Kerala School Kalolsavam 2023 | Yakshaganam’s heady blend of dance and drama has audience in a thrall

The team of B.S.S GURUKULAM Higher Secondary School, Alathur , Palakkad, that bagged A grade in the Yakshaganam (HS) competition at the State School Arts Festival in Kozhikode on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SAKEER HUSSAIN

There are enormous headgears, vibrant colours and soaring music on stage at the 61st Kerala School Kalolsavam in Kozhikode. Maya Shurpanakha, the demoness in disguise, is trying to entice Rama and what follows is an epic battle.

The Yakshaganam competition at Achuthan Girls HSS saw a bevy of mythical characters singing, dancing, and going into the signature jumping spins of the folk theatre.

Also read |Kerala School Kalolsavam 2023: Crowds throng to watch Kuchipudi

Gods on stage

Lord Krishna in conversation with Sathyabhama, Arjuna in Kurukshetra, Sita during vanavas and war-hungry asuras kept the audience entertained through a heady blend of dance and drama.

A very uncommon art form in all districts other than Kasaragod, music, expressions and dialogues go hand-in-hand in Yakshaganam. Very often, the techniques and moves remind one of Kathakali, Koodiyattam and Ottan Thullal.

Also read |Kerala School Kalolsavam 2023: The need to take Ottanthullal forward

Challenges

As a fierce war-cry from the stage floats to the greenroom, Tejaswi Ajith from St. Teresa’s School, Kannur, says learning Kannada dialogues is no easy task. “I play Arjuna and we are presenting a part from the Mahabharata where he kills Sudhanva,” she adds.

Devika Krishna from DDSHS, Ernakulam, says the only option is to memorise dialogues and reproduce them with ardour. “Though our teacher translated for us, we do not know the meaning of each word.”

Theertha from Bethany St. Johns HSS, Thrissur, says the biggest challenge lies in performing with the heavy ‘kireedam’ as Aryananda who plays Narakasura agrees.

Language barrier

The team of B.S.S GURUKULAM Higher Secondary School, Alathur , Palakkad, that bagged A grade in the Yakshaganam (HS) competition at the State School Arts Festival in Kozhikode on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
SAKEER HUSSAIN

According to Ranjith, a Yakshaganam instructor, correcting the diction of participants is an important part of the training process. “They will be given dialogues written in Malayalam script and it takes three to four months to groom them,” he says.

Madhavan Nettanika, a veteran Yakshaganam 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 of Yakshaganam are in Kannada. Each team spends around ₹1.5 lakh and it is unfair to the students who perform well. I think no other art form faces such neglect,” he says.