MEPPADI: A region’s identity can be better understood from its artistic traditions. Guruvayur’s standing as a space where art thrives as a way of life has its roots in its murals, its Krishnattom performances, the richness of the literature of the area, and the deeply enchanting dance and music recitals at the Krishna temple — performed as offerings to the deity.
This may have influenced Sundar Melayil and his wife Kalamandalam Sony’s decision to stage the ‘Guruvayur Festival’, Kerala’s first destination arts fete. Natyaveda, the institution that the couple have been running in Thiruvananthapuram for the past 25 years, will act as the launch pad for the festival to be held from August 14 to 16.
“Kerala has deep roots when it comes to artistic evolution, with two classical art forms and umpteen other forms that originated around temples and sacred groves. That was a key part of life here. So the thought came up to start a festival here on the lines of destination cultural festivals at Khajuraho and Konark. Guruvayur is close to the Ponnani-Chavakkad belt from where my wife and I hail, and we felt this place’s artistic splendour had to be showcased more. Thus was born the concept of the Guruvayur festival,” said Sundar.
A highlight of the event will be the focus on mohiniyattam, which is also Sony’s area of expertise. “We wanted to give space to both established and upcoming artistes. We will feature Neena Prasad, Gopika Varma, Sunanda Nair, Gayatri Madhusudanan, Sandra Pisharody, and Malavika Menon, who will perform in the evenings on the three days. The mornings would be dedicated to instrumental music.
A lecture-demonstration by Sadanam Harikumar on the relevance of music in dance will be held on the first day. The second day will feature a talk by Manoj Kuroor on the place of thaalam in dance, while Kalamandalam Shiva Namboodiri will take class on abhinaya on the third day. There will also be a sopanam-style workshop on mohiniyattom by Kalamandalam Suganthi on all the three days,” said Sony, listing the key elements of the festival.
This year’s festival will be held at the municipal auditorium in Guruvayur. “We will finalise a permanent venue from the next edition. In keeping with the sublimity of art, we hope to stage the festival in the expanse of a temple or a cultural arena, the couple added.
The event is also being held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Natyaveda. The first ‘Natyaveda puraskaram’ acknowledging lifetime contributions to dance and art will be presented to renowned bharatanatyam exponent Padma Subrahmanyam on August 14.
Event will:
Be on the lines of destination cultural festivals at Khajuraho and Konark
Focus on mohiniyattam with performances on all 3 days
Feature a talk by Manoj Kuroor on the place of thaalam (rhythm) in dance on Day 2 and a session on abhinaya by Kalamandalam Shiva Namboodiri on the third day