THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The number of contestants for the Chakyarkoothu competition for higher secondary students at the 63rd state school arts festival offered a grim reminder of the waning interest of the new generation towards the traditional art form.
Unlike many events with more than 20 contestants, that includes district-level winners and also those who gained entry through appeal, Chakyarkoothu was a low-key affair this time around with only nine participants.
Undeterred by the low audience turnout for the event at Government Girls’ HSS, Pattom, the contestants tried to engage those present with their performances. Chakyarkoothu offers ample opportunity to the contestants to refer to contemporary issues in a satirical manner while sticking on to the central theme.
Barring a few references that occasionally elicited laughter from the audience, most of the contestants chose to make their performance a sombre affair. Akshay Nived R A of Govt HSS, Kilimanoor, Thiruvananthapuram who secured A grade for his performance, had a few contemporary references brilliantly interwoven with the main plot of ‘Panchali Swayamvaram’ from the Mahabharata, Referring to the test that Arjuna had to undergo to marry Draupadi, the contestant made a few witty remarks that were well received by the audience.
“The ‘swayamvaram’ happened after a pareeksha (test). But in the present times, one can pass an exam even without attending it,” remarked the contestant. The humorous reference quickly lit up the audience as it was an oblique reference to a student leader who was caught in such a controversy recently. Aadi K Damodran of PMGHSS Palakkad, who also bagged A grade, indirectly referred to the controversial speech of former Kannur district panchayat president P P Divya while speaking on how the correct choice of words is integral in communication.
Contestants also made references to recent incidents of atrocities against women while narrating the selected portions from the epics. Meanwhile, Chakyarkoothu experts lamented the lack of interest among youngsters towards the art form. According to Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar, an exponent of the art form for over five decades, attention deficit of the present generation is a cause for concern.
“The art form needs lot of concentration and also the ability to improvise by engaging with the audience. The new generation, that is mostly hooked on to gadgets, may find it too taxing. However, there are still young talents who buck the trend with their dedication,” he said. Chakyarkoothu exponent Sreeraj Chakyar pointed out the lack of awareness among youngsters about the ‘puranas’ which form the cornerstone of the art form.