From France, with love for Koodiyattam  

Intrigued by a 2016 performance in Paris, Shakuntala, 72, recently staged her arangettam in the traditional art form, reports A Satish
Shakuntala performing her arangettam at Pangavu Siva Temple in Thrissur | Praveesh Shoranur
Shakuntala performing her arangettam at Pangavu Siva Temple in Thrissur | Praveesh Shoranur

PALAKKAD: On Saturday evening, a 72-year-old French woman took to the stage at Pangavu Siva Temple in Cheruthuruthy for her ‘arangettam’ in Koodiyattam. For the nearly 90-minute-long performance, the French woman, who goes by the name Shakuntala, portrayed the character of Lalitha from the ‘Shoorpanakhankam’ drama with great elan and enchanted the crowd.

The French woman was taken to the traditional performing art form of Kerala after a workshop on the same was held in Paris under the auspices of Kerala Kalamandalam in 2016. She was among the crowd that was put in a trance by the performances of Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar and his student Sangeeth Chakyar.

Since that performance, Shakuntala has been a regular visitor to Cheruthuruthy in Kerala to learn the art under the tutelage of Dr Kalamandalam Krishnendu. “Since 2018, Shakuntala has been arriving here annually for 2-3 months. Each year, she would attend at least 20 two-hour-long classes in Koodiyattam. Now, after four years, she decided to perform her arangettam,” Krishnendu said.

It has also helped that Shakuntala was well-versed in Bharatanatyam. Fascinated with the classical dance form, Shakuntala arrived in Tamil Nadu in 1976 to learn Bharatanatyam. She learned the dance under the tutelage of renowned V S Muthuswamy Pillai in Chennai.

She had remained under Muthuswamy’s mentorship until his death in 1992, conducting performances in both India and abroad. Subsequently, she became a Bharatanatyam teacher in Paris. She had adopted the name Shakuntala decades ago. Even in Paris, where she regularly conducts workshops, she is well known by that name. Her husband Francis, who is a producer of documentaries, is an enthusiastic supporter of her passion for arts, Krishnendu said.

For her arangettam, Shakuntala picked the drama Shoorpanakhankam as there was scope for both acting and narration (chollal), Krishnendu. The storyline was translated into English as she is not familiar with Malayalam or Sanskrit, he added. Koodiyattam combines ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of Koothu, an ancient performing art from the Sangam era. UNESCO officially recognises it as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

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