, Sri
Amajit went back to green room and changed his costume to Poothana,
a demoness, who came to Ambadi, disguised as a beautiful woman to kill Krishna,
at the behest of Kansa. She breastfeeds Krishna after applying poison to her
breasts. But Krishna sucked the life out of Poothana and she, as she was dying
regained her demoness form. The sudden transformation from the beautiful lady
to the demoness was so convincing that the audience, especially the children
were awestuck.
Both the artists were supported
by Sri Kalamandalam Gopakumar on chenda and Sri Sadanam Vijish on Maddalam. Sri
Kalamandalam Rajesh Menon gave vocal support by singing the padams.
Here is something I want to share
about Sri Kalamandalam Rajesh Menon.
In late 1990s, probably in 1998,
I was in Palakkad, Kerala and Palakkad Kathakali club had presented the aattakkatha ‘Naranathu
Bhranthan’ written by me. After seeing this performance, someone approached us from
Chittoor (near Palakkad) whether we could present it there. So it was decided
and the date and time was fixed. Sri Pariyanampatta Divakarettan was performing
as Naranathu Bhranthan.
Sri Athippatta Ravi was the main singer.
On the day of the performance the person who was supposed to sing with Sri Ravi
could not come due to some unavoidable circumstances in his family and we were
left with no ‘shinkidi’ - the second singer. By afternoon, as we were all sweating out with ‘what
to do now’, someone said there is a boy studying in Kalamandalam in the final
year. He will be able to sing. He lives in Kollankode and if someone goes
there, he would probably be able to come. So my nephew drove to Kollangode and
brought Mr. Rajesh.
He read the script just once
before going on the stage and sang along with Sri Ravi – and sang
beautifully. I had posted a padam from
that performance a few days back.
Meeting Rajesh after so many
years in Salangaon was a pleasant surprise. Thank you, Rajesh – for that
performance.
Very interesting, great that Spic Macay is keeping this and hopefully many art forms alive among the younger generation in this age.
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