Chavittu Nadakam – colourful Christian dance drama

Chavittu Nadakam is a Christian dance drama performed in some parts of Kerala. This colourful classical form of art is prevalent among the Syrian Christian community and symbolize the martial traditions existed among them

It came into existence after the advent of the Portuguese to the Malabar shores coast for trade and missionary work. As per the history, Portuguese felt a vacuum in the cultural arena. What they needed is a vehicle to spread the myths and legends they held in reverence. They were impressed with the sway of Kathakali but obviously felt that it would be unwise to graft their legends on to the Kathakali dance drama. The solution was to create a distinctive dance drama of their own. So most of the times the stories related to Christianity or Western history or Biblical stories are played.

Inspiration of the western opera type of theatre was can be seen in Chavittu Nadakam. The texts were written in old Tamil. The acting techniques, stage structure and treatment of the plot were all western. The influence of Kathakali can be seen in the use of curtains and in certain elements of the costumes. The influence of Kalaripayattu is evident from the vivacious fighting scenes.

Chavittu Nadakam is usually performed on open stages. Sometimes the interior of a church is also a location. Training is provided to performers before staging the play. The master is known as Annavi. The whole play is performed through musicals. The performers wear glittering Greco-Roman costumes. The bell and drum are two instruments used as background score. The language used is a colloquial blend of Tamil and Malayalam.

A peculiar feature of this drama art is the actors stamping the dance floor to emphasize the dramatic situations. Hence literally Chavittu Nadakam means ‘Stamping Drama’. The play is considered a success if at the end, the platform collapses from pressure of all the kicking and stamping.

Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is the world famous martial art form of Keralaand it is also considered as the mother of all martial arts. Kalaripayattu is the oldest existing martial art form, dating back more than 3000 years and said to be the forerunner of popularly known Chinese martial arts, as the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took this knowledge from India to China. The Kalaripayattu were revived in Kerala in the 20^th century, mainly due to the efforts  C.V  Narayana Panikker  and his disciples who established CVN Kalari all over Kerala.    (more…)

Mural tradition of Kerala

Artist G.Azhicode, a devotee of the Art, recreates the beauty of the mural tradition of Kerala. His basic trend is the Indian view that line is the soul of drawing. He is a recipient of the Senior Fellowship, Ministry of Culture, Government of India recently. (more…)

Pulikkali

Pulikkali folk form is prominent in Thrissur and is held in connection with Onam.   Pulikkali performers are men and they paint their body and face meticulously to resemble tigers.  They move in group and dance to the tune of percussions and enact scenes of playing hide and seek with a hunter wielding a gun.   On this day, over 500 tigers are move through the street of Swaraj Round in Thrissur.   This sportive event usually lasts for hours.

C V N Kalari

Kalarippayattu is considered as the mother of all martial art forms. It is a part of Kerala’s integral culture and heritage. It is a blend of physical and mental prowess, martial techniques and indigenous medical system. This hand to hand form with arms is not only unique to Kerala but also to the rest of India. The Kalari is a practice ring, or training centre, on the lines of a gymnasium and Payattu means duel. Hence Kalarippayattu means martial skills learnt in a ring. The C V N Kalari Sangham was established in 1956 after lifelong dedicated efforts of C V Narayanan Nair, C V Balan Nair and Kottackal Karunakara Gurukkal. They are pioneers in this field and take the credit of popularizing this dying art. They popularized it by staging demonstrations, collecting information and establishing Kalaris across the State. (more…)