How Waylopilly Sanskriti Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram is promoting Poetry

Lakshmi Das recited eight lines from Kumaran Asan’s poem ‘Chandalabhikshuki’ , Begins with ‘Innale Chithorabadam…’ and posts it as a voice note on a WhatsApp group that includes his students. Within the next four days, they post their submissions in the same group. Lakshmi gives feedback to each of them.

Thus Lakshmi based in Thiruvananthapuram has been taking Kavyakeli classes for over 30 students for the past one month. He is among four experts who are taking lessons in Kavyakeli for over 130 students as part of an initiative launched by Vayalopilly Sanskriti Bhavan, a cultural center in Thiruvananthapuram under the Kerala government. The initiative was launched on 15 April.

different from aksharsalokam

Although Kavyakeli is similar to Aksharslokam in that both contain recitations of Malayalam poems, there are some major differences. In Aksharaslokam, only a chaupai with Sanskrit meter ( Vratham:) is recited, while in Kavyakeli eight lines of a poem with a Dravidian meter are recited (see box). In the Aksharslokam session, a participant has to recite a shloka with the first letter of the third line of the previous verse. In the case of Kavyakeli it is the first letter of the fifth line of the previous verse.

People aged 10 years and above participate in Kavyakeli classes. “It’s interesting to learn new poems, that too in different tunes,” says 12-year-old Meenakshi Yu from Tripunithura near Kochi.

Smriti PK, an IT professional, says that she has been practicing Aksharslokam since childhood and eventually took an interest in Kavyakeli as well. “I love Malayalam poetry like never before. My pronunciation has improved. Plus, I can better appreciate the rhythm and beauty of the verses now,” says Smriti.

Each trainer has at least 30 students in their respective WhatsApp group. “We hope to teach them at least 52 eight-line verses over the next six months. However, learning is a never-ending process. I went to Kavyakeli when I was in sixth grade and periodically learned new ones. kept picking up verses,” says Lakshmi, assistant professor in Malayalam and program coordinator at NSS College, Nirmankara, Thiruvananthapuram. Other instructors include Krishnan Kurur, former proof reader/librarian of a Malayalam daily, Chitra Jayanti, teacher, Paruthur HSS, Pallipuram, Pattambi, and Sunil Kadakkal, teachers, are government HSS, Kottarakkara, Kollam.

“In our group, I post shlokas on Fridays and students have to send their renderings by Tuesday. We also include details like the name of the poet and the meaning of the verses in the voicenote,” says Lakshmi.

The main rule of kavyakeli is that the eight lines chosen should give a complete meaning. “Also, from a poem itself, for example, Vaylopilli Sridhar Menon’s ‘Mambazam’, you can find four or five such volumes for a poetic session. Some students are in it for the love of poetry. We go deeper into the metres. Don’t go because not all students will understand them,” says Lakshmi. She has students from Maharashtra and Karnataka and one from the US as well.

Krishnan posts two poems at a time and gives students about a week to post their submissions. “Many of my students are from upper primary classes and a good number of them are extremely focused and serious about it. We are planning to hold a Zoom meet once a month to interact with them and get their feedback,” he added. All instructors monitor student attendance and those who repeatedly fail to post their presentations are evicted from the group.

Lakshmi says, “We started with verses she is familiar with, such as lines by poet and devotee Poonathanam from Najanappan. In my class, I had already read P Kunhirman Nair’s Gurudakshina, G Shankar Kurup’s Perumthachan ‘ and have taught sections of ONV Kurup’s ‘There Cheriya Shabddangal’.”

The idea of ​​starting the Kavyakeli session was shared by the Chief Secretary of Kerala, Aksharslokam and Kavyakeli connoisseur V.P. Joy held. Vaylopilli Sanskriti Bhavan has been conducting Aksharslokam sessions through WhatsApp since last August and he suggested that Kavyakeli should also be promoted.

The chief secretary, himself a prolific poet, says: “I don’t mind setting aside a few hours for Aksharslokam and Kavyakeli sessions, though I haven’t been able to do so because of my work. When I was working in Delhi, I used to attend sessions for Aksharslokam there.”

literary forum

He has been instrumental in the formation of Aksharakeli, a platform to promote Aksharalokam and Kavyakeli. It has experts and trainers from all over Kerala. “They are not in this for money or fame, but because of their love for language and poetry. So I felt there should be a platform to encourage them. We organized a poetry recitation competition and plan to organize more events,” says Joy.

Kavyakeli attracted attention in the last five decades while Aksharslokam has been around for several centuries now. “Aksharalokam got wide acceptance because we old people have learned a lot verseFrom our childhood They were a part of our school curriculum and it was a habit for most of us to remember them. There were also individuals and groups who promoted Aksharslokam sessions in a big way. However, over the years, Slok replaced modern poems in school textbooks. The new generation is not eager to learn them,” explains Krishnan.

Kavyakeli became a competition item at school youth festivals in Kerala in the early 80s. Since then, the number of people learning it has increased. “It is true that some students are attending classes with competitions in mind,” says Krishnan.

There are few books available on Kavyakeli, the latest being a book by Kochi-based Sarasamma K Nair, who has been teaching Kavyakeli for many years.

“Extra-curricular activities, be it art, music, dance or sports, always help in personality and intellectual development. Aksharslokam and Kavyakeli are also like this. Apart from inculcating love for Malayalam language and poetry, these literary forms help in improving concentration, memory and pronunciation of words. Malayalam is such a rich language and it is important that the new generation understands it,” concluded Joy.