Online Assignment on Classical Art forms - Nangiarkoothu
Kerala is
a haven for the lover of dance, drama and music and festivals. You have scores
of art forms, which are quite unique in nature to Kerala. The
art forms help one to experience a gamut of varied emotions ranging from
passion, love, kindness, compassion to mirth, joy, sorrow, grief, and from
anger, wonder, horror to fear, valour, courage etc.
Kerala is
home to a stunningly unique variety of art forms which have impacted
the social and cultural life of the state, adding to its typical character.
Kerala is also distinctly famous for its other art forms like
music and poetry as well as craft forms including murals, sculpture and
architecture. The rich and vibrant culture of Kerala has been continuing to
intrigue people worldwide. The traditional classic and folk songs and dances of
the people, their ballads, their rituals and their intellectual pursuits form
the real treasures of Kerala contributing to its rich cultural heritage.
Kerala’s art forms reflect the life and outlook of its people. Whether it is the renowned Kathakali, considered to be the complete art form as its synthesizes all that is best in the fields of drama, music and dance, or the folk dances which are reflections of the rhythmic impulses of a sensitive group of people, the treasure house of Kerala’s art forms is a feast for travellers and art lovers worldwide.
Nangiarkoothu
or Nangiaramma-koothu, is a sanskrit dance-theatre with an antiquity of at
least 1500 years. A sister-form of Koodiyattam, it is traditionally performed
by members of the Nangiar community (female) in designated temples, in Kerala. The
Nangyar Koothu presenter is known as Nangyaramma. Though it’s a solo
performance, Nangyar Koothu entertains everybody. It’s enriched with satire and
humor gives laughter opportunities a lot. This unique art form has to preserve
and the new generation women must practice and go through the inroads of
Nangyar Koothu.The subject matter of the performance are verses
from 'Sree Krishna Charitam', the story of Lord Krishna. During the
performance, a single actress assumes the roles of various characters in the
narrative and enacts the story through a highly formalized system of hand
gestures, expression of 'rasa'(emotion), recitation of verses and some unique
stage techniques. The performer is accompanied by a Nambiar on the Mizhavu
(copper pot drum) and another Nangiar on the 'hollow' cymbals. The mudras though the same as in Kutiyattam, are
even more elaborate. Movements, gestures and facial expressions which have
their origin in Natyasastra, the treatise on theatre, written by Sage Bharatha
in the 2nd century BC.
A crude description of a day's performance would be as follows –
·
The performer after making a formal entry and
going through some preliminaries, seats herself on the stool and narrates (by
hand gestures) - a gist of the story by recalling previous incidents in the
narrative.
·
She then stands and commences to narrate the
story that has been chosen for performance that day. The actor would use mudras
or hand gestures to narrate an event. In the course of the performance, the
actor would assume the roles of various characters in the plot in alteration
and the plot would unfold through their actions and exchanges. This stage
technique of mono-acting is referred to as 'pakarnattam'.
·
The narrative would then again shift to the
description of the main episode. Following this the singing nangiar would
recite the sloka that the actor elaborately described just then. The recitation
of the sloka is accompanied by the actor gesturing each word with appropriate
mudras.
The expression of the emotions felt by the
characters in the narrative makes way for rasa-abhinaya which is the mainstay
of Koodiyattam and Nangiarkoothu. Conjunct with 'pakarnattam', the actor transforms from one character to another
seamlessly and in quick succession and expresses contrasting emotions which heightens
the experience.
Like the better-known Chakyarkoothu, one of the oldest classical arts of Kerala, the Nangyarkoothu is also presented in the traditional temple theatre, the Koothambalam or Koothupura. It is still performed in temples like Vadakkunnatha temple at Thrissur, Sri Krishna temple at Amabalappuzha, Koodal Manickyam temple at Irinjalakkuda and Kumaranalloor temple at Kottyam.
CONCLUSION
OThe performing arts of God’s Own Country have a
special pull and connection amongst all audiences. On stage or by the road, the
setting is never the primary attraction but rather, what steals the spotlight.
It is the artists on stage with their movements, make-up and storytelling. For
centuries, they have colorfully presented great epics and acted as a mirror on
the state of the society with their ever so subtle social criticism. They are
important pillars of our heritage. Classical Art forms Though every art form is
a abstraction of human life, the classical art forms are unique with its
emphasis on rhythmic movements. The Heritage of Kerala can be seen from
different art forms and cultural events of Kerala. The dancer richly adorned in
gold is the personification of a more attired similarly to a traditional Kerala
woman.
REFERENCE
en.m.wikipedia. org
www.keralatourism.org
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