KOCHI: The importance of the Ramayana in Kerala’s tradition is evident from the innumerable stories told by various classical art forms. The lessons of righteousness and eternal wisdom imparted by Ramayana have a significant influence on the state’s cultural sphere.
Bhavayami, a dance drama directed by kathakali artist Kalamandalam Vaisakh, a teacher at RLV College, conveys the essence of the Ramayana in one hour and 45 minutes. An elegant fusion of the classical dances of kathakali, bharatanatyam, koodiyattam and yakshagana, Bhavayami explores the colourful makeup, elaborate costumes and codified theatrical language of these art forms, unfolding a celestial world in front of the audience.
Bhavayami is a confluence of creative influences and myriad traditions of Kerala and draws inspiration from Bhavayami Reghuramam, a Carnatic Keerthana composed by Swathi Thirunal. Vaisakh drew inspiration from a bharatanatyam performance by artist Rajashree Warrier based on the Keerthana Bhavayami Reghuramam at Kalamandalam eight years ago. He was working as a teacher at Kalamandalam at that time.
“The complete story of Ramayana is performed in kathakali through eight plays which take eight days to perform. As we don’t get an audience for such elaborate plays I thought of a concise story selecting important incidents in the Ramayana. I conducted extensive research exploring the possibilities of various traditional art forms. After I joined RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, I presented the idea before our principal R Rajalakshmi. We selected a group of students and teachers at RLV and had a two-month training session to realise the dream. It was staged at the Samabhavana Art Festival at RLV College on August 13, 2023, for the first time,” said Vaisakh.
The story starts with the birth of Lord Ram and concludes with his coronation as the King of Ayodhya. The descriptive part is presented through bharatanatyam, while important events like Sita Swayamvaram, the abduction of Sita by Ravana, the battle between Bali and Sugreeva, the killing of Jatayu, the burning of Lanka by Hanuman and Pattabhishekam (the coronation of Lord Ram) are depicted through kathakali. The character of Soorpanakha, the sister of Ravana, is presented through Koodiyattam while the character of Ravana is portrayed through yakshagana. The meeting of Soorpanakha with Ravana after mutilation by Lakshman is presented exploring the possibilities of ninam in kathakali.
“Though the play has been widely appreciated, the biggest challenge in getting stages is the cost factor. There are around 38 artists, including performers, singers and percussion artists, and integrating these performers, musicians and percussion artists is a herculean task. We need elaborate arrangements for lighting which makes it a visual treat. The estimated cost for a single performance is Rs 3 lakh and we are struggling to get sponsors for staging the play. We staged the play at four venues during the past one year and the last performance was at Mannar temple on May 9,” said Vaisakh.
“We decided to use the costumes of yakshagana for Ravana as we found it apt to portray the ferocity of the Asura king. Though the costumes are of yakshagana we use the same steps and gestures of kathakali for the character. I got a lot of appreciation for the role of Ravana and the makers of the movie Malaikottai Valiban recorded my roars for actor Mohanlal’s character after watching the performance in Bhavayami,” said kathakali artist Pallipuram Sunil.