KOCHI: An embodiment of artistic elegance and splendour, kathakali is an art form which mesmerises one with its intense portrayal of legendary characters and their stories. And maybe, this is exactly what prompted kathakali artist Chavara Appukuttan Pillai to learn the art form. The journey began at the tender age of 11, and even after decades of involvement in the classical art form, kathakali still continues to enthral him. The man waxes eloquent about the intricacies of the language of kathakali and is a repository of information about the art form. It is a life devoted to kathakali.
For over two decades he performed across the state, later on devoting the rest of his life to penning books on kathakali. He has written three books viz ‘Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal’, ‘Kathakaliyile Rasavicharam’, and ‘Irayimman Thambiyude Attakadhakal’. The whole idea was to popularise kathakali among the public. “The language of kathakali is not known to many. It is an unparalleled art form. It has music fused into theatre in a surreal manner. The padam is rendered only twice, and you need to act it all in that brief time. You literally live the art form, it comes out of your mind and soul,” says Appukuttan Pillai.
His journey into the world of kathakali began when he happened to watch an exemplary performance of ‘Uttaraswayamvaram’. “Kathakali has such a magic that it transports you to another world. Seeing that performance spiked my interest and I wanted to learn a character. In fact, the Kalari was constructed in our home and it was intended at teaching my cousin. But then, I also ended up learning,” says Appukuttan Pillai. “The physical training is very rigorous. There is no speech by the actor, he has to express and communicate everything through his senses and body. But we were very young, and learning it was fun. So amidst school and everything, my formal training also began and it was a thrilling experience,” he says. He recalls how he would spend hours watching performances of legends, and how he tried to incorporate those intricacies he learned into his performance as well.
After performing across the state, he went on to do his masters. A postgraduate in Mathematics from Agra Univesity, Appukuttan Pillai then returned to stage after his education. Later on, he spent the life with the sheer aim of preserving the vast wealth of knowledge about kathakali by penning books. He also invested himself in giving lecture demonstrations about kathakali.
“It is the great Malayalam literature that forms the basis of the art form. And we bring to the stage some of the legendary characters. The literature, the characters, the music, everything is exceptional, and that is the strength of the art form,” he says.
But his concern is the dip in the interest among the youngsters towards the art form. “If we don’t take initiatives to preserve the art form, we will lose it forever,” he sighs.