THRISSUR: At ‘Mandaram’, venue number seven of the school kalolsavam, satire was in full bloom, finely knitting together tales from the puranas and commentary on the current sociopolitical scenario.
High school boys, many of them fresh inductees into Asia’s biggest youth festival, were getting ready backstage, and there sat the maestro – Painkulam Narayana Chakyar, preparing his young pupils for the show.
This year, Chakyar had eight trainees on stage, out of 14. Having been associated with contests for 39 years, generations passed under his tutelage -- fathers who were stars of the festival back in the 90s and their sons shining now. But this edition, ‘asan’ has one special trainee – the son of his first-ever ward.
Dr Sanju Palisseri, a retired Navy official from Manjeri in Malappuram district, was the first to enrol under the ‘koothu asan’. Now, his son Gourang Krishnan, a Class 8 student of Manjeri’s HMYHSS, has made his way to the state school arts festival in his debut as a high schooler. Dr Sanju, a hat-trick winner in chakyar koothu from 1989 to 1991, was alongside his son, offering both support and inspiration.
“I’ve had the privilege of teaching many children from different generations, but this was a unique experience,” said Chakyar, who has completed more than 50 years working with the art form.
This year, participants from Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kasaragod are all his wards.
“When I won the first prize in 1989, a student from the Hidayathul Muslimeen Yatheemkhana School emerging on top in an art form like chakyar koothu was a topic of interest, with that association arousing curiosity in many. After 37 years, my son, who goes to the same school, is back at the Kalolsavam with the same traditional art form,” Dr Sanju said.