KATHAKALI IN SALANGAON

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.