It was a celebration of the return of the five forgotten women – Ahalya, Tara, Sita, Mandodari and Draupadi – who had disappeared from the Koodiyattam stage over the years. Koodiyattam is perhaps the only theatrical tradition where female roles have always been played by women. The ban on portraying Panchakanyakas in theatrical performances began as a verbal command passed down through generations, which eventually became accepted as common belief. And by the beginning of the 20th century, Koodiyattam had become a temple ritual, losing its grandeur as a performing art.
The five-day Panchakanya Mahotsav held recently in Thrissur included performances, paper presentations, seminars and discussions on the five epic heroines. It also proved to be a milestone for Usha Nangiar, who led the effort to bring back the five epic heroines and other female characters to the Koodiyattam stage. But its main outcome was to highlight the development of Nangiarkoothu as an independent art form.
A minor role
Until 40 years ago, there were only a few roles for women, like Subhadra in ‘Dhananjayam’ and Lalitha in ‘Soorapankham’. It was clear that they were kept only because of their importance in taking the story forward. But they were not given any scenes requiring great acting ability. The two basic documents of Koodiyattam plays – Kramadeepika or stage manual, and Attaparakaram or actor’s manual – provide excellent roles for women, including a full range of roles. Purappad or entry and Nishannam or retrospective, which are two of the three major parts of Koodiyattam performance. It can be assumed that they were sidelined for various reasons, including the prevailing social conditions.
Usha, who began learning Koodiyattam in 1980 at the age of 11, said that when she began performing Nangiarkoothu and Koodiyattam, she was disappointed with the small roles she was offered. Important roles and colourful costumes were reserved for men. An in-depth study of Koodiyattam texts convinced Usha that there was never a blanket ban on women; it was only mentioned that they were not usually presented on stage. Usha’s persuasive arguments convinced her guru, Ammanur Madhava Chakyar, to change his stance. Usha continued working at his kalari for 17 years. He also trained her in male roles, predicting that it would come in handy someday.
Portrait of Mandodari by Usha
Mandodari was first brought to the stage by Usha in 2003. Her research revealed that the role had been played years earlier, but the shlokas or actor’s manual were not available. Usha had found the Sanskrit shlokas and wrote a new one. Attapakkam For Mandodari, the play lasted for five days. Then over a period of ten years, Usha presented ‘Draupadi’ in 2005, ‘Sita’ in 2007 and ‘Ahalya’ in 2013. Usha’s version of Tara is the only play that she has not performed herself. It was staged for the first time in the current festival.
What we saw at the Panchakanya festival was not just a retelling of stories from the epics but adding imaginative ideas from contemporary literature that reflected today’s society and the status of women. The festival began with ‘Ahalyamoksham’ or the deliverance of Ahalya. Usha’s retelling of the story of Ahalya, who was turned into stone by her husband sage Gautama for infidelity and freed years later by the touch of Rama’s feet, was thought-provoking. It was called ‘Ahalya Vimochanam’, where Vimochanam According to Devi Varma, who portrays the character, in Malayalam it signifies a bonded past and the promise of freedom.
The show begins with Ahalya’s life in the ashram, where a baby deer is her only friend, and her only job is to cook food for her husband and collect puja materials. In her garden, Ahalya sees bees sucking honey from flowers, and in a moment she remembers a life that could have been. Her nervousness when Gautama enters the ashram, her indifference when Gautama lovingly fans her, all strongly depict the desperation of the beautiful Ahalya trapped in a marriage to an old celibate sage. But the most striking thing was the climax. She sits alone in the ashram when the curtain falls after Rama frees her. Whether she goes back to her husband as stated in the epics is an open question.
In her portrayal of Sita in 2007, Usha had relied on Uttara Ramacharitham. But the one she presented at the festival was based on Kumaran Asan’s 100-year-old famous poem Chintavishtaya Sita (Thoughtful Sita), in which Sita asks many uncomfortable questions to Rama.
In a poignant yet magnificent scene, Sita leaves her hermitage and reluctantly goes to Ayodhya with Valmiki. She bids goodbye to every creature, plant, flower, sun and stars. Sita’s fortitude, her resolve that she will suffer no more humiliation, is evident on her face. And then she enters Ayodhya, surveys the magnificent palace, acknowledges the presence of dignitaries, looks at her sons seated on either side of the throne, is delighted at the sight of her golden statue, looks at Rama one last time and departs to Mother Earth.
Well choreographed piece
On the last day of the festival, Usha played Draupadi for over two hours in a packed hall. It was a simple story embellished with excellent choreography. The game of dice came alive when the innocent-looking Yudhishthira took on the devious Shakuni while Duryodhana ruled over everyone. Every move, every gesture, every look and even the way Yudhishthira and Shakuni threw the dice reflected their character.
Theatrical performances
Mandodari was played by Kapila Venu while Aparna Nangyar played Tara. Mandodari’s story was based on Usha’s attaparakaram to perform Mandodari in Ashokavanikankam. The powerful part of Ravana performing penance for Shiva surrounded by fire from all sides and chopping off his heads one by one until Shiva appeared was performed with vigour by Kapila. Aparna also did full justice to her role, especially where she played the story of Narasimha. But somehow it was more about Bali than Tara. Details of Tara’s character and life were less.
Usha’s efforts to bring back the Panchakanyakas and other characters have had a huge impact. Nangiarkoothu has been enriched with new stories, new characters from the epics, contemporary stories and the efforts of many other artists. As each speaker at the conference pointed to the growing repertoire of Nangiarkoothu, it was evident that Koodiyattam’s progeny has begun to overtake its original in popularity.
