KOCHI: Aiming to fulfil the wish of their friend Kochitti Mathew, a group of artists of Kriya Natyashala adapted the temple art form ‘nangyar koothu’ to narrate the life of Jesus Christ. ‘Mathruvilapam’, the performance based on the Bible, was thus prepared over six months.
“While nangyar koothu is usually based on Hindu mythologies, Kochutti Achayan asked whether the narrative could be adapted to the Bible. We felt it would be a novel initiative,” said Sajineev Ithithanam, who developed the script along with Harisharma Chengannur. They have chosen stories from the New Testament, he said. “The script was inspired by three slokas from ‘Kristu Bhagavatam’ by T C Devasya,” he pointed out.
Kochitti is the secretary of the Kurichi Kathakali Club, and the first performance was held at his residence in Kottayam. It was later staged at the St Paul’s Orthodox Church in Pallom, to good responses.
Kalamandalam Sangeetha, who performed the piece, said portraying unfamiliar characters was initially challenging.
“The narrative and characters were new to me, so the initial process was tough. But once I internalised the story, it became easy to perform. The recital is about the life of Jesus Christ through the perspective and memories of Mother Mary after the crucifixion of Christ. It begins with Mother Mary crying for her son. Since nangyar koothu relies on abhinaya and is a solo performance, it became easy for the audience to connect with the emotions,” Sangeetha said.
Her husband, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, playing the mizhavu, lent a background to ‘Mathruvilapam’. The story includes the nativity, childhood, teachings, miracles, passion, crucifixion, and the resurrection of Christ.
“Our priority while preparing the script was clarity. The audience should understand the story and feel it,” Sajineev said, adding that when diverse stories are adapted, it gives art forms and artists creative freedom. “From beginning to end, the audience watched the performance with rapt attention.
Even for people who are new to this art form, it was easy to understand. Her performance did justice to the Biblical story and emotionally engaged the audience throughout. The group of artists deserves appreciation for presenting nangyar koothu based on a different theme without compromising on its dignity and uniqueness,” said Rajeev Pallikonam, artist and cultural activist.
“The adaptation has since drawn interest from various Christian institutions and cultural organisations,” Sajineev said.