MITHAS presented the renowned exponent-cum-Guru of Kathakali dance, Sadanam Balakrishnan and his troupe in a dance-drama entitled Keechakavadham on the evening of Saturday, May 16 at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. The dance-drama, an adaptation of a short story from the great Indian mythological epic, The Mahabharata, led the audiences through the captivating story of the slaying of Keechaka, a mighty Virata warrior at the hands of the Pandava king Bhima as a punishment for desiring his wife.

The story of Keechakavadham has been a popular subject of dance-dramas and interestingly, the first silent film to be made in South India was about the slaying of Keechaka by Bhima. Produced and directed by the first South Indian film maker Sri R. Nataraja Mudaliar, the film was shot in five weeks in 1917 and released in the following year. Despite being a silent film, the cast had Tamilians, hence it was considered the first Tamil film. The film was critically acclaimed upon release and monetarily, highly successful. Kathakali performances have often drawn upon the stories from grand Indian literary works such as Puranas, Gita-Govinda, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The story of Keechakavdham was about Keechaka’s attraction and unsuccessful attempts to woo Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava kings, known as Malini when in disguise and working as a maid to Queen Sudeshna. Bhima known as Valala when in disguise, working as a cook in exile comes to Draupadi’s rescue to teach Keechaka a lesson.

Great story-telling through animated mime involving all parts of the body including minute facial muscles, striking facial makeup in bold green, red and black colors, resplendent costumes such as puffed up white umbrella skirts, shimmering long-sleeved blouses and sparkling veils, elaborate accessories such as Keechaka’s large ornamented head-crown and vibrant music marked the dance-drama. A cast of all male artists enacted Keechakavadham in accordance with the traditional historical practice that saw few women entrants because of stigma associated to females as dancers and actors. There were six scenes in the dance-drama and a brightly colored velvet bed-spread would be held by two men in front of the audience to indicate a scene change.

Sadanam Balakrishnan in the role of Keechaka, Sadanam Bhasi in the role of Draupadi, Sadanam Srinadhan in the role of Sudeshna and Sri Vijayan Warrier in the role of Valala were supported by extremely talented vocalists Sadanam Sivadasan and Kalamandalam Rajesh Menon and on percussion instruments, the Chenda by Sadanam Ramakrishnan and Maddhalam by Sadanam Devadas. The art of applying makeup is highly specialized in Kathakali. Sadanam Sreenivasan was Sadanam Balakrishnan’s chuttikkaran(make-up artist) while the designer of the richly colored, elaborate costumes and attractive accessories was Sadanam Vivek. The music was originally composed by Irayimman Thampi.

Kathakali, the highly stylized dance-drama form began some 1500 years ago, tracing its origins to the early ritual folk dances of Kerala gained popularity for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented to the accompaniment of live music. Fusion with martial arts and Mohini-attam dance movements as well as dramatization of the stories taken from mythology are the highlight of this unique dance form. Certain villages in Kerala became well-known for specializing in the art of Kathakali dance. Gandhi Seva Sadan known as “Sadanam” is a dance institution located in one such village – “Perur” in Palakkad district and was founded in 1953 by the (late) Gandhian and freedom fighter and arts patron K. Kumaran. Today, the institution is run by his son Hariharan and has produced numerous Kathakali artists including Sri Balakrishnan, who now serves as a senior fellow at the renowned dance institution Kalakshetra in Chennai, India.

When and where did the main actor Keechaka enacted by Sadanam Balakrishnan develop an interest in Kathakali? Showing a keen interest in Kathakali right from his childhood, Sadanam Balakrishnan began his study of Kathakali under Guru Kondiveetil Narayanan Nair Asan. The late Brahmashree Kurumathur Narayanan Namboodiripad supported eight years of intensive training for the artist at Sadanam under the famous gurus, Thekinkattil Ramunni Nair Asan and the outstanding contemporary Kathakali master and innovator of the Kalluvazhi style, Keezhupadam Kumaran Nair Asan.

Sadanam Balakrishnan feels that it was due to the teaching and example of his guru and mentor, Kumaran Nair Asan, that he developed into a great performing artist, teacher, choreographer as well as director. Balakrishnan has specialised in playing roles of Sri Hanuman, Sri Krishna, Arjuna, Yuddhishtira, Ravana and Duryodhana. Recipient of several awards including from Central Sangeet Natak Academy of India, Sadanam Balakrishnan has also written the stories used in the dances (attakatha), choreographed and composed the music for more than thirty new Kathakali dramas. Several of these original works serve to extend the traditional Kathakali repertoire. Two productions he is particularly proud of are The Bacchae (adapted from Euripides’ Greek tragedy) and Othello (based on Shakespeare’s drama). Productions that he has composed himself include Le Cid (adapted from the French classical drama by Corneille), Macbeth and Othello (adapted from Shakespeare), Neelamaneeyam, Bhishmanuthapam and Taraneesenan. He is presently adapting the Euripidean play, “Alcestis and Helen” and “The Tempest” authored by Shakespeare. His performances have earned him high praise in India and all over the world.

Love, lust, joy, disappointment, anger and grief are important human emotions that are universally portrayed in works of literature and art all around the world. That Kathakali should embrace works of Shakespeare is an example of the vision and consummate skill of choreographers such as Sadanam Balakrishnan. Balakrishnan and troupe from India spent the last two months in the USA enacting dance-dramas from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and also presenting lecture-demonstrations about the art of Kathakali. Their last stop before their return to India was Massachusetts and what a lovely treat they presented to Boston audiences! Kudos to the entire MITHAS team for arranging the magnificent concert.

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