THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just out of school in 2002. A trainer in 2004, matching steps with the stalwarts of the time who were coaching students for the Kalolsavam in ottanthullal. At 17, Jinesh C was training students who were just two or three years younger. And some of them won prizes too, in not just one edition of the festival but multiple times.
Now 38, this reticent yet immensely dedicated ottanthullal veteran from Kolathur in Malappuram takes forward the lessons he learnt at the Kerala Kalamandalam from the maestro Geethanandan, who passed away a few years ago on stage during a recital, and Kalamandalam Gopinatha Prabha. He then went on to chisel his art with the Kerala Kalalayam at Parayannur with Kalamandalam Parameswaran.
“Thullal had fascinated me for the very freedom it gives for interpretation. It does work within a framework but the way an artist can work his way through, the way he can connect with the audience feeling himself as one among them,” Jinesh says.
That was the reason he took up ottanthullal at Kalamandalam from Class 8 to 10. But once the course was over, he had to look for means to livelihood.
“Life took a drastic turn. My parents were unwell and my family was not very well placed economically. I had to fend for myself and add to the family income. It was then that I became an autorickshaw driver. Another reason for choosing that option was that the job gave me the flexibility to practise my art and take up stage performances in the evenings. This luxury isn’t available in other professions,” he says.
Alongside that, he also began imparting ‘thullal’ lessons to children in his neighbourhood. “I wanted those who really want to learn art to pursue it and not abandon their dreams because of a lack of resources. I have experienced that,” he says. One of the trainees also competed in the Kalolsavam at the district and sub-district levels. Interestingly, he was training students who were competing with the wards of his guru Geethanandan.
Yet, when Covid struck in 2020, he shifted gear again.
“I took up the job of a delivery man, which I still continue. And then students too began coming, seeking classes. So now I perform at festivals and other occasions in the evenings, go for work in the mornings. And when I’m not performing, I teach students, some individually and some in schools. Women too are coming forward to learn the art form from me,” Jinesh says.
The money he gets from the Kalolsavam training varies, depending on the financial capacity of the students.
“I know the difficulty of financial issues at home and hence am very lenient with students from such backgrounds. But from those who can pay, I charge as is the market rate. On an average, per student, I get around Rs 7,000 after meeting the expenses of the orchestra and event planning,” he says.
He was at the 63rd state festival with his trainee S Sri Nandan, from Kolathur, who won A grade. With the help of the student, he wishes to organise workshops in his school.