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The Dying Art of Telling a Story J. SHArLAJA Kathaprasangam is a performing art fonn thatoriginated along with(and because00 Kerala's early 2(),-"century social reform movements in continuation ofthe story telling tradition particular to that culture. It is a miniature music theatre with one singer performerandoneortwoaccompanists.Overtheyears,itbecameoneofthemostcelebrated artformsenjoying the patronage of lakhsofcommon public whorhronged towatchrheir favourite performers rell asrory.Theselling isusuallyafestivalground,atemple,church, mosqueoraculturalorpoliticalgarhering.Often,rheperformancesbeganattheripenightly timeof10p.m.andlastedfortwotothreehours.Sometimesmore. TheseperformancesmadeusMiserablesandVictorHugofamiliartomillionsofilliterate Malayalisthanrhousandsofbooksevercould.BecauseofrhemBengaliaurhorBimalMitra becameahouseholdnameinKerala.Usingsocialjusticeasarecurrenttheme,theseunique raconteursofKerala made Kathaprasangam(storyplusoration),oneofthemostimportant popartsofthelastcentury.Ifanyartform ormovementiscomparabletoKathaprasangam, itisthe theatremovementofKeralaPeople'sArtsClub(KPAC) in Kerala.Infact,bothof themshareacommonideology,Moreover,bothwereproductsoftheirtime.Andyet.nowat thebeginningofanothercentury,ilremainslargelyforgouenandhasalmostgotrelegatedto thepositionofa 'plebeianartform'wirhallrheoriginalcontempt,Wirhitsmainproponents deadandgoneanditsaudiencebeingluredawayto'plasticartforms' suchasmusicvideos andremixindustryitisalreadytoolatetoascertainitstrueroleandsignificance. Amongrhe performance artsin Kerala,and probablyeveninIndia,rhiscan becalleda truly secularart thatenjoyed widesocialacceptance,cutting acrossvariouscross-sections ofsociety.Thisuniqueartformhasgrownsidebysidethesecularanddemocraticmovements ofKerala, Kathaprasangamasasociallysignificantliveperformingartisalmostdeadnow.Withno major artists or promoters, it is dying a natural death. though itstillhas some takers and featuresatschooloruniversitylevelcompetitions.Nowadays.itisrarelystagedotherthan atgovernment-sponsoredculturallife-supportvenuessuchasschool.universityanfestival.s, The valuesthat helpedrhisuniqueartformflourishinrhesecondhalfofrhe20"centurym prese~t. Haili~g fr~m Kerala has long receded behind the fast-pacedconsciousnessofthe se~enues~ndel~htles, thesocially committedpre-independenceyearstoitsheydaysinthe KathaprasangamscenehaswitnessedawholerangeofvicissitudeswhilernovmgWiththe progressof the Keralasociery. Sangeet Nalak Vol.XXXIX. No.4, 2005 J. SIIAILAJA Telling the story Story-tellingisbasictoallperformingarts.Itispartoftheoralhistorytradition.Communities worldoverhavebeen preservingcollective memoryand thetraditional way forithasbeen tales. Events pertaining to the history of a community is preserved in the form of tales particulartothatcommunity handedoverfrom generationto generation.And itisthisoral traditionthatpaveswayforfolktalesandmythologies.Performanceistheexpressionofthe person who has a storyto tell. Historic works of literature all have their oral origins and it is true in the case of any mythological work. From the great Greek mythologies [0 the Bible. the relevance oforal traditionisevident. Like anyother culture, KeraIa 100 had its own story telling traditions/history,and had evolved fonnsrightfromtheancientperiods. During medieval period itself. storytellers had begun to use the slokas from various champusandotherSanskritpoemstonarrateastory.Thisforrnofstorytellinglatercameto becalledPadhakam, ThoughtheoriginisthesouthIndianbhaktian formHarikatha or theTaleof Hari,the god.The form invokes adirectlikenessto atleastthree otherperformance forms-Kothu, PadhakamandThullal,Thepresentationstylesofthefirsttwoformsaresimilartothatofit, though their content was extremely devotional. In social appeal and popular acceptance, conternporarinessofcontentandrealisticnature makesitclosertothullal, thoughitdiffers vastlyfrom Kathaprasangaminitsformandpresentationstyle. Padhakamwasnormallydone byasingleindividual,whonarrated thestory interspersed with songs and a large number of anecdotes, and with some amount of acting. He had musical accompanimentalso.Padhakams were conducted with temple festivals and were meant forthe larger audiencecomingto the festivals.There was another fonn called kutta padhakam(byagroup).which had thecharacteristicsofadrama. The form received considerable encouragement from the rulers of eighteenth century. particularly in Travancore, where Padhakam began to incorporate popular ingredients. Nineteenth and early twentieth century S3W the emergence ofanother story telling form calledHarikatha.1ltisTamil-influencedformdealtinbhalaithemesmainlyrelatedtoKrishna and Vishnu.HarikathausedtheTamilidiomsandTamilsongsandwasalsoconductedalong with templeceremonies and festivals. Both Harikatha and Padhakam are offshootsofthe Bhaktimovement. and continuetobeso. Koothu,anotheroffshoot of the religiousschool. wasconfinedtoreligiousspaces.However,ithasmanaged tobecome sociallyproactiveby finding social equivalentsofthereligiousstories. althoughin alimitedsense.Theseforms haveusedvisualandnarrativepossibilitiesofperformanceandhandled theclassicalIndian themes as per the stipulations inancient treatises. WiththeKeralarenaissance.manyreligious and temple-oriented art formsunderwenta processofsecularization.Secularthemeswerebrought intostorytellingperfonnancesalso. THE DYINGARTOJ ,ELLINGASTORY 41 Artists with nationalistic and progressivecor, ictionsfound storytellingto be a powerful medium to enrapture people. The form also I ceived patronage from some social protest movements.Asaresult,anewformofstorytellingemergedanditwascalledKathaprasangam Itisstill one of the popular forms predominantly in central and southern Kerala.Secular themeswith inspirational and emotivevaluewere normallychosenfortheperformance. Society.the breeding ground ofart Thelate 19thandearly20thcenturyKeralawasavirtualcrucibleofcultureaswellassocial experiments,which would shapetheshapeand fate ofitssociety forthe restofthe period. Contact with European colonialists such as the Portuguese. French and the British. the crumblingofexistingadministrativestructure,andexposuretoexternalideologieshelpedin evolvingadifferentperspectiveabouttheroleofthelocalkingsandtheexistingBrahminical structure ofthe society. A number ofreform movements sprang up with in communities seekingtoclaimitspositioninwhatwouldbetheKeralamainstream,whichwastakingshape forthefirsttime.Therewerealsocollectivemovementsamongdifferentcomrnunitiessuchas theMalayaliMemorialessentiallyseekingbetterprospectsforthelocalpeople. OfIhestrugglesthaIshaped the KeralasocietyatthattimetheprominenIwerepolitico economicand socio-culturalstruggles.Whilethepoliticalstruggleswereofageneralnature, interlinkingdifferentcommunitiesaimingforanenhancedpositionintheeconomicaswellas powerstructureofthesocietythesocialandculturalmovementsweremoreorlesslimitedto singularcommunitiesand focused theirenergiesinreshapingthecommunitybyretrenching age-old values that were pulling down the development of the community.The second groupincluded,SreeNarayanaDharmaParaipalanaYogam(SNDP)startedbySreeNarayana Guru,SadhujanaParipalanayogambythemilitantactivistAyyankaliandYogaskemaSabha, theBrahminreformistmovement.Incidentally,Yogaskemasabhaisthefirstnotableonein Keralatouseartisticmeansconsciously-throughperformancepiecesandliteraryforms-to spread its message. There weretransactionsbetweendifferentactivistveins."Duringthelastyearsof19305 tremendous changes occurred both in the political and cu!Iural spheres ofKerala.In that periodanti-imperialist, anti-feudal, national, democratic movement strengthened in an unprecedented fashion all over Kerala.Modern valueconcepts whichwasconfined tothe upper strata ofthe society in the early phase, now began to spread tothe lowerlayersof society.Inaddition10 the middleclass, \'OOOU5othersectionsconsciouslyenteredinto the mainstreamofpubliclife.Consequently politicalandculturalspheresbecamemorepopular basedanditacquired democraticcharacter:'(CulturalFormationof Kerala. B, RaJee~':m)' Atalaterstage,communistand leftleaningmovementsstartedfocusingonbothpolitical aswellas socio-culturalissuesatthesametime,LikeYogaskhemaSabha,theyalsousedart (mainly stage plays ofKerala People'sArtsCluborKPAC)consciouslytopropagate.their convictionsandfor years10come these techniqueswouldcontrolthesenseandsensibilities ofmillionsofKeralites. 42 J. SHAILAJA From religion to social responsibility Whileitisallrighttoacknowledgetheevolutionaryroots,itisalsopertinenttonoteinwhat ways itdiffers from the olderones,often contradicting the tradition and presenting anew perspective and energy in dealing with the present, the current reality. It is this intrinsic energy.the abilitytoquestion. todiscern. differ and dissentthe morassoftradition,coping with and finding ways to resist the mass-hypnotic reality that makes any art form truly modem. Thiswasanewbeginningwhenarthadtosheditsreligiouspredilectionandhad10move intoasocialsphere.(On lookingback,we can seethiswasalsoabriefspellandbeforelong anhadtomoveawayfrom thesocialspheretowardsitsinevitabledoom-themarketplace). Following the renaissance, the shift offocus from a religious-centric existence to one involving greater social responsibility became the hallmark ofcommunity life in Kerala. Exposure to aliencullure andtheirwayof life through trade, colonialistinterventionsand cultural transactions by way of literary translations.hclped assimilate the new evolved perspective and further utilize it to its full potential, The reflections of global waves of changesafter the two WorldWarsalsobenefited Kerala positively along with globalsurge of socialist concepts. Story-tellingistheprecursortoallperformingarts.InIndiatoo,many story-tellingforms likepandm'aniarestillsurviving.ThenwhatmakesKathaprasangamunique?Itisprimarily itsmodembent. Moreover,itwasa2abcenturyphenomenonwhoseemergencewasassisted byarenaissancemovement inKerala.Originatingfromamerestory-tellingform,following thestylesofHarikathaandPadakarn,itdeviatedfromthebhaktitraditionand movedintoa more socially responsible role. Realism became one of its hallmarks and a number ofits proponentsattemptedto make itaneffectivetool forsocialchange.It isa uniqueformthat hasgrown along with thesecular and democraticmovements Kathaprasangam also deviated fonn the mainstream traditional oration techniques ina majorway,by being a pure and modem orationoriented performance form.There wasno special make uporcostumefortheperformerandhe orsheappeared inordinarycostumes. andtheyneverneededspecialartisticrealmorambiencetotellthestory.Formoreoftenthey weretellingthestoryofhumanbeinglikethemselves-andnotofGodsorofexaltedbeing.It issimplicityatitsrealistbest withnoelaboratelighting orsound arrangements.Therewere also noreligious symbols associated with the performance. not even a lighted traditional lamp.Itwasthebeginningofatruesecularartform. Influenceofsocialrealism Kerala's unique socio-cultural atmosphere allowed Kathaprasangam to ascertain aspace hither to unaccorded to performing arts and Kathaprasangarn, on its pan. was largely influenced by the then predominant realistschoolofliteratureinKerala. Itcan alsobesaidthatregion'schange overtomodernity wastakingplace atthistime.It was an era that witnessed the emergence of various community-centred social reformist movements. These included Nambuthiti Yogakshema Sabha, Nair Service Society. and THE DYINGARTOFTEW NGASTORY 43 SanadanaDharmaParipalanaSangham(SNDP).Theyhaveaimedforremovalofevilpractices relatedtothefour-foldAryancastesystem.removalofmatriarchaljointfamilysystem.and emergenceoflinguisticandculturalidentity.Thesemovementswerepanofahistoricprocess thatsawthe old worldstructurereplacedwithanewonebasedonthe valuesofthe new realityandexperience. Therealistschoolgaveinvaluablecontributiontomodernizetheculturalatmosphereof thestate.ThoughintroducingEuropeanliterarycultureinKerala,theymanagedtodestroy theprevailingliteraryandartisticconceptsoffeudalism.WriterslikeThakazbi,KesavaDev and Ponkunnam Varkkiemerged on the scene as mainproponentsof the realistschool. Earlier Nalappadu NarayanaMenon'stranslationofVictorYugo's losMiserableshadset thetoneforEuropeaninfluenceandsocialrealism.Thoughthisinfluencewasevidentinall spheres,particularlyintheatre,itwasprimarilyaliterarymovement.AlargenumberofEuropean andotherIndianlanguageworksweretranslatedintoMalayalam,reachingahugepercentage ofthepopulation.Inthelocallanguage,theabovewritersandotherscontinuedexperimenting withnewsensibilitycharteringunprecedentedforays. AlargenumberofMalayalipublicwereoutofthissphereofinlluencebecauseofilliteracy and many other social factors.They were also beyond the purviewofthehighbrowarts. which were any way not concernedwithcontemporary realities anyway.There was no mediumtocatertothesemasses-with minuscule investment- anditwastothisslotthat Kathaprasangam artistsmovedin.Anditwasan erabeforetelevisionandcommunication boomandKathaprasangamwasanidealchoiceforagenerationheldinwaitingforapopular entertainmentform-albeitwithaprogressivecoating. Performance aspects Theaspectsthathelpedintheemergence,useandspreadofKathaprasangamaremany.The mostimportantonewereitsadaptabilityandeconomy.Unliketheclassicalforms.ithadno associated stylistic rituals orcontentlimitations. II was relatively easy 10 make oradapt storylinesto suittheideologyorpointofviewthattheartistwantstopresent Economywasanothergreatfactor.Itwasassimpleasaperformanceformcanbe.There werenoornatecostumes,costlyequipmentoraccompanimentsrequired.Infact.therewas nodresscodefortheperformers.Onlyminimalmusicalaccompanimentswererequired. In mostcases,aTabla, cymbalandh:mnoniumweretheonlysupportingequipment.Thisalso eliminated any costs involved in thepreparationofa presentation. JI was themostcost effectiveformofatheatreconcept. . ' In Kathaprasangam, the important thing istoselectorwrite them~n story.Thenthis story,themainnarrative,isbrokendowninawaythatitisinterspersedWithson~san~other . I . , . . , Thesenarrationsarehighlydramatizedlikethe suehemotiveeements10a gnppmg way. e dialoguesofdrama. AKathaprasangampresentat.ionevi.ncestheelfactthattheatreis.ananformthatoriezinated to tell a story. It has all theelementsoftheatre (Acting.mUSIC, cho~s'.movement: (as prescribed by Bharata)present inminuteforms.Theperfonnerev'enrmnucsthesoundof J.SHAILAJA differentcharactersaccordingtotheirage.gender.etc.Forcharactertransformationsimple deviceslikeatowelorahandkerchiefwasused.Inshort,Kathaprasangamisequivalentto one-actorplays(inwhichoneactorplaysmanycharacters)thatis~rageinmoderntheatre. Theperformer usesbothhisfaceandbodyandhisvoice inaveryminimalistic,butvaried manner isookshma abhinayam-as stated by Bharata Muni). Thereisnoreligiouselementpresentintheform,ThebasisofaKathaprasangamexposition could be any story.The content was non-religious.The purpose was not to propagate bhaktiordevotion but createawareness fortheMalayalarn language and literature.The otherpurposewas10 fightagainsttheevilsofthesocietyandtostrive foritsuplift. Kathaprasangam became one of the most popular forms in central and southern part beforespreadingintononheroKerala.Secularthemesofinspirationalandemotiveusewere thepreferredthemes.Mostoftheartistsaresociallycommittedandhencethethemesoften conveysocialmessages.\VorksbyinternationalauthorssuchasDostoyevsky,Shakespeare, Ibsen,Tolstoy,VictorHugoandothershavebeenadaptedbytheseartists.Manyoutstanding novelsandstoriesbyMalayalamwritersandotherIndianauthorshavealsobeenadapted. Modem novels and stories/poems of Malayalam poets like Asan, Vallathol and Ulloor VayalarRarnaVarmawereadaptedforpresentationasKathaprasangam. Satyadevanwasa pioneerofKathaprasangamandlaterM.P.Manmadan,K.K.Vadyar, P.C.Abraham.Joseph Kaimamparamban and Kedamangalam Sadanandan, V.Sarnbasivan and Kollam Babu popularizedtheartandmade millionsitsardentfollowers. People5art.peoplesperformer OfallthepopularKathaprasangamexponents,V.Sarnbasivandeservesaspecialmentionas he almost single handedly and successfully redirected theenergyof this nascent form towardsareformationprocessaimedatpopularsensibilityofthattime.Samban,asheis popularlyknown. is creditedwith reshaping the entireart form ona mass base with his popularperformancesofcarefullychosenstories. His presentation techniques, melodious songsandemotional portrayal ofstoriesandcharactersreachedrhe hean ofthepeople. HisfamecoincidedwiththefirstmajorGulfboomofKeralawhichsawjoblessyouthwho lefttheirhomes keptcoming back withtheirnew foundrichness inArabiancountries prominently UnitedArab Emiratesandotheroil-richSultanales-popularlyknownasGulf countries.Almostallofthemcarriedwiththemwhatwasthelatestinelectronics- acassette player.TheJapanesebrandsAkai,Sony,Panasonicandthelikesthusbegantoflocktorural andurban Keralainlarge numbers. And invariably,almostall ofthembroughtcassettesof Samban's latest stories. He was, like the electronic equipment they carried, the latest and probablythebestthing inentertainmentfor mostofthem, Throughhisperformanceandwiththehelpofthecassetteshemadeanumberofpositive works popular through the length and breadth of Kerala.They include Vi/akku .-angam(a translationofKariDiyeKin/amby Bimal Mitra),ThulliVellam(K.A.Abbas), Karamas» Sahodaranmar (Karamazov Brothers. Dostoyevsky), Anna Karenina (Tolstoy), Romeo THE DYINGARTOFITLLI"GASm RY 45 andJuliet,and Labham Labham(Ekak,Dasak;Sotak;BimalMitra).Prominentamonghis adaptationsofMalayalarnworksareAyisha(poembyVayalarRamaVarma)KochuSeetha (poem by Vallthol). Devalokam (Cherukadu), Mayyazipuzhavude Teerangalil (M. Mukundan) and Yantram (Malayatoor Ramakrishnan). Besides.he has alsowritten three originalworksforKathaprasangam:\~·asanumMarxum.NaranarhuBhraruhanand\hyalar· kathayum Jeevitha Charitravum. Before passing away in 1996.he has turned thecultural sceneupsidedownhishighly effective performances, Hiscontoured voice andefficient acting styleandabove allthe relevanceofthatone-maninitiative,remainsunsurpassedinthemindsofpeople.EspeciaIly atatime wheninvasionartsareconqueringallprotectedspheresofculturallife with the greedonlythemarketcan afford. Gone with the global \Vilhinvasionofanumberofnew'elastic'anmediasuchastelevisionandinternet,which facilitatesinfinitereplicationandthusensuredmarketabilityapossibility and prerequisite haveovershadowedquiteanumberoflocal.livefolkartforms. Inmostcases,itisthemost crucialartformsthatevolvedatthelocal,minusculelevelthathadthemisfortunetofallprey tothisinvasion.Theensuingglobalizationandperpetuationofitsvaluesystemthroughthe dominantcyberculture-s-a systematicprofit-orientedflowofinformationononesideand definitive trivializationof instilling 'fun' valuesonallaspectscrucialonotherside- has ensuredthattherevivaloftheseartformarenearimpossible.Manyaperformanceformhas lostthe adaptabilitytobeamatch againsttheglobalArmageddonthatisencroachingonall spaceshitherto heldsacred.Kathaprasangamisonesuchartform whichcertainlyhasits gloriousdaysbehinditbutwhocandenythehumanspiritthatwillfindirswaysofexpression? Anotherstory,anotherway ofexpressionperhaps.Butthatstorywillbe(oldsomeday.