KOCHI: For most of us, Kerala Natanam is just another art form, which we have heard mostly in youth festivals. But for Bharathanjali Madhusoodanan, it is not so. Madhusoodanan is well-known across the country through this art form and its promotion is his life’s motto.
As a performer, Madhusoodanan P V started performing at the age of 10, though he is not from a family with any artistic background. He was the first dancer from the family and he has mastered Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattom, Kathakali and Kerala Natanam. He later on decided to focus mainly on Kerala Natanam, which is not popular even among Keralites. Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, who first introduced Kerala Natanam in Malabar, was his master. “Unfortunately, most people in Kerala have little or no interest in traditional dance forms. It’s not in our culture to promote a traditional art form unlike in other southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,” says Madhusoodanan.
In an attempt to popularise Kerala Natanam, he performs all over the country. He had represented Kerala in the international dance fest held in Orissa in 2004.
He has also opened an institution named ‘Bharathanjali,’ a school of dance, at Koyilandy, which has been functioning as the co-ordinating centre under Kalai Kaki College, affiliated to Bharathidasan University, for the past three years.
“Kerala Natanam is a novel art form which evolved from Kathakali. It is a traditional creative dance style and it follows the rudiments of ‘Natya Shastra’ and the basics of Kathakali techniques. But the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) doesn’t recognise Kerala Natanam as a classical art form,” he explains. He goes on to say that his entire life has been dedicated to raising Kerala Natanam to a level where it attains classical position. “It is not an easy task to achieve. Extensive publicity and development from the current form is essential for that,” he admits.
There is no repertoire in Kerala Natanam. Madhusoodanan and his institute are trying to make a definite repertoire to Kerala Natanam such as, ‘Poorva Rangam,’ ‘Swara Gathi,’ ‘Swara Shabdam,’ ‘Pathavarnam,’ ‘Kalasha Nritham,’ and ‘Shlokam.’
In his effort to develop this art form, he has received countless accolades and awards such as the Nrithya Bhushan Award from Orissa Sanskrit Sank in 2014, the first Guru Gopi Nath Yuva Kalarathna Puraskar in 2005, Kalarathna Puraskar in 2010 from Art and Cultural Movement of India and the Guru Gopi Nath Natya Ratna Puraskar in 2011.
He was also given the Natya Kumara title in the Hyderabad International Male Dance Festival in March 2014. “Everything that I have achieved is just because of the blessings of my teachers,” says this humble teacher and he attributes his success to his teachers Adayar Krishnan Master, Dr Remadevi, Anupama Mohan and Kalamandalam Leelamani.
He is not a dance teacher alone. He chose to combine maths and dance in his life, which is a rare combination. He is a mathematics teacher at Koyilandy Mappila Higher Secondary School. He is also involved in conducting dance programmes, with different themes such as ‘Priyaharitham’ and ‘Ente Bharatham.’ Madhusoodanan is currently busy with the preparation of ‘Ramayanam Bale,’ which is yet another attempt to give Kerala Natanam the mark it deserves in the world. He will also include his master Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair in it as a tribute to his teacher.