The Politics Of Koodiyattam

The Politics Of Koodiyattam

- K.K. Gopalakrishnan

To fully comprehend the present scenario we must glance a bit into the past. Koodiyattam, the Sanskrit theatre tradition is said to be more than 2000 years old and sustained only in Kerala. It was recognised by UNESCO as “the masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” in 2001, but many are still not aware of Koodiyattam, the issues it faces and the fact that there is a planned effort to distort its modern history.

Koodiyattam and its performance methodology are not suitable for today’s tastes and social-cultural scenario. Some of the stakeholders are not genuine as their sole interest is personal and not artistic, and they endeavour to corner all the benefits for their own kith and kin. These are among the core issue for its preservation and sustenance.

The ritual forms that are performative have two sorts of performance—ritual performance (for the sake of ritual at its specified performance space) and performance for the public (spaces outside the ritual parameters, conducted only for entertainment.) Examples of the latter are the performance of Koodiyattam outside the temple precincts and Theyyam outside its own arena. This ‘entertainment element’ has today corrupted the performance in its original spaces. For instance, some Koodiyattam actors have started imitating their Kathakali heroes like Kalamandalam Gopi. They also believe that prolonging or dragging the act for hours—even if for a sleepy handful of spectators—will furnish proof of an actor’s mettle.