Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Art
    • Heritage
    • Theatre
    • Books
    • Films
    • Team
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    Home»Theatre»Sarojini Nangiar: Upholding the Great Tradition of Koodiyattam
    Theatre

    Sarojini Nangiar: Upholding the Great Tradition of Koodiyattam

    India Art ReviewBy India Art ReviewNovember 2, 2021
    Share
    WhatsApp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram

    The 82-year-old Nangiarkoothu artist has recently received Kalamandalam puraskaram for Koodiyattam.

    Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire,” said composer Gustav Mahler. This rings true in the case of Sarojini Nangiyaramma, the latest recipient of the Kerala Kalamandalam award in Koodiyattam. One of the senior-most Nangiarkoothu artists, Nangiyaramma is known for her contribution to the Indian theatre, Koodiyattam and the zest with which she helped preserve a great tradition. For starters, Nangiarkoothu is a derivative of the age-old Sanskrit theatre Koodiyattam.

    A purist with strict adherence to the traditional mores of the art form, this octogenarian performs with elan and ease even today. She was the first female artist to receive the central Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2015.

    Nangiyaramma was born into Edanad Nambiar Madhom, a traditional family of Koodiyattam performers, near Aluva in Kerala. She started learning Nangiarkoothu at age five; trained by her mother, as was the tradition those days. At seven, she had her arangetram (first stage performance) at the Edanad Bhagavathy temple. Her father, Ravunni Nambiar, was a well-known figure in the Koodiyattam circles. “Those days, traditional Koodiyattam families gave more importance to training the children in the art form rather than their academic education, ” she remembers. “I used to accompany my mother to all her performances and could not continue my school education after the eighth standard.”

    The Charm of an Ancient Grammar

    Nangiarkoothu is a solo female performance based on Sree Krishna Charitam (tales of Lord Krishna) starting from the origin of the Kingdom of Mathura to the abduction of Krishna’s sister Subhadra. In the second act of Chera King Kulasekhara Varman’s play Subhadra-Dhananjay, Nangiarkoothu is presented as ‘Nirvahanam’ or the pre-story recital by Kalpalathika, the maid-companion of Subhadra. The actress plays various characters in the narrative and enacts the story through a highly formalised system of hand gestures, expressions of rasa (emotion).

    In spite of such intricate charm, the art form gained popularity only in the past 30 years, thanks to the strenuous efforts of maestros such as Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and Paimkulam Rama Chakayar and institutions such as the Ammannur Gurukulam in Irinjalakuda and the Kerala Kalamandalam.

    Traditionally, Nangiarkoothu was presented in Koothambalams or temple theatres within the premises of Hindu temples. As a staunch traditionalist, Sarojini Nangiar performs only in temples and has been performing Nangiarkoothu continuously at the Tripunithura Poornathrayeesa Temple for the past five decades. She is the only Nangiar who has performed in temples across Kerala either as a Nangiarkoothu artist or as an accompaniment.

    Sarojini Nangiar belongs to a generation of artists who started their careers before the renovations and modifications arrived in Koodiyattam and Nangiarkoothu. Perhaps, the only occasion she performed outside a temple was during the first three years of Kerala’s Tourism Week celebrations from 1980, an association she later discontinued. In traditional terms, Sree Krishna Charitam could be staged only inside a Koothambalam. This belief has prevented her from attempting new choreographies and adapting to the changes in Koodiyattam costumes that happened in the past decades. That said, Sarojini Nangiar’s dedication to the art form has helped establish herself as a leading Koodiyattam performer.

    All for Tradition

    As was the norm, the Nangiar should accompany artists in Prabandham Koothu (a variant of Chakyarkoothu) as well as Koodiyattam in keeping rhythms on small symbols and reciting slokas. As a family custom, Sarojini Nangiar’s family used to accompany performances of the famed Mani and Pothiyil families. She has associated with all veteran Chakyars on stage, except Ammannur Chachu Chakyar.

    Sarojini Nangiaramma has also performed with legends such as Painkulam Rama Chakyar, Mani Madhava Chakyar and Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. Her sons Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar and Edanad Ramachandran Nambiar are mizhavu (a percussion instrument made from copper) artistes.

    [email protected]

    Koodiyattam Theatre
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticlePG Wodehouse: The Maestro of Mirth
    Next Article Ancient India: Culture of Contradictions
    India Art Review
    India Art Review

      Related Posts

      Kutiyattam

       How Women Claimed Their Space in Kutiyattam

      March 27, 2025
      Women

      Penmudra – The Women’s Stamp on Koodiyattam

      January 25, 2025
      Nangiarkoothu

      The Renaissance of Nangiarkoothu: A Conversation on Kerala’s Female Performance Traditions: Part 3

      December 5, 2024

      Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

      Author In Focus VK Karthika

      Pathaan

      Pathaan: A Triumph of Love Over Hate

      V K KarthikaMarch 31, 2023

      Pathaan breaks the typical stereotype of Islamic Terrorism.

      Avatar

      Eastern Ethos Lifts up Cameron’s Avatar Sequel

      V K KarthikaJanuary 31, 2023

      Eastern ethos and laws of the nature are set to get a new tech-driven meaning as Cameron is planning two more sequels.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      Tholppavakoothu

      Girl Power up in Puppetry

      V K KarthikaSeptember 30, 2022

      Rajitha Ramachandra Pulavar and her team gave a new meaning to Tholppavakkooth and the body politics went in for a change in 2021

      Nanjiyamma tribal singer of Attappady

      Why the National Award for Tribal Singer Nanjiyamma Matters

      V K KarthikaAugust 27, 2022

      India witnessed a debate on the ‘purity of music’ when tribal singer Nanjiyamma won the National Award.

      EVENTS

      Sooryakanthi festival

      Sooryakanthi Dance Festival From Nov 28- Dec 1

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Memorial Awards and Dance Performances in Chennai

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Tribute to Yamini Krishnamurthy

      India Art ReviewAugust 13, 2024

      Kuchipudi Drama

      India Art ReviewMay 24, 2024

      Have You Read These?

      Youth

      The Fountain of Youth

      Vineeth AbrahamMay 16, 2023

      What will happen when a bookworm set out to clean his library? One of the…

      The Elephant Whisperers

      Poetics of Fostering the Animal: The Elephant Whisperers

      Babu Rajan P PMay 1, 2023

      With the decline of natural habitats, human-elephant conflict has seen a surge, often leaving the majestic creatures as unwitting participants. “The Elephant Whisperers” documentary pays homage to the conservation endeavors aimed at preserving these habitats and raising awareness among communities about the perils of anthropocentrism.

      1899 and the Virtual Studio: Futuristic Filmmaking

      IAR DeskMarch 12, 2023

      1899, the new web series from the creators of German masterpiece Dark, will be filmed entirely in a virtual studio. Here’s all you wanted to know about ‘Volume’ and why it matters to futuristic filmmaking.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      A ‘Lyrical Dance’ Tribute to Edassery’s Poem

      G S PaulNovember 8, 2022

      Choreographic ingenuity of Vinitha Nedungadi created alluring visuals of the sublime poetic imagination of Edassery in Anthithiri.

      vijayakumar menon

      Vijayakumar Menon Taught Kerala How to Appreciate Art

      Renu RamanathNovember 3, 2022

      The only wealth Menon amassed during his solitary journey was that of art. When Vijayakumar…

      About
      About

      India Art Review is a dedicated digital journal of art and culture, based in Chennai and with representatives in Kerala, Delhi, the UAE, Canada and the US.

      We're social, connect with us:

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Telegram
      People in Art
      Pasumarthi Rathiah Sharma: A Protagonist of Yakshagana Bani of Kuchipudi

      Pasumarthi Rathiah Sharma: A Protagonist of Yakshagana Bani of Kuchipudi

      April 29, 2021
      Valiya Kunjunni Raja: The Less-Hailed Architect of Kalamandalam

      Valiya Kunjunni Raja: The Less-Hailed Architect of Kalamandalam

      November 19, 2020
      Kalamandalam Satyabhama

      Remembering Kalamandalam Satyabhama

      September 13, 2021
      Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody: Beauty of Restrained Kathakali

      Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody: Beauty of Restrained Kathakali

      March 10, 2021
      Must Reads
      Mangad Natesan

      Remembering Carnatic Musician Mangad Natesan

      May 3, 2024
      P K G Nambiar

      PKG Nambiar(1930-2023): The Man who Redefined the Role of Vidooshaka

      May 10, 2023
      Kanak Rele

      Dr. Kanak Rele (1937-2023): A Revolutionary in Dance 

      February 22, 2023
      Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      Adieu, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      May 10, 2022
      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
      • Home
      • About
      Copyright © 2022. India Art Review

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.