KOCHI: On the second death anniversary of the legendary Koodiyattom exponent Padmabhooshan guru Ammannoor Madhava Chakyar, his disciples have designed a fitting remembrance fest at Madhava Natyabhoomi (Chaachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam), Irinjalakuda. The Vidhooshaka Pravesham, the festival of Vidhooshaka or jester started on July 1.
The Vidhooshaka is a satirical character in the thousand- year-old Sanskrit Theatre, Koodiyattom. The Sanskrit plays of Bhasa, Kulasekhara and Kalidasa have a jester whose role is much beyond the story line of these plays. The great thespians had used these jesters as a mouthpiece to expose the degradation happening in society. The Vidhooshaka was a sharp criticiser of social evils. The nine-day-long fest analyses the Vidhooshaka portrayed by Bhasa, Kalidasa and others in their own typical styles.
It is quite interesting to scan the mannerisms of the jester in different plays. In the ritualistic Koodiyattoms staged at the famous Koothambalams like the Vadakkumnathan Koothambalam or Irinjalakkuda Koothambalam, plays like Subhadra Dhananjayam or Thapathi Samvaranam have the portrayal of Vidhooshaka.
In those plays a typical oral acting session, called Purushaartha Koothu, will be presented by the Vidhooshaka.
While the name of the Vidhooshaka in Subhadra Dhananjayam is Koundillyan, in Thapathi Samvaranam it is Parasaryan.
While describing the Purushaartha Koothu the jesters will give a perverted version of the four ideal ways to attain salvation in human life - Dharmam (keeping justice) Artham (earning money), Kaamam (fulfilling desires) and Moksham (attaining salvation). For the jester, the short cut for maintaining Dharmam is to conceive a sumptuous feast. For attaining Artham (earning money) the best way is to serve the king, for fulfilling Kamam (desire) the best way is the company of the prostitute and finally to attain Moksham (salvation) one has to deceive the prostitute.
“While describing those perverted versions of human life the Vidhooshaka mercilessly criticised the ridiculous lifestyle followed by the upper caste and also the misconduct of some ministers in the Royal Court of small provinces like the Koch i Stat e and the Samoothiri’s kingdom, Malabar in the early half of the last century,” said eightyseven- year-old Elamana Hari, who has been analysing the mannerisms of the Vidhooshaka in Sanskrit plays for the past few decades. By absorbing the classic elements of these satirical characters in his works, Kavalam Narayana Panicker has moulded a unique theatre culture through his famous troupe, Sopanam.
The jester festival at Irinjalakuda provides a golden opportunity for the young generation to know more about the relevance of the Vidhooshaka in the contemporary cultural scenario of Kerala. Besides the staging of classic works of Bhasa, Kulashekhara and Kalidasa, prominent theatre personalities will present papers on myriad aspects of Vidhooshaka like his mannerisms in different plays, their relevance in the contemporary world, the styles adopted by celebrities like Bhasa and Kalidasa in caricaturing Vidhooshaka and so on. The staging of Bhagavadanjukeeyam, Thapathi Samvaranam, Subhadra D h a n a n j aya m , Manthrankam, Naganandam and Shakunthalam will certainly become a sumptuous feast for theatre buffs, especially the connoisseurs of Koodiyattom.
Satirical characters like Shandilyan in Bhagavadanjukeeyam, Aathreyan in Naganandam, Koundilyan in Subhadra Dhananjayam, Parasaryan in Thapathi Samvaranam and others will unveil the hidden potential of jesters in Sanskrit plays. The Vidhooshaka festival which began on July 1 will conclude on July 9. Certainly this unique fest is a rare chance for connoisseurs of Koodiyattom to enjoy the unparalleled Vaachikaabhinayam (oral acting) of stalwarts like Ammannoor Kuttan Chakyar, Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar, Paimkulam Narayana Chakyar, Margi Madhu as well as some upcoming young artists like Ammannoor Rajanish Chakyar, Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar and others.
sivadasvarma@gmail.com