Dance like a family man

He adjusts the headgear that crowns his elaborate costume as his wife tweaks the chutti' makeup, all set to join his children on stage for another Kathakali performance.

In times where tradition is giving way to modernity, Kalamandalam Raman Kutty and his family are moving closer to their roots.

The Kutty family is amongst the few in the field of Kathakali that performs as a unit, using the dance form from Kerala to tell tales of Indian mythology, particularly the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Raman Kutty, 56, who has been performing the complex art form of Kathakali since he was 13 years old, says the art form is like his second skin.

 

I started performing Kathakali to fight off poverty and starvation. Four decades later, this art form is my identity. I owe everything in my life to Kathakali and my guru Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramnkutty Nair Aashan. This art form has no parallels in the world due to its aesthetic beauty and spiritual content, Kutty told PTI.

Off-stage, Kutty is a bureaucrat, currently working with Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha. He is also a panel member of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Kutty has worked with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Special Protection Group (SPG). He has also been a part of the security entourage of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

On his work-life balance, the artist said Kathakali as an art form had helped him immensely to battle work pressure as well as life's unsettling moments.

"My hardcore training in Kathakali helped me survive the difficult terrains while I was working with the CRPF. It has also instilled a sense of discipline and an urge to achieve in me. Even when I had a gun in my hand, I have never felt alienated from my art. I have always tried to strike a fine balance between my work and passion," he said.

His love for the classical dance form is shared by his wife Rajani Raman Kutty (47) and their 27-year-old twins Ramya and Rajish, who took to the stage after seeing their father portray a gamut of characters.

Rajani has been performing various folk dances and was trained under Kalamnadalam Kunjukrishnan. Her children have been learning Kathakali since the age of eight at the International Centre for Kathakali in the national capital.

Apart from performing, my wife also does the make-up for Kathakali artists, while my children have given many Kathakali performances on national and international stages. All four of us have performed together in various international and national shows, he said.

Rajani Raman Kutty, who was introduced to the world of Kathakali by her husband, says mastering Kathakali make-up is tough.

"In Kathakali, different colours denote different characters. For instance, green is a heroic colour, usually applied on the faces of those playing Lord Rama, Krishna etc. 'Kathi' make-up is used to portray characters with an evil streak. 'Kathi' or knife in Malayalam refers to a knife-shaped design drawn under the eyes of a Kathakali artist.

"While a red beard signifies rage, black beard is used to portray forest-dwellers. White beard usually represents monkey-God Hanuman," she says.

Kutty has represented the country in various international fora in countries such as the US, UK, Russia, Thailand and Greece.

Why is Kathakali not as popular as Bharatanatyam or Kathak?

"Kathakali has never got any institutional support. It is only in the past few years that Kalamandalam was declared a university and diplomas were awarded to Kathakali students," said Kutty.

Kerala Kalamandalam, deemed a University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major center for learning Indian performing arts, especially those developed in Kerala. It is situated in the small town of Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district of Kerala.

Raman Kutty himself is a product of the prestigious institution. He did his six-year diploma and post graduation in Kathakali from the Kalamandalam in 1975-84.

According to Kutty, the complex nature of Kathakali also restricts it from reaching out to a mass audience.

"Kathakali or story-play is a complex art, primarily talking about history and Indian mythology. Ramayana and Mahabharta are the dominant themes. Thus, it is important for the audience to have the knowledge about these epics to understand Kathakali performances," he said.

But the artist is confident about taking it to a larger and more diverse audience.

"People are smitten by the grand costumes and the vivid colours used in Kathakali performances. We organise lecture demonstrations and Kathakali appreciation courses to make people aware about this art form and its intricacies. Providing post-graduate degrees and PhDs in Kathakali recently is also a welcome step in this direction," he said.

The traditional art form is also reinventing itself by incorporating non-mythological themes in its performances, he said.

"Today, one can see a Kathakali performance on William Shakespeare's works like Othello or King Lear and other contemporary themes. There are many fusion performances as well wherein a Kathakali artist shares the stage with those performing Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi," Kutty said.

Kathakali, said to be revitalised by Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon, is also one of the few "gender neutral" art spaces.

"In Kathakali, there are no gender boundaries. Male artists can perform female characters and vice versa," he says.