The team from BSS Gurukulam Higher Secondary School, Alathur, Palakkad, which secured A grade in the Yakshagana (HS) competition at the State School Arts Festival in Kozhikode on Thursday. , Photo Credit: Sakir Hussain
Big hats, vibrant colors and loud music on Stage 61 Kerala School Kalolsavam in Kozhikode. Maya Shurpanakha, in disguise, tries to woo Rama and what follows is an epic battle.
The Yakshagana competition at Achuthan Girls HSS saw a troupe of mythological characters singing, dancing and going into the signature jumping spin of folk theatre.
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gods on stage
Yakshagana
, Video Credits: Sakir Hussain
Lord Krishna in conversation with Satyabhama, Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Sita during exile and war hungry Asuras The audience was thoroughly entertained with a power packed mix of dance and drama.
A very uncommon art form in all the districts except Kasaragod, music, emotion and dialogue go hand in hand in Yakshagana. Very often, the techniques and moves are reminiscent of Kathakali, Koodiyattam and Ottan Thullal.
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the challenges
As a fierce war-cry floats from the stage to the greenroom, Tejasvi Ajith of St. Teresa’s School, Kannur says learning Kannada dialogues is no easy task. She adds, “I am playing the character of Arjuna and we are enacting a part of the Mahabharata where he kills Sudhanva.”
Devika Krishna of DDSHS, Ernakulam says that memorizing dialogues and repeating them with gusto is the only option. “Although our teacher has translated for us, we do not know the meaning of each word.”
Teerth of Bethany St John’s HSS, Thrissur says the biggest challenge is performing with the heavy ‘kireedam’, as Aryananda, who plays Narakasura, agrees.
language barrier
The team from BSS Gurukulam Higher Secondary School, Alathur, Palakkad, which secured A grade in the Yakshaganam (HS) competition at the State School Arts Festival in Kozhikode on Thursday. , Photo Credit: Sakir Hussain
According to Yakshaganam instructor Ranjeet, correcting the pronunciation of the participants is an important part of the training process. “They would be given dialogues written in Malayalam script and would take three to four months to prepare,” he says.
Madhavan Netanika, a veteran Yakshagana artist, feels the art form is not taken seriously by the authorities, at least in some parts. “At the Kollam district festival, the judges hardly knew Kannada and all the dialogues in Yakshagana are in Kannada. Each team spends around Rs 1.5 lakh and this is unfair to the students who perform well. I think no other art form faces such neglect,” he says.