Sukumara Natana Thathwa

Copyright © 2014 uma tapasyananda. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-1910-6 (sc)

978-1-4828-1909-0 (e)

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08/11/2014

Preface

A Sense of defiance, the urge to put up a fight irrespective of the size and strength of the opponents and the obvious impossibility of victory, caused the emergence of ‘Sukumaara Natana Thathwa!

In all my wildest dreams, taking on the role of a scholar, never featured. Life often felt, silly, stale and hopelessly worthless, And then, life felt too precious and a bit too good to be true at times, All together too fickle, too unpredictable, leaving me with no intention of taking it seriously, when I could just have fun and dance away to glory! Being happy, is all that seemed to really matter in this crazy world… and what better way to express the uncontainable, joyous flow of energy, than Dance? And to think that Dance could make one serious! As if this wasn’t enough, it was causing me to go all thoughtful and studious?

The first thing, I learnt is, one cannot ‘choose’ dance. Dance, chooses you and once You’re captured, there isn’t any release, except on stage! In this sense Dance is a compulsion, irresistible, beyond logic and reason, beyond boundaries, beyond the limitations of decaying bodies, mercenary social structures, or lack of sensitive audiences. Once the creative urge is on, once the music and rhythm starts playing in the soul, all one can do is, obey the instincts and dance, to the tune the creator has composed for you. Needless to say, He has a different tune for each of us, causing the boundless varieties of forms, shapes, structures to co-exist in wonderful harmony.

But, jarring notes occur, due to a simple fact that , art, not being a necessity in a utilitarian context, can never hope to gain universal acceptance or popularity. Thus, the vast majority watch the world of art, from a distance (if they do watch at all!), Some reacting with mere unconcern, some with distaste, ridicule and even hostility. (Especially the so called Scientific, technically professional, practical section of Society.)

In addition to and much worse than these uncaring multitude, is the presence of ‘the enemy within the camp’. Those pseudo practitioners of art, for whom creativity is never a compulsion, never a spiritual necessity, never a flowering of personality, but plain, ordinary calculated activities, designed as just another profession. The mechanical productions brought out by this category (who are sadly, the majority.) almost justify the contempt of the afore mentioned ‘practical’ school, and has also resulted in the gulf between the artist and the audience to increase beyond bridging!

The classical forms of dance, being of an exclusive nature, is a subject least understood and most mis-defined in the contemporary society, where all values are currently being weighed with a monetary benefit oriented scale. The necessity of ‘understanding’ what one watches, on the side of the audience , and the requirement of ‘consciousness’ of what is being performed, on the part of the artist, both seems a superfluous, totally ignored fact, inspite of all the apparent growth, popularity and developments in the fields of classical dance.

Regardless of all the natural limitations and restrictive growth space, a variety of classical formats have managed to flourish, crossing national boundaries even, mainly those fortunate enough to have a monopoly in their respective regions of origin. A tiny blaze of elegance, suffocating in the midst of its more colourful siblings, caught my attention and has held it, ever since… The feminine, classical dance form of Kerala, known as Mohiniattom, has had to Co-exist, overshadowed by a large number of other art forms-epic proportioned dance dramas, folk and ritual arts, martial arts and communal arts etc. Amidst all this crowding, Mohiniattom was also caught in a destructive cycle of stagnation and endangered by structural adulterations, infiltrations triggered by ignorance and the complete lack of intellectual enquiry, it had no respect and no defined identity, even amidst those who practised it!. This pathetic situation and the resultant abuse of a form so unique and beautiful, caused a slow rage to be born and the fury that grew has forced me into exploring the depths into looking beyond the horizons of time, into the past and into the future, into the minds and into the lives of dancers who brought alive my visions, into the words of wisdom recorded by scholars, into the works of generations, discovering with joy, the ‘pointers’ that caused a clarity of vision, regarding ‘what was’, what is’ and ‘what ought to be’ the essence of Dance, specifically-the essence of Mohiniattom.

This journey of discovery has taken me far into the unseen corridors of civilisations long past, into literature that was too deep, too complicated for my little understanding and my small intellect: It has also taken me into the lives of other dancers, seniors as well as contemporaries; the former impressing me with their lifelong dedications and the latter so filling me with awe, inspiring me with their tremendous creativity, and ultimately filling me with lasting contentment, at being the ‘witness’ of a century.

Sukumaara Natana Thathwa, began with random thoughts, observations, reactions, being noted down for me alone, and then, very soon, it took on an existence of its own, dragging me along with it, tightly chained, so that I was pulled back to the subject in spite of the numerous deviations, where I was forced to play various roles, that of a wife, a mother, a teacher, even a performer! In every role I played , I felt insufficient, incomplete, except a few ‘moments on stage, that stands out as the sole meaningful events that justify one’s existence. It is perhaps these shining moments that has convinced me of the worth of this work. It is also the continuous, eternal search for these same moments, where life is transformed and all conflicts are momentarily resolved, when all seems well and alright in this world, that has led me on, into stage experiments with contents, as well as, stylistics of Mohiniattom, involving indepth interpretations of characters represented on stage, attempting amalgamations of themes, combining fictions with ancient lore, also trying to bring universal relevance in thematic presentations.

Recording the performance histories of artists, has also caused anxieties, along with infinite pleasure. I have chosen to record the work of a few representative dancers, belonging to three generations.. and would have liked to include a few more but couldn’t due to various limitations of resources.. There are subject that could have been elaborated upon, for ex. The ‘rasa-sidhantha’ of Abhinava Guptha: but it would have filled another treatise! And intricacies of music and its relationship to ‘rasa. is another eternally interesting subject… but, a decade has passed and Time, dictates that I deliver Sukumaara Natana Thathwa, to the world.

A work of this volume, of course would not have been possible without the support of family, friends and other Social peers. First and foremost, I must express my gratitude to my chosen mate and companion, Swami Thapasyananda Saraswathi, for having allowed me to escape from so many of my social commitments, roles - For being father and mother to my child, for being protector and provider, thus saving me from all influences of ‘economy’ and keeping me safe, uncorrupt from the world of finance, by bearing the pain and burden of existence all alone, so that I could carry on with the pleasures! I thank the creator for linking my lot with such a boon.

My daughter and my little group of ‘Shishyas’ have filled me with a sense of responsibility: I must give them the guidance to carry forward the artistic venture.. hence this legacy.

I thank my teacher, Kalamandalam Leelamma, for having passed on the unadulterated purity of structure of Mohiniattom, which has made all my artistic experiments, retain their classicism and their conformity to tradition.

I express my eternal gratitude to the literary, dramatic genius of the century, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, for having given me the direction to move forward, for having introduced me into Sopana Sangeetham, for having preceded me into recognising the identity of Mohiniattom.

I would also like to thank all my contemporaries in dance (including those not featuring in this book), who have been the inspiring force of my artistic existence, for having graciously shared their thoughts their concepts and their experiences with me.

Photographs of various art forms and photographs of Mohiniattom have added color to Sukumaara Natana Thathwa. Acquiring these have been made easy by B. Jayachandran, (Chief Photo Editor, Malayala Manorama) who has also been a solid encouragement in all my stage presentations.

Subash Kumarapuram, has provided me with a variety of classic pictures of Kathakali postures, Nangiar-Koothu artists as well as Koodiyattom performances. The headache called editing and compiliation of the work has been thankfully undertaken by artist Narayana Bhattathiri, who has helped me stay away from the system (all things to do with computers).

I hope Sukumaara Natana Thathwa succeeds in fulfilling a long-awaited need by clarifying backgrounds and by providing Mohiniattom, a sound definition and a definite, recognisable shape of dignity.

Uma Thapasyananda.

Table of Contents

Part -I

Sukumaara Natana ThathwaDance, in India, an Introduction

Chapter - 1

Contemporary Relevance of Classical Dances

Chapter -2

Mohiniattom :An Introduction

Chapter -3

Existing Theories Regarding Mohiniattom

Chapter-4

Inadequacies in Existing Definitions

Part -II

Introduction to ‘ Natya Shasthra’:

Part -III

Chapter I

Post Bharatha Developments in the field of the aesthetics of Arts

Chapter-2

The classicism and ancient roots of contemporary Mohiniattom

Chapter 3

Comtemporary Mohiniattom

Chapter 4

Mohiniattom; Existing Structure and Potentials

Glossary

Bibliography

Part -I

Sukumaara Natana Thathwa

Dance, in India, an Introduction

T he classical dance forms of India are inseparably intertwined with its religious and cultural heritage and hence are never likely to entirely lose their social relevance.

Dance, In ancient India, has always meant more than mere body language. Beginning existence, in imitation of the Gods of Nature then worshipped, dance grew into various definite identities as temple arts of respective geographical areas. Dance, in this nation, has always been a celebration of beauty, of life. It has also been a balance and counter measure for the dryness and rigours of mundane existence, a means for self-expression and, ultimately, Self-realisation. Most civilizations, born and nourished on the banks of fertile rivers, develop an inborn sense of aesthetics-generating in them, a deep love for colours, for music and dance, inspired by the green Earth, along with a strong sense of Rhythm as inspired by the wild order of Nature. It is impossible to pinpoint any one source of origin, where dance is concerned. It exists everywhere-in the quietly rolling waves, in the thunder of tempestuous waterfalls, in the song of the morning birds, in the sound of the breeze, the wind in the trees, in the bright hues of blooming flowers, in the hum of the happy bees, in the dancing rays of the sun, in the pitter-patter of the rains, in the blush of the drenched grass, wherever there is life, there is dance and music, love and colours.

From these wild rhythms of Nature, distinct, definable forms of a variety of arts and dance forms must have grown into classical structures, recorded for posterity by personalities of experience through various periods of time. History though primarily concerned with the rise and fall of kingdoms, with the stories of creation and destruction of civilizations, with the philosophies of power and governance, retains a significance for the past as well as the present generations, only because, underlying all details of a dead past, it carries with it, the still living voice of culture-the continuity of human passions and emotions, expressed through all the varying forms of arts, through the silent but more eloquent language of the sculptures and the language of paintings, through the captivating notes of music as well as through the more communicative media of Dance. The earliest recorded fundamentals of theory, with regard to the nature and structure of all Indian art forms are to be found in the monumental treasure known as the Natya Shasthra attributed to the genius of ‘Bharatha Muni’, who is more of a concept, or a sum total of the scholarship and expertise of many unknown personalities sharing similar interests.

The roots of all popular classical dance forms of today, like Bharatha-natyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak-as well as the dance dramas (Kathakali and Koodiyattom) and martial arts of Kerala(Kalaripayattu), are to be found in the Natya-Shastra as well as in a few other works of later periods. Mohiniattom, an extremely elegant dance form of Kerala, performed exclusively by the females of the race, also has its theoretical base in the Natya Shastra, though it borrows richly from the unrecorded traditions of the matriarchal society of the region.

The focus of this study, is to find and define the essence of the graceful dance form so that Mohiniattom, can retain a definite identity of its own, with a clear theoratical base, that is expressive of the philosophy and essence of the form, as well as assertive, of the fundamental structure (including rules and regulations governing the body movements acceptable, exploring possibilities of Abhinaya through the use of both facial expressions as well as gestures or mudras.)

Art does not exist merely for its own sake; it finds meaning and relevance only when it significantly communicates itself to appreciative audiences. Therefore an audience-oriented approach is also essential for the continued existence, growth and acceptance of all art-forms….Dance, also requires to be communicated to the changing generations, hence creating definitions, however inadequate, helps in the long run.

Chapter - 1

Contemporary Relevance of Classical Dances

H umanity is passing through a stage of revolutionary transformations in almost all phases of life. There is a strong tendency to evaluate everything from a utilitarian point of view. Of what use? is asked about everthing, sad to say, even regarding relationships. Existing concepts of trade and commerce, of production and distribution, of economic policies and social systems, of ideologies and values, are all undergoing vast changes… some for better and some for the worst. In the present scenario, art seems to take a back seat, and dance, is understood merely as a physical exercise… a body language, the ultimate purpose, or general usefulness of which becomes a debatable issue for the uninitiated. A wholistic analisis of the present generation and its fundamental value systems and life-styles, brings out an alarming characteristic; that of a complete spiritual blindness. For the majority, life is an absurd drama with a total lack of purpose. The total commercialization of arts, once upon a time viewed as a rare gift of God, has resulted inevitably in a loss of vision, a lack of awareness or consciousness of the self. Most of the visual media reflects this thoughtlessness; the means of entertainment existing today are mostly of a superficial nature, depicting shallow sentiments, instead of real emotions. There exists, as always, at least among the finer sensibilities, a yearning for beauty, for peace, for something that transcends the monotony of day-to-day existence. It is in response to this aesthetic yearning that ‘art’ comes into being. The Indian classical dances are a reflection of the nation’s spiritual beliefs and cultural heritage. And spirituality, if properly understood, turns out to be a store house of answers, to questions that are repeatedly asked by generations of humanity, though with different wordings and in different languages. According to ancient Indian scriptures, Dance was originally created as a means for imparting knowledge and awareness through pure entertainment. Dance is believed to have come into existence at a certain stage in human evolution where conflicts and unhappiness characterized human relationships. In ancient terminology this period is called the ‘Thretha-Yuga’, Natya-Shasthra, that most widely accepted treatise on the subject of Dance, begins with the theory of the origin of Dance-’Natyolpathi’, which speaks about the ‘Chathur-Yugas’ in detail. Kritha-Yuga, or the Sathya-Yuga is the earliest period, when humanity knew no unhappiness. Peace, beauty and enlightenment were the characteristics of the time and no separate means to attain these were necessary. There is no mention of art forms during this time. The next phase Thretha-Yuga, is marked by beginning of conflicts between living beings. This was the time of ‘Avatharas’ or incarnations, attempts of the creator to solve the conflicts between his creations. During Thretha-Yuga, ‘Ajnaana’(lack of knowledge) also made its entry. The four existing Vedas(Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) could not be understood by all as the quality of intellect had deteriorated, it was too complicated for most. Thus, the need for a more lenient, understandable, simple and communicative means of providing knowledge was strongly felt. And the God of creation, ‘Brahma’, is said to have created the’Panchama-Veda’, ‘Natya-Veda’, and passed it on to ‘Bharatha-Muni’, who in turn taught it to his 105 ‘sons’ or disciples. The third period is known as ‘Dwapara-Yuga’ (the time of ‘Krishnavathaara’), and the fouth Yuga is said to be’Kali-Yuga’. These four Yugas, or Chathur-Yugas are said to repeat themselves throughout eternity….(The concept of ‘Time’ depicted here