KOCHI: As the golden swan flew into the stage flapping its wings and swaying to the rhythm of chenda, the eyes of the students gleamed in excitement. The golden swan slowly settled on a rock and started preening its feathers, and slowly dozed off when King Nala, who was strolling in the garden, caught it. The bird pleads for its life and the king releases it.
The poem ‘Swathanthryathinte Chirakukal’ was a tough nut to crack, given its poetic imagery and varied emotions. But Preetha Balakrishnan, a high school teacher at the St Antony’s HSS, Ernakulam, made it easier for her students by bringing the poem alive on stage in the form of a kathakali act. A trained kathakali artist, she is known for traversing unconventional paths to deliver lessons. She had earlier performed as ‘Kali’ of Nalacharitham Second Day in 2022 to help her students understand the character better.
In the ‘Hamsam’ (swan) act, Parvathi Menon, an artist with the Tripunithura Women’s Kathakali Troupe, performed as ‘Nalan’ alongside Preetha.
“The previous book had a portion from ‘Nalacharitham Second Day’ where ‘Kali’, the incarnation of evil thoughts, convinces Pushkaran, the brother of Nalan to dethrone the king. The students said my performance helped them understand the lessons better. So, as the syllabus changed, I decided to perform as ‘Hamsam’ to help students understand the imagery,” Preetha told TNIE.
While the poem starts with the bird pleading with the king, she added Nalan’s monologue where he is tormented by love.
“This will help students understand the story better. The poem was included in the syllabus this year to teach students about the importance of freedom. The swan tells the king, ‘You will be in trouble if you kill a bird that has not done anything wrong’. Students have to write an essay relating this situation with current society. It helps them learn a classical art and the literature of the era,” said the 55-year-old teacher.
Preetha, daughter of Balakrishnan of Kidangoor, a kathakali enthusiast, started learning kathakali at the age of seven. After completing her studies, she started performing with her father’s troupe. Later, she got associated with the Women’s Kathakali Troupe. She joined the St Teresa’s School as a Malayalam teacher in 2002 and was transferred to the St Antony’s HSS in 2007. In 2012, she performed as ‘Damayanthi’ of Nalacharitham in the school.
Preetha wants to take up kathakali as a profession after retirement. “I will retire from service in March 2027 and I want to pursue a career as an artist,” she said.