KOCHI: For Kottakkal Kesavan Kundalayar, Kathakali is a way of life, something he chose to make a part of him 42 years ago. Kesavan, who is popularly known as Kundalayar in Kathakali circles, is currently the principal at a Kathakali school at Kottakkal in Kozhikode, PSV Nattyasangham.
Under the guidance of his guru Kottakkal Krishnan Kutty Nair, Kundalayar grew into one of the most sought-after artists for his ‘Kathi Vesham.’ Kundalayar, who is also adept at taking on any ‘vesham’ was seen donning the role of Pushkara, a ‘Pacha Vesham’ in ‘Nalacharitham - Moonam Bhaagam’ at the Thodayam Kathakali Yogam held in the city on Tuesday.
Unlike a few other senior Kathakali artists, Kundalayar did not emanate an air of superiority around him when asked about his love for the art form and how the long romance with it began.
“Back when I was in school, Kathakali was on my mind all the time, every time the teacher gave a dictation I ended up drawing a Kathakali ‘vesham.’ As a punishment I was made to stand up on the bench and I was asked to wear my test paper as crown. Truth be told, I started wearing the ‘kireedam’ right from then on.”
Kundalayar eventually gave up schooling and indulged himself in Kathakali at the Kottakkal School of Kathakali.
Proving the general perception wrong that Kathakali has very little audience nowadays, Kundalayar says, “We can see a dramatic change in the number and age group of audience who come to watch us perform. Twenty years ago, there was a dip, there was an evident lack of interest amongst people. The situation is quite different now. We have massive number of people who drop in to watch us and a large section of the crowd is filled with youngsters.”
However, he also admits that there is a drop in the number of students who come to learn Kathakali. “There is a reason behind this. Families today are very nuclear, earlier one child out of the five or six in the house chose to pursue Kathakali, which was also supported by parents. Besides, there was very little education through schooling back then. Today, both parents and children are not willing to spend a lot of time and energy for an art form such as this which cannot ensure a steady income, which takes a lot of time to master and even longer to attain perfection. Besides, after spending so many years on it, no one can promise that the child would be a successful Kathakali artist in the future.”
Settled at Kottakkal with his wife and two children, Kundalayar invites people to visit the school and understand the basics of Kathakali before they settle in to watch a performance.“
Cholliyattam is going on in the school as of now, where the artists rehearse without any make-up. Those interested in watching or knowing more about Kathakali should come and watch the Cholliyattam. It is quite other worldly to watch Kathakali once you understand the mudras and the body language.”