Women today have a believable presence on the Kathakali stage, both as actors and singers. And a recent event, where two young female singers teamed up with two senior percussion artists and mentors to raise their profile even further.
Melappadam, a music-and-rhythm ensemble that precedes a Kathakali performance, was teamed by two young singers Deepa Palanad and Meera Rammohan, 75-year-old Cherpulassery Sivan with Madalam and 68-year-old Mattannoor Sankaranakutty Marar on Chenda. His sons, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Mattannoor Srikanth, respectively, completed the four-man percussion team. The first half of Melappadam consists of vocals mellowed from the dhol, while the latter half is pure tala. It provides scope for creativity and improvisation, both in terms of raga and taal.
It was the novelty of the two women teaming up with stalwarts that caught the attention of the Kathakali world. Balakrishnan Anian, who organized the event at the Vazenkada Kunjunyar Memorial Trust in Palakkad, says he got a lot of encouragement from connoisseurs. “While such a combination was objected by some others, the success of the program was enough to persuade them,” he said.
Chenda maestro and Padma Shri awardee Shankarkutty Marar said he liked the idea. “Deepa and Meera are skilled actors and need to be encouraged. My Guru has taught me that a teacher should instill love and respect in his disciple, not fear. I told him the same thing.”
dream come true
Deepa said that she is used to performing with men on the Kathakali stage, but this was the first time she performed melappadam with so many renowned gurus. Meera said that even when she was comfortable singing for Kathakali, a melappadam of this stature was like a dream come true.
Deepa said: “I was more stressed because it is not easy to perform with a talent like Sivan Asan. But looking back, it was my most comfortable stage ever, thanks to the signs on the stage and the encouraging smile from the Mattanur posture. ,
Deepa Palanad and Mira Rammohan teamed up with veteran Cherpulassery Sivan (75) at Maddalam and 68-year-old Mattannoor Sankarkutty Marar on Chenda. , photo credit: Pradeep Thennt
That two veterans joined these young women, and encouraged them, making their performance stand out. It was a classical ‘old-fashioned’ rendition, devoid of all modern flourishes in both the ragas used and the rhythmic combinations.
As one music lover put it: “While Deepa, with her high-pitched sopna style that reminded the late legend Unnikrishna Kurup, reached imaginative heights, Meera provided the ideal representation with her Carnatic singing. “
Balakrishnan is delighted with the global reach of the event, sponsored by San Francisco-based Thapasya Arts, and live streamed, as evidenced by the encouraging messages he has received. Thapsya has been sponsoring a few programs in the last two years. This symbolizes the healthy trend prevailing in Kerala’s art scene where temporary donation efforts during COVID are now crystallizing into art activism.
The author, a retired journalist, writes on the performing arts of Kerala.