The dying art of telling a story

2005·1.8 MB·English

by  Sharlaja, J

The Dying Art of Telling a Story
J. SHArLAJA
Kathaprasangam is a performing art fonn thatoriginated along with(and because00
Kerala's early 2(),-"century social reform movements in continuation ofthe story
telling tradition particular to that culture. It is a miniature music theatre with one singer
performerandoneortwoaccompanists.Overtheyears,itbecameoneofthemostcelebrated
artformsenjoying the patronage of lakhsofcommon public whorhronged towatchrheir
favourite performers rell asrory.Theselling isusuallyafestivalground,atemple,church,
mosqueoraculturalorpoliticalgarhering.Often,rheperformancesbeganattheripenightly
timeof10p.m.andlastedfortwotothreehours.Sometimesmore.
TheseperformancesmadeusMiserablesandVictorHugofamiliartomillionsofilliterate
Malayalisthanrhousandsofbooksevercould.BecauseofrhemBengaliaurhorBimalMitra
becameahouseholdnameinKerala.Usingsocialjusticeasarecurrenttheme,theseunique
raconteursofKerala made Kathaprasangam(storyplusoration),oneofthemostimportant
popartsofthelastcentury.Ifanyartform ormovementiscomparabletoKathaprasangam,
itisthe theatremovementofKeralaPeople'sArtsClub(KPAC) in Kerala.Infact,bothof
themshareacommonideology,Moreover,bothwereproductsoftheirtime.Andyet.nowat
thebeginningofanothercentury,ilremainslargelyforgouenandhasalmostgotrelegatedto
thepositionofa 'plebeianartform'wirhallrheoriginalcontempt,Wirhitsmainproponents
deadandgoneanditsaudiencebeingluredawayto'plasticartforms' suchasmusicvideos
andremixindustryitisalreadytoolatetoascertainitstrueroleandsignificance.
Amongrhe performance artsin Kerala,and probablyeveninIndia,rhiscan becalleda
truly secularart thatenjoyed widesocialacceptance,cutting acrossvariouscross-sections
ofsociety.Thisuniqueartformhasgrownsidebysidethesecularanddemocraticmovements
ofKerala,
Kathaprasangamasasociallysignificantliveperformingartisalmostdeadnow.Withno
major artists or promoters, it is dying a natural death. though itstillhas some takers and
featuresatschooloruniversitylevelcompetitions.Nowadays.itisrarelystagedotherthan
atgovernment-sponsoredculturallife-supportvenuessuchasschool.universityanfestival.s,
The valuesthat helpedrhisuniqueartformflourishinrhesecondhalfofrhe20"centurym
prese~t. Haili~g fr~m
Kerala has long receded behind the fast-pacedconsciousnessofthe
se~enues~ndel~htles,
thesocially committedpre-independenceyearstoitsheydaysinthe
KathaprasangamscenehaswitnessedawholerangeofvicissitudeswhilernovmgWiththe
progressof the Keralasociery.
Sangeet Nalak Vol.XXXIX. No.4, 2005
J. SIIAILAJA
Telling the story
Story-tellingisbasictoallperformingarts.Itispartoftheoralhistorytradition.Communities
worldoverhavebeen preservingcollective memoryand thetraditional way forithasbeen
tales. Events pertaining to the history of a community is preserved in the form of tales
particulartothatcommunity handedoverfrom generationto generation.And itisthisoral
traditionthatpaveswayforfolktalesandmythologies.Performanceistheexpressionofthe
person who has a storyto tell.
Historic works of literature all have their oral origins and it is true in the case of any
mythological work. From the great Greek mythologies [0 the Bible. the relevance oforal
traditionisevident.
Like anyother culture, KeraIa 100 had its own story telling traditions/history,and had
evolved fonnsrightfromtheancientperiods.
During medieval period itself. storytellers had begun to use the slokas from various
champusandotherSanskritpoemstonarrateastory.Thisforrnofstorytellinglatercameto
becalledPadhakam,
ThoughtheoriginisthesouthIndianbhaktian formHarikatha or theTaleof Hari,the
god.The form invokes adirectlikenessto atleastthree otherperformance forms-Kothu,
PadhakamandThullal,Thepresentationstylesofthefirsttwoformsaresimilartothatofit,
though their content was extremely devotional. In social appeal and popular acceptance,
conternporarinessofcontentandrealisticnature makesitclosertothullal, thoughitdiffers
vastlyfrom Kathaprasangaminitsformandpresentationstyle.
Padhakamwasnormallydone byasingleindividual,whonarrated thestory interspersed
with songs and a large number of anecdotes, and with some amount of acting. He had
musical accompanimentalso.Padhakams were conducted with temple festivals and were
meant forthe larger audiencecomingto the festivals.There was another fonn called kutta
padhakam(byagroup).which had thecharacteristicsofadrama.
The form received considerable encouragement from the rulers of eighteenth century.
particularly in Travancore, where Padhakam began to incorporate popular ingredients.
Nineteenth and early twentieth century S3W the emergence ofanother story telling form
calledHarikatha.1ltisTamil-influencedformdealtinbhalaithemesmainlyrelatedtoKrishna
and Vishnu.HarikathausedtheTamilidiomsandTamilsongsandwasalsoconductedalong
with templeceremonies and festivals. Both Harikatha and Padhakam are offshootsofthe
Bhaktimovement. and continuetobeso. Koothu,anotheroffshoot of the religiousschool.
wasconfinedtoreligiousspaces.However,ithasmanaged tobecome sociallyproactiveby
finding social equivalentsofthereligiousstories. althoughin alimitedsense.Theseforms
haveusedvisualandnarrativepossibilitiesofperformanceandhandled theclassicalIndian
themes as per the stipulations inancient treatises.
WiththeKeralarenaissance.manyreligious and temple-oriented art formsunderwenta
processofsecularization.Secularthemeswerebrought intostorytellingperfonnancesalso.
THE DYINGARTOJ ,ELLINGASTORY 41
Artists with nationalistic and progressivecor, ictionsfound storytellingto be a powerful
medium to enrapture people. The form also I ceived patronage from some social protest
movements.Asaresult,anewformofstorytellingemergedanditwascalledKathaprasangam
Itisstill one of the popular forms predominantly in central and southern Kerala.Secular
themeswith inspirational and emotivevaluewere normallychosenfortheperformance.
Society.the breeding ground ofart
Thelate 19thandearly20thcenturyKeralawasavirtualcrucibleofcultureaswellassocial
experiments,which would shapetheshapeand fate ofitssociety forthe restofthe period.
Contact with European colonialists such as the Portuguese. French and the British. the
crumblingofexistingadministrativestructure,andexposuretoexternalideologieshelpedin
evolvingadifferentperspectiveabouttheroleofthelocalkingsandtheexistingBrahminical
structure ofthe society. A number ofreform movements sprang up with in communities
seekingtoclaimitspositioninwhatwouldbetheKeralamainstream,whichwastakingshape
forthefirsttime.Therewerealsocollectivemovementsamongdifferentcomrnunitiessuchas
theMalayaliMemorialessentiallyseekingbetterprospectsforthelocalpeople.
OfIhestrugglesthaIshaped the KeralasocietyatthattimetheprominenIwerepolitico
economicand socio-culturalstruggles.Whilethepoliticalstruggleswereofageneralnature,
interlinkingdifferentcommunitiesaimingforanenhancedpositionintheeconomicaswellas
powerstructureofthesocietythesocialandculturalmovementsweremoreorlesslimitedto
singularcommunitiesand focused theirenergiesinreshapingthecommunitybyretrenching
age-old values that were pulling down the development of the community.The second
groupincluded,SreeNarayanaDharmaParaipalanaYogam(SNDP)startedbySreeNarayana
Guru,SadhujanaParipalanayogambythemilitantactivistAyyankaliandYogaskemaSabha,
theBrahminreformistmovement.Incidentally,Yogaskemasabhaisthefirstnotableonein
Keralatouseartisticmeansconsciously-throughperformancepiecesandliteraryforms-to
spread its message.
There weretransactionsbetweendifferentactivistveins."Duringthelastyearsof19305
tremendous changes occurred both in the political and cu!Iural spheres ofKerala.In that
periodanti-imperialist, anti-feudal, national, democratic movement strengthened in an
unprecedented fashion all over Kerala.Modern valueconcepts whichwasconfined tothe
upper strata ofthe society in the early phase, now began to spread tothe lowerlayersof
society.Inaddition10 the middleclass, \'OOOU5othersectionsconsciouslyenteredinto the
mainstreamofpubliclife.Consequently politicalandculturalspheresbecamemorepopular
basedanditacquired democraticcharacter:'(CulturalFormationof Kerala. B, RaJee~':m)'
Atalaterstage,communistand leftleaningmovementsstartedfocusingonbothpolitical
aswellas socio-culturalissuesatthesametime,LikeYogaskhemaSabha,theyalsousedart
(mainly stage plays ofKerala People'sArtsCluborKPAC)consciouslytopropagate.their
convictionsandfor years10come these techniqueswouldcontrolthesenseandsensibilities
ofmillionsofKeralites.
42 J. SHAILAJA
From religion to social responsibility
Whileitisallrighttoacknowledgetheevolutionaryroots,itisalsopertinenttonoteinwhat
ways itdiffers from the olderones,often contradicting the tradition and presenting anew
perspective and energy in dealing with the present, the current reality. It is this intrinsic
energy.the abilitytoquestion. todiscern. differ and dissentthe morassoftradition,coping
with and finding ways to resist the mass-hypnotic reality that makes any art form truly
modem.
Thiswasanewbeginningwhenarthadtosheditsreligiouspredilectionandhad10move
intoasocialsphere.(On lookingback,we can seethiswasalsoabriefspellandbeforelong
anhadtomoveawayfrom thesocialspheretowardsitsinevitabledoom-themarketplace).
Following the renaissance, the shift offocus from a religious-centric existence to one
involving greater social responsibility became the hallmark ofcommunity life in Kerala.
Exposure to aliencullure andtheirwayof life through trade, colonialistinterventionsand
cultural transactions by way of literary translations.hclped assimilate the new evolved
perspective and further utilize it to its full potential, The reflections of global waves of
changesafter the two WorldWarsalsobenefited Kerala positively along with globalsurge
of socialist concepts.
Story-tellingistheprecursortoallperformingarts.InIndiatoo,many story-tellingforms
likepandm'aniarestillsurviving.ThenwhatmakesKathaprasangamunique?Itisprimarily
itsmodembent. Moreover,itwasa2abcenturyphenomenonwhoseemergencewasassisted
byarenaissancemovement inKerala.Originatingfromamerestory-tellingform,following
thestylesofHarikathaandPadakarn,itdeviatedfromthebhaktitraditionand movedintoa
more socially responsible role. Realism became one of its hallmarks and a number ofits
proponentsattemptedto make itaneffectivetool forsocialchange.It isa uniqueformthat
hasgrown along with thesecular and democraticmovements
Kathaprasangam also deviated fonn the mainstream traditional oration techniques ina
majorway,by being a pure and modem orationoriented performance form.There wasno
special make uporcostumefortheperformerandhe orsheappeared inordinarycostumes.
andtheyneverneededspecialartisticrealmorambiencetotellthestory.Formoreoftenthey
weretellingthestoryofhumanbeinglikethemselves-andnotofGodsorofexaltedbeing.It
issimplicityatitsrealistbest withnoelaboratelighting orsound arrangements.Therewere
also noreligious symbols associated with the performance. not even a lighted traditional
lamp.Itwasthebeginningofatruesecularartform.
Influenceofsocialrealism
Kerala's unique socio-cultural atmosphere allowed Kathaprasangam to ascertain aspace
hither to unaccorded to performing arts and Kathaprasangarn, on its pan. was largely
influenced by the then predominant realistschoolofliteratureinKerala.
Itcan alsobesaidthatregion'schange overtomodernity wastakingplace atthistime.It
was an era that witnessed the emergence of various community-centred social reformist
movements. These included Nambuthiti Yogakshema Sabha, Nair Service Society. and
THE DYINGARTOFTEW NGASTORY 43
SanadanaDharmaParipalanaSangham(SNDP).Theyhaveaimedforremovalofevilpractices
relatedtothefour-foldAryancastesystem.removalofmatriarchaljointfamilysystem.and
emergenceoflinguisticandculturalidentity.Thesemovementswerepanofahistoricprocess
thatsawthe old worldstructurereplacedwithanewonebasedonthe valuesofthe new
realityandexperience.
Therealistschoolgaveinvaluablecontributiontomodernizetheculturalatmosphereof
thestate.ThoughintroducingEuropeanliterarycultureinKerala,theymanagedtodestroy
theprevailingliteraryandartisticconceptsoffeudalism.WriterslikeThakazbi,KesavaDev
and Ponkunnam Varkkiemerged on the scene as mainproponentsof the realistschool.
Earlier Nalappadu NarayanaMenon'stranslationofVictorYugo's losMiserableshadset
thetoneforEuropeaninfluenceandsocialrealism.Thoughthisinfluencewasevidentinall
spheres,particularlyintheatre,itwasprimarilyaliterarymovement.AlargenumberofEuropean
andotherIndianlanguageworksweretranslatedintoMalayalam,reachingahugepercentage
ofthepopulation.Inthelocallanguage,theabovewritersandotherscontinuedexperimenting
withnewsensibilitycharteringunprecedentedforays.
AlargenumberofMalayalipublicwereoutofthissphereofinlluencebecauseofilliteracy
and many other social factors.They were also beyond the purviewofthehighbrowarts.
which were any way not concernedwithcontemporary realities anyway.There was no
mediumtocatertothesemasses-with minuscule investment- anditwastothisslotthat
Kathaprasangam artistsmovedin.Anditwasan erabeforetelevisionandcommunication
boomandKathaprasangamwasanidealchoiceforagenerationheldinwaitingforapopular
entertainmentform-albeitwithaprogressivecoating.
Performance aspects
Theaspectsthathelpedintheemergence,useandspreadofKathaprasangamaremany.The
mostimportantonewereitsadaptabilityandeconomy.Unliketheclassicalforms.ithadno
associated stylistic rituals orcontentlimitations. II was relatively easy 10 make oradapt
storylinesto suittheideologyorpointofviewthattheartistwantstopresent
Economywasanothergreatfactor.Itwasassimpleasaperformanceformcanbe.There
werenoornatecostumes,costlyequipmentoraccompanimentsrequired.Infact.therewas
nodresscodefortheperformers.Onlyminimalmusicalaccompanimentswererequired. In
mostcases,aTabla, cymbalandh:mnoniumweretheonlysupportingequipment.Thisalso
eliminated any costs involved in thepreparationofa presentation. JI was themostcost
effectiveformofatheatreconcept. . '
In Kathaprasangam, the important thing istoselectorwrite them~n story.Thenthis
story,themainnarrative,isbrokendowninawaythatitisinterspersedWithson~san~other
. I . , . . , Thesenarrationsarehighlydramatizedlikethe
suehemotiveeements10a gnppmg way. e
dialoguesofdrama.
AKathaprasangampresentat.ionevi.ncestheelfactthattheatreis.ananformthatoriezinated
to tell a story. It has all theelementsoftheatre (Acting.mUSIC, cho~s'.movement: (as
prescribed by Bharata)present inminuteforms.Theperfonnerev'enrmnucsthesoundof
J.SHAILAJA
differentcharactersaccordingtotheirage.gender.etc.Forcharactertransformationsimple
deviceslikeatowelorahandkerchiefwasused.Inshort,Kathaprasangamisequivalentto
one-actorplays(inwhichoneactorplaysmanycharacters)thatis~rageinmoderntheatre.
Theperformer usesbothhisfaceandbodyandhisvoice inaveryminimalistic,butvaried
manner isookshma abhinayam-as stated by Bharata Muni).
Thereisnoreligiouselementpresentintheform,ThebasisofaKathaprasangamexposition
could be any story.The content was non-religious.The purpose was not to propagate
bhaktiordevotion but createawareness fortheMalayalarn language and literature.The
otherpurposewas10 fightagainsttheevilsofthesocietyandtostrive foritsuplift.
Kathaprasangam became one of the most popular forms in central and southern part
beforespreadingintononheroKerala.Secularthemesofinspirationalandemotiveusewere
thepreferredthemes.Mostoftheartistsaresociallycommittedandhencethethemesoften
conveysocialmessages.\VorksbyinternationalauthorssuchasDostoyevsky,Shakespeare,
Ibsen,Tolstoy,VictorHugoandothershavebeenadaptedbytheseartists.Manyoutstanding
novelsandstoriesbyMalayalamwritersandotherIndianauthorshavealsobeenadapted.
Modem novels and stories/poems of Malayalam poets like Asan, Vallathol and Ulloor
VayalarRarnaVarmawereadaptedforpresentationasKathaprasangam. Satyadevanwasa
pioneerofKathaprasangamandlaterM.P.Manmadan,K.K.Vadyar, P.C.Abraham.Joseph
Kaimamparamban and Kedamangalam Sadanandan, V.Sarnbasivan and Kollam Babu
popularizedtheartandmade millionsitsardentfollowers.
People5art.peoplesperformer
OfallthepopularKathaprasangamexponents,V.Sarnbasivandeservesaspecialmentionas
he almost single handedly and successfully redirected theenergyof this nascent form
towardsareformationprocessaimedatpopularsensibilityofthattime.Samban,asheis
popularlyknown. is creditedwith reshaping the entireart form ona mass base with his
popularperformancesofcarefullychosenstories. His presentation techniques, melodious
songsandemotional portrayal ofstoriesandcharactersreachedrhe hean ofthepeople.
HisfamecoincidedwiththefirstmajorGulfboomofKeralawhichsawjoblessyouthwho
lefttheirhomes keptcoming back withtheirnew foundrichness inArabiancountries
prominently UnitedArab Emiratesandotheroil-richSultanales-popularlyknownasGulf
countries.Almostallofthemcarriedwiththemwhatwasthelatestinelectronics- acassette
player.TheJapanesebrandsAkai,Sony,Panasonicandthelikesthusbegantoflocktorural
andurban Keralainlarge numbers. And invariably,almostall ofthembroughtcassettesof
Samban's latest stories. He was, like the electronic equipment they carried, the latest and
probablythebestthing inentertainmentfor mostofthem,
Throughhisperformanceandwiththehelpofthecassetteshemadeanumberofpositive
works popular through the length and breadth of Kerala.They include Vi/akku .-angam(a
translationofKariDiyeKin/amby Bimal Mitra),ThulliVellam(K.A.Abbas), Karamas»
Sahodaranmar (Karamazov Brothers. Dostoyevsky), Anna Karenina (Tolstoy), Romeo
THE DYINGARTOFITLLI"GASm RY 45
andJuliet,and Labham Labham(Ekak,Dasak;Sotak;BimalMitra).Prominentamonghis
adaptationsofMalayalarnworksareAyisha(poembyVayalarRamaVarma)KochuSeetha
(poem by Vallthol). Devalokam (Cherukadu), Mayyazipuzhavude Teerangalil (M.
Mukundan) and Yantram (Malayatoor Ramakrishnan). Besides.he has alsowritten three
originalworksforKathaprasangam:\~·asanumMarxum.NaranarhuBhraruhanand\hyalar·
kathayum Jeevitha Charitravum.
Before passing away in 1996.he has turned thecultural sceneupsidedownhishighly
effective performances, Hiscontoured voice andefficient acting styleandabove allthe
relevanceofthatone-maninitiative,remainsunsurpassedinthemindsofpeople.EspeciaIly
atatime wheninvasionartsareconqueringallprotectedspheresofculturallife with the
greedonlythemarketcan afford.
Gone with the global
\Vilhinvasionofanumberofnew'elastic'anmediasuchastelevisionandinternet,which
facilitatesinfinitereplicationandthusensuredmarketabilityapossibility and prerequisite
haveovershadowedquiteanumberoflocal.livefolkartforms. Inmostcases,itisthemost
crucialartformsthatevolvedatthelocal,minusculelevelthathadthemisfortunetofallprey
tothisinvasion.Theensuingglobalizationandperpetuationofitsvaluesystemthroughthe
dominantcyberculture-s-a systematicprofit-orientedflowofinformationononesideand
definitive trivializationof instilling 'fun' valuesonallaspectscrucialonotherside- has
ensuredthattherevivaloftheseartformarenearimpossible.Manyaperformanceformhas
lostthe adaptabilitytobeamatch againsttheglobalArmageddonthatisencroachingonall
spaceshitherto heldsacred.Kathaprasangamisonesuchartform whichcertainlyhasits
gloriousdaysbehinditbutwhocandenythehumanspiritthatwillfindirswaysofexpression?
Anotherstory,anotherway ofexpressionperhaps.Butthatstorywillbe(oldsomeday.