Influence of Rituals in Modern Malayalam Theatre

CHAPTER VI
INFLUENCE OF RITUALS IN MODERN MALAYALAM THEATRE
Case Studies
PHASE I1
In the last chapter, it is attempted to illustrate how

the
three Masters
of
the
modern
Malayalam
Theatre;
C.N.,
laid strong foundations for the development
Kavalam and G.S.
of the indigenous theatre-culture of Kerala, drawing sustenance

from the ritual performing arts.
the later
generation, most
The prominent playwrights of
them being the products of the
Kalaries, went deeper into the traditional concepts of actor

formation, actor
spectacular
- audience relationship and the culture of the
elements
of
the
ritual
arts.
While
footing
themselves in the traditional elements of indigenous theatre,

they strove
to develop a strong strain in the Modern Theatre
of Malayalam with their deeper insight and vision of those

concepts.
As a result, the peripheral influence of the ritual
arts gave way to the influence of the inner theatre spirits in

those forms.
The result was the strongest phase of Modern
Malayalam Theatre today.
Four representative playwrights belonging to this later

period (i) Vayala Vasudevan Pillai (Vayala) (ii) R. Narendraprasad
(RNP),(iii)
K.J.
Baby
(Baby) and
(NP) are selected for close evaluation.
(iv) N. Prabhakaran
Their representative
plays which are widely recognized in one way or other

analysed
from
different
angles
Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam
of
actor
,are
concepts,
actor-audience relationship and
other
theatre
externals
to
study the extent of the influence exercised by the culture of

the ritual arts in them.
Out of the four plays selected, three
plays Agni (by Vayala), Sauparnika (by R.N.P.),

N.P.)
Pulijanmam (by
won the Kerala Sangeeth Natak Akademy Award in 1983, 1985
and
1988 respectively.
K.J.
Baby's
Naduqaddhika
has
been
acclaimed to be one of the popular plays of the last decade,

and is considered to be a land-mark in the modern Malayalam
Theatre.
Among the still younger generation of playwrights P.
Balachandran with his Makudi, Pavam Usman etc., P.M. Taj with
his Kudukka, Manthravadiyude Ange Attom etc., Assiz with his
Chaverpada
and
playwrights,
Balikkakka
have
been
theatre-culture.
The
striving
Chart
playwrights and plays

trend.
etc.
and
hard
other
to
(A-11)
innumerable
discover
presents
list
new
of
exhibiting the influence of the new
The playwrights are interviewed exchaustively to study
their ideas of theatre and how far they are influenced by

ritual arts.
6.1.0
Vayala Vasudevan Pillai
Introduction
The two Kalaries held in Sasthamcottah and Koothattukulam

drew young talents towards the modern Malayalam Theatre.
The
young sters who participated in these Kalaries, (organised by

G.S.
and C.N.
realm
etc.)
got new awareness of
of actor-prepartion, audidence
of
theatre - externals.
in
the
workshops
theatre-career,
he
of
Vayala
concepts and the use
began
G.S.
During
wrote
plays
theatre, in the
the
his
theatre-career
beginning
under
the
of
his
existing
influences.
treatment
His
and
first play
poetic
Viswadharsanam
style.
It
new
wasC.Sankara
in
its
Pillai
who
The play ~aravklppu
identifed the folk element in the play.

shows
is
the clear influence of G.S.'s
early plays.
It is
with his Agni and Thulaseevanam he shows his marked identity as

a
playwright
in
the
Malayalam
modern
director's note to Agni he states

'the play was written.
the
Theatre.
In
his
circumstances under which
It was in a workshop held in 1977
by
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademy under the chairmanship of G.S.

the idea of writing the play was suggested t o h i m ( ~ ~ 3 6 ) .
He had
already
the culture of the indigenous theatre of Kerala,
but he never wanted to make use of its peripheral influence in

the play.
6.1.1
Ritual-concept in Vayala
Vayala points out that every performance is a spiritual

extension of the society.
Therefore, the elements existed in
one traditional performance can be

modern performance and social life.
retrieved to rejuvenate
These elements are almost
like a spiritual energy emanating from the environment and the

depth
of
social interaction
(1992:41-43).
When
asked
how
rituals should be made use of in theatre, he replied that, the

phrase 'to make use of the ritual' itself is a Colonical idea.
In theatre we cannot take rituals as they are.
If we have to
take rituals in theatre as they are (as the 'Sarpapooja' in

Mudevi Theyyam) tb.e text
should
demand
it.
He
recalls
the
opinion of Peter Brook that all past rituals are dead, and we
have to create new rituals to interpret modern
life.
The
re-creation of rituals means, the process should enter the

emotional planes of the modern society.
with
ritual arts
should produce in us a culture of their
rhythm, colour, the actors'

sharing etc.
process
of
treating
The intimate contact
devotional aspects, the audience's
This culture should dissovle into the creative

the
the
playwright
play.
as
This
well
as
process
enjoyment to the audience also.
the
should
director, while
give
aesthetic
It is in this way that rituals
and theatre are connected.
6.1.2
Actor-concept: ritual influence
Vayala is very much influenced by the actor-concept in

Grotowski.
The holy actor-concept of Grotowski influenced him
in the formation of actors in his theatre (AI-7-1).
He had a
direct contact with Grotowski, and had an exhaustive interview

with
him.
This
influenced him
holy-actor concept
in forming
~~otowski's
applied in Agni.
which has been
He
points out that in the Indian tradition we have the sacrificial

aspect and intense desire to become perfect by means of one's
artistic technique.
"The sacrificial aspect manifests itself in annihilating
the
performer's
social
and
practice."
He
points
out
ego
communal
by
devotion, discipline and
involvement
in
the
the
ritualistic
(1992:41).
the
reference
in
Natyasastra
that
Indian
performance is 'cultural and spiritual re-enactment.'
6.1.3
About actor's training and preparation of the actor in
Agni.
According to Vayala, the ~r'taudianor Grotowskian ways of

preparing
the
actor age not
tradition of Malayalam Theatre.
new thing
for the cultural
It knows how much devotion is
given to the preparation of the actor in ritual arts like

Padayani, Koodiyattom and Kathakali.
is completely holy.
In Grotowski, the actor
This holiness is achieved through intense
physical as well as spiritual training.
It is this holiness
that the performer in the ritual tradition acquires through

training.
By this training the actor passes on from a worldly
plane. to
an
unworldly
one.
Vayala
witnessed
directly
performance by Cielslak, Grotowski's actor who realized his

concept of an actor.
compared to
He says that this can
be very well
the -devotional element in,any a d o r in the ritual
theatre of Kerala.
He, being the director of the School of Drama, prepares

the actor taking into consideration. .
as the Eastern cultures.
elements of
'
, .the Western as well
In the preparation of the actor, the
Kalari, Koodiyattom, Yoga,
Theyyam, Mudiyettu,
Padayani etc. are taken along with Stanislavoskian systems,

Artaudian theories and Grotowskian principles.
Principles of
Bharata's
is
Natyasastra
are
also
taught.
This
inten,tion of preparing the mind and body of the actor.
with
the
In preparing the actors
in Agni
also these cultures
Agni was presented just after his interview
influenced him.
with Grotowski.
Surely, the Grotowskian culture was
evident. After giving physical, vocal and mental

the actors,
given.
exsrcises to
intense rehearsal for about two months was
Action-sequences were improvised through a folk-lore
culture,rhythm and movement.

a ritual-concept.
Thus the actors were trained with
"The action of the performer is electrified
by the energy involved within himself in the context of a

ritualistic acceptance."
6.1.4
(1992:42)
Transformation and transportation in the actors
The actor in the theatre should have dual feeling of the

actor as well as the character.
success of a good actor.
This is essential for the
To the performer in the ritual arts,
(N-37).
this feeling of duality is less
Inspite of the
I
divine aspect in it, the performer in the theatre has the

feeling of duality.
Vayala witnesses that during performances
of Agni he felt the actors undergoing a transformation to a

certain level.
He has taught them how to get transported back
to their original self.
They were being made aware of the fact that
they were actors and not characters.

should evaluate his performance.
should work in him.
While acting, the actor
This alienation or duality
He recalls here the Grotowskian comment
that ~iva'the universal dancer is the perfect model for all

actors.
6.1.5
The treatment of Myth in
The life-concept of ancient man is the beall and end all

of all myths.
Therefore, myths connect.. the inner soul of the
ancient life with the modern-
They are pictures of noble
visions of the old, passed on to us through the passage of

time.
with
The bare emotions of man, mutual relationship, relation

nature,
love,
sex,
sacrifice, maternal
and
paternal
relationships, the concepts of the ruler as well as the ruled

are inherent in myths.
pervasive
in
the
Thus the influence of myth is all
tradition
of
man.
The
investigator who
searches into the roots of theatre-culture of Kerala would

touch upon these myths.
Vayala tries to recreate some of the
traditional myths with full theatrical effect.
The very concept of ' ~ ~ n i

is' mythical.
In the Eastern
concept 'Agni' is the symbol of purification and destruction..

In this / there is a ritual concept.
the means
punished.
of
reviving
Prometheus
strength
In Agni it is Unni
in
the
symblises
weak.
He
is
(like Gandhiji or Jesus)
It is the burning,pyre of the mother which strives to bring

about the reunion of the parted sons.Theyuniteonly through the
sacrifice of the youngest son, Unni.
Whether the burning pyre
is extinguished by his blood o r , inflames it, is

left
to
the
imagination
of
the
audience.
In
the
inner
structure of the play, the myth of Prometheus is brought in.

It is a play within the play.
Unni is acting the role of
Promethens of Greek Mythology.While transforming himself into

the real character, his brothers under the pretext of high
drama, deliberately stone him to death.
Here the outer and
inner structures of the play are ingeniously fused.
The myth
of Kannaki is indirectly referred to when Devi pronounces her

curses on the brothers of Unni for their annihilation.
the
theatrical
potentiality
of
the
treatment
exploited to the full by the playwright.

intensity of the ritual concept of the play.
of
Thus,
myth
is
This adds to the

Thus the myth is
recreated to interpret modern life.
Audience : ritual influence.
6.1.6
K.S.
Narayana Pillai points out,that the esthetic emotion
that Agni conveyed to the audience was very deep (1982:13).
It
was the ritual concept of presentation that made it possible.

The actors' performances were
examples of
movement,
narrations
their
gestures
and
this freedom of
were
ritualistic,
helping the performer and spectator united for a common sharing

of experience as in ritual theatres.
They also experienced the
transformation and transportation (AI. 7 - 6).
When the spectator witnesses a play with ritual influence

the periphery
enters
of the consciousness gradually dissolves, he
into the depth
unconsciously
compares
of
it
his
with
archetypal
his
inner-self.
traaitional
He
culture.
This
happens
audience.
mind.
irrespective
of
the
class-divisions
of
the
He feels that he is awake at heart and alert in his
It is at this point that the audience in the ritual arts
and the audience in the Modern Theatre with ritual influence

unite.
Through his conscience, the spectator passes on the
social conscience from there to
archetypal
compares his own time with the old one.
conscience.
He
It is in this way
ritual is important to the modern society. (AI. 7 -2).
Narrating his experience of the audience when Agni was

presented, Vayala
said that those who could break into the
inner
the
meaning
of
play
could
comment
that
the
ritual
enaction of the play could lead them to a cosmic vision of

human life tragic in proportion (AI. 7
6).
According to him
this consciousness of the audience is connected with rituals.

The sharing of the tragic vision of life by the audience also
occurs in ritual arts.
In the ritual arts, the spectator is an
involved and attached witness.
This was very explicit with the
Agni. Thus from the point of the audience too Agni
audience in
achieves the dimension of a ritual play.
6.1.7
Ritual sequences in the action of Agni.
Vayala states that the whole atmosphere of the play was

ritualistic in presentation.
Every sequence of the actions was
done from a non-realistic plane.

play
play
is
ritualistic,
within
the
play,
Prometheus was presented
with
i.e.
The very beginning of the
chanting
the
of
enaction
'mantras.
of
the
in a simple folk-style.
myth
The
of
The curse
of Devi on the brothers of Unni and its effect were presented

as if they were passing
'Manavas'
and
through three stages of
'Asuras', before
they
become
solid
'Devas',
rocks.
Similarly,the action of Unni, just after he was stoned to death by
his elder brothers, was presented like Christ's - Passion

, on
the
cross.
Full sacrifice of the actor (like in
Grotowskian concept) was envisaged in these scenes.
All the
possibilities of the actor's body and mind were exploited to

the full.
Similarly,the symbols of the play like the boatsman,
burning pyre, the keepers, jewel on the hill,'~~ni:

the swollen
leg
v
of
the
ruler, Prometheus, the
nomadic
revolutionary,
~akkathi'etc. are created from a non-realistic plane.
The whole atmosphere of the play is fertile enough to use

ritual stage-props. Solid stage-props can be used.
But in the
presentation of Vayala, most of the stage-props were improvised

by the actors, by making use of
postures.
'Yavanika' is
used
their body movements and

at that time of the myth
enactment of Prometheus-story. '~evi'becomes a child, changing

her dress behind the 'Yavanika'.
The use of 'Yavanika' could
increase the aesthetic beauty of the action on the stage

and
fulfil
a theatrical function.
Some small sticks
were used to provide a folklore atmosphere to the play.
In the
place of'peedom; different planes, were indicated on the stage.

Through this the central symbol 'Agni', the reinforcing symbols
of the river 'Ganga' and
'Mother' could be projected on the
stage throughout.
6.1.9
Music in Agni
ritual influence
The 'thauryathrika' process...(the application of Geetha

even at the time of the composition of
nritha, Vadyas)isit work
the play, says Kavalam (1988:26).
performance text based on
'thauryathrika' can be derived from the play Agni.

informs
that
the
atmosphere
'
Agni
of
is
Vayala
couched
in
'Thauryathrika'. This is effected through rhythms, music, use

of musical instruments, the movements of the characters etc.
Even the mythical treatment in the play is musical.
theatrical presentation of
essential
factor,
says
the play,
Kavalam
rhythm has become an
(1982:27).
instruments used are mainly 'Chenda' and 'Flute'.

which
the
guards
are
keeping
the
In the
jewel
on
The
musical
The scene in
the
hill,
is
presented with a husicalbackgroundofthe

flute. The enaction
- of myth of Prometheus the curse of Devi, the transformation of the
brothers into rocks, the torture of Unni etc. were presented in
the ritual tones of 'Chenda'.
Thus in the use of music the
influence of ritual arts and folk elements are visible.
6.1.10
Costume
The costume given to the actors were like a folklorepattern.

laid bare.
The whole upper part of the body of the actor was

This could enable the actor to create new theatre
idioms using his body.

seen.
Here a clear Grotowskian influence was
Vayala says that he met Grotowski in 1981 and Agni was
..written and
presented
by
him
in
1982.
influence of Grotowski in him at that time.
There was
clear
In spite of that
he was well aware of the culture of the body-dynamics used in

the traditional art forms.
Both influenced him in designing
the costumes of the play.
6.1.11
Use of light
Vayala informs that mostly, the conventional use of light

was employed.
The ritual application of light was employed in
the scene where Unni brings '~gni'. He had the idea of using
'Chuttu' (bundles of dried coconut palms)
not possible,
as
it was
here.
But it was
presented on a proscenium stage.
Inspite of this, he used fire-wicks borne by the chorus who

dance in ritualistic rhythm
very successful.
around Unni.
He felt that it was
Had it been done in an open air theatre, the
play would have been tremendously successful, he felt.
6.1.10
General assessment of Vayala'stheatre; ritual influence
The foundation of Vayala's theatre -concept is i n the

traditional theatre culture.
His Thulasivanam, and one act
plays are illustrations to this.
In the one act plays like
Yatra, Kireedom Biblical symbols as well as Christian mythical

influences can be seen.
He was influenced by the sacrifices
made by great men like Christ, Gandhiji, Buddha, Jayaprakash,

etc.
The
archetype.
'Malamuthappan'
in
Thulasivanam
is
Gandhian
Tllus the ritual architypes haunt'his imagination
throughout his dramatic character.
6.2.0
Sauparnika (R.N.P.):
Introduction
Among the young generation of playwrights who rebelled

against the conventional forms of Malayalam Theatre during the
eighties, Narendraprasad carvedout a theatre channel of his own.
Like Vayala, he was also a product of the Kalaries held by G.S.
and S. Ramanujam during the seventies.
modern
Theatre
arena
in
1982
with
He entered into the
his
first
play
Munnu
Prabhukkanmar, which is considered on a par with G.S.'s Kiratham

and Kavalam's Karimkutty as a land-mark in modern Malayalam
Theatre.
R.N.P.'s
theatre- concept
is
also rooted
traditional theatre--cultureas that of Vayala.
in
the
Like Vayala, he
often shuns the peripheral application of ritual arts, but

holds to heart their essential spirit
preparation,
elements.
audience -concept
Along
with
and
of theatre-in actor
other
Sauparnika / plays
external
like
theatre
Padippura,
Velliyazhacha,~umaranvarunnilla, Satheerthian and so many one
act plays like Marthandavarma

illustrious
Engane Rakshapettu
etc.
are
examples of his essential theatrical concepts.
Sauparnika wofi the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Aludemy Award in

1985.
The very essence of the play is ritualistic.
6.2.1
Traditional concept in R.N.P.
R.N.P.
defines
'thanathu'
theatre -concept,
as
the
presentation of a play which has got living connection with the

traditional culture of a place, before a unique and limited
audience (1992: 3 3 - 36).
The process of the search to discover
the indigenous root of the theatre-culture has been going on

all over the world.
There had been
kind of renovation during
the sixties in Kerala, and the awareness that representationalism

was not the essential element of theatre occurred.
It helped
to present subtle experience beyond the real planes through

external actions evolved through psycho-physical relation.
At
this stage in the effort for renovation of the theatre, there

began the search for
a cultural identity.
Consequently, the
idea that the indigenous concept should consist in the relation

between the emotion and external structure, the abstract and
the solid, object and space, evolved.
Actor-concept in R.N.P.
6.2.2
R.N.P.
and Sauparnika
has a definite idea of the actor in his theatre,
which he codifies (1991:13).
Theatre is the art of the actor.
The theatre idiom should evolve through the actor.
Action is
the theatre-language, and this action should emerge through the

actor.
Therefore, he says that the actor-training is the most
important part of the theatre.
The theatre-language is the
creation of the actor, the spirit of the actor, being dissolved

in it.
Through actor-preparation, it is aimed to break up the
boundaries of the mind and body.

actually constitutes a play.
continuity of action is what
The mass.- space relationsip is
created by the actors by a living process of improvisations,

evolved through the imagination of the actor.
absolute
rule
in
theatre.
Theatre
There is no
language,
like
the
language in poetry
imagination.
actors.
is evolved through a
process
of
free
It is born out of the action and reaction of the
In that sense
'.
it is ritual action.
On the basis of this analysis,when the main actor in

Gopala Krishnan (G.K.)
Sauparnika, M.K.
(who was awarded the
second best actor prize by Sangeetha Nataka Aksdemy in 1985)

Was inverviewed.
The
interview exposed
theatre was prepared.
R.N.P.'s
how
the
actor
in
Intense physical training,
including breathing exercises as those in Grotowskian theatre

were received by the actors.
the
actors
It was with an aim of giving to
psycho-physical
unity.
methods of Kalari and Kathakali -
Improvised
were given.
training
The essence
of training method was based on ritual arts.
6.2.3
Transformation and transportation

The actor G.K. narrates his exprience in the theatre of
R.N.P. fkcept Oy few occasions he could feel the duality of the

actor as well as the character while in performance.(N-38) The
identification with the character is not good for the actor.
The 'flow' of his action also depends on the acting of other
actors as well as the response of the aladience which scmetimes may not affect
him.
The time taken for transportation usually depends on the
success of the performance.
Even then the actor in him would
be evaluating the performance of the character in him.

believes
that
taking
from
intoxicating
presenting
the
drugs
or
drinks
would
prevent
him
action.
But this is not the case with Theyyam performer.
subtleties of
He
emotion or
6.2.4
The concept of the director
There is always abifference between 'the director' or
teacher in ritual arts and the director in a theatre.
The
teacher in ritual arts teaches his pupil a fixed score.
The
pupil receives it with devotion and belief.

it, is blasphemous.
score.
For him to break
But in the theatre there is no such fixed
The director can induct or deduct movements or postures
of the actors and

rehearsals.
The
fix them.
director
The score is evolved during
would
always
be
in
creative
qialogue with the actors, resulting in mutual teaching and

learning.
"I consider the relation between the actor and the
director is the most meaningful model of human relationship."

(RNP, 1991:23).
This relationship is more meaningful than all others. As,

such a relationship exists during performance, the director
feels that he is establishing a relationship with the audience
through the
actors.
This concept of the actor
director
relationship is seen in all the ritual arts.
6.2.5
Treatment of myth in Sauparnika
The myth in the play is a well-known one.
It is the
story of a strange love-affair between a high-born Brahmin and

an 'Yakshi'. The myth can be interpreted differently.
It may be
the lust of man leading him to ultimate tragedy or 'Yakshi' may
be
the
power
leading
Venmani
from
ignorance
to
wisdom.
'Sauparnika' may be the dream of 'Venmani' by which he can rise

to such a glory.
She may be the embodiment of a woman yearning
for motherhood.
She wants to humanise herself out of her
ardent
desire
for
it.
She
may
be
the
perfect model
of
womanhood in the concept of the dramatist himself and 'Thatri'

may
be a woman of mudane existence lagging far behind his
concept.
Thus a very popular myth
commentary of human life.
is re-interpreted as a
It is a perfect example of how a
myth can be treated in theatre with modern relevance.
6.2.6
Ritual sequence in action
R.N.P.
tells that chorus is introduced to express the
inner meaning of the play (1991:79).

the play
is
set in a
temple
The very opening scene of
atmosphere.
The
concept of
'Sutradhara' is taken from Sanskrit theatre-traditions.
The
chorus as well as the 'Sutradhara' often communicate with the

audience during
the performance.
There are ritual actions
which the audience can share and become participants.
In the
action sequence, some models from ritual arts are accepted.

The
entrance
'Yavanika'
already
of
'Sauparnika' was
ingeniously
used
with
The 'yavanika' with the picture of an 'Yakshi' was
spread out on the
stage (p.24).
After
creating
'tantric' atmosphere it was slowly raised as if 'Sauparnika'

were emerging from it.
Thus 'yavanika' becomes a character.
At the same time Sauparnika appears just behind the 'yavanika',

and then enters
dancing.
there.
As
The mythical atmosphere and poetic context were created

The movements gave an unearthly'nature to the character.
Sauparnika receaes intcrealistic
plane
of
action,
her
dancing movements also change into realistic plane.
The movements of chorus and Sutradhara are created through

improvisations keeping the culture of tht- traditional arts.
sexual relationship of
through
Sauparnika and Venmani was presented
some physical
relationship with
The
postures
postures
which have
in
got
ritual arts of
some
distant
Kerala.
!mantravada'-scene (P-26) was improvised by the actors.
The
At that
>
time the chorus sings 'tantric mantras in the background to

create a ritual atmosphere.
and
the 'sloka' (P-39)
The death-scene of Venmani (P-32)
created
ritual
atmosphere.
The
'upanayana' of Unni (P-591, the scene of 'Othu' (P-38) etc. are

created through a ritual sequence.
The curses of '~au~arnika'
(P-62) were put into theatrical idiom, as the curse of the

mythical character '~annaki'. The most beautiful ritual sequence
is presented in the trilogy of deaths of grandfather, father and
Venmani.
A ritualistic tribal death-dance is presented around
the characters, to exhibit the force of the ritual of death.
6.2.7
Ritual stage-props
Ritual
stage
Props
like
'Yavanika',
'Peedom',
'Nilavilakku', Olakkuda' (Umbrella of coconut palm-leaves) etc.

are used.
Their uses were functional as well as symbolic on the
stage.
Yavanika was used for the emergence and entrance of
Sauparnika.
It
was
already
spread outonthe
stage
before
Sauparnika's entrance and was slowly raised as a living object

as if '~au~arnika'
emerging from it.
The function of stage-props
used here was to create the atmosphere, to give hints to time

and space, to symbolise the contexts etc.
R.N.P.
says that the
first use of 'Nilavilakku' was to symbolise Unninampoori, then

it was
used to create the atmosphere of death when the chorus
extinguishes it (1991:82).
In the second scene 'Olakkuda' is
brought by 'Thatri' as a real object.
In the third scene when
Sutradhara enters with
it, it represents the family pride.
In
the next moment these umbrellas are used to represent a crowd

feeling.
Similarly, to represent the mansion, a piece of black
cloth is used, and to represent the infant,a piece of red cloth.

Four small masks were used.
presented using two masks.
was
The 'homa'scene of '~ur~akaladi'
The culture of using all these stage-
props was drawn from ritual arts.
Their uses were evolved
during rehearsals.
6.2.8
Properties and space: their proportion
R.N.P.
tells that the influence of ritual arts was applied
in the arrangement of the properties used and their proportion

(1991:83).
For example, the creation of mansion was with a
piece of cloth and four small sticks.
The illusion was created
that the. actor who was sitting on the

mansion.
'peedom' was in the
The idea behind this was drawn from ~athakaliand
Koodiyattom.
Even'the mudras' with theatrical improvisation are
used in the presentation of Sauparnika.
6.2.9
Use of music
The
musical
'Mruthangam' ,
traditional.
ritual influence
instruments
'Elathalam'
and
used
in
Sauparnika
were
'~agas'Used
were
'Thampuru'
The recitation was in the tune of 'Sopana'.
songs were sung in the tune of folk-lore.
The
The folk-music of
Padayani and 'Tharattu' (lullaby) was. used.
The music in the
traditional art-forms were converted into the motifs of the
. play.
The
concept
traditional.
of
the
audience
in
R.N.P.
is
entirely
He points out how the ritual arts are trying to
establish a relation between the audience and the actor.
From
Theyyam, Padayani and Mudiyettu, one can draw the culture by

which
the
relation between
established and retained.
the
actor
and
the audience is
He is of the opinion that we have to
get back the lost rapport between the audience and the actor in
the Malayalam
Theatre.
The
actor
establishes
rapport with the audience through his acting.
an
emotional
The whole history
of the traditional theatre of the world shows this.
Even the
assessment of the different theatres of the world is made on

this.
Artaud, through his theatre of cruelty gives the magic
message of liberating the primitive emotions of man.
In the
poor theatre of Grotowski the audience receive the message of
'
the complete action of the complete man.
This establishes a
holy relationship between the actor and the audience.
6.2.11
Audience in Sauparnika
The
actor
(G.K.)
informs
that
when
Sauparnika
was
presented in more than fifty stages, the audience appeared to

share more
in the emotional plane.
proscenium stage.
It is written for the
Therefore, there had not been so much rapport
with the audience for the actors as in that of the ritual arts,
0.r plays with ritual influence presented in open air theatre.
He felt that the play was received and enjoyed in the aesthetic
level, more than in emotional plane.
The ritual spectacles of
costumes and stage-props, the movement and postures of the play

gave it an unprecedented aesthetic beauty.
So it had been a
successful theatre event more than a successful ritual event.

It was like that and it ought to be like that.
6.2.12
Analysis
Thus in all respect, the culture on which the theatre of
R.N.P.
is rooted is traditional in essence.
But his theatre
does not exhibit the peripheral influence of the ritual arts.

He had definite idea how the traditional arts should influence
the modern dramatists and all his important plays Sauparnika,
Padippura, Velliyazcha, Kumaranvarunnillaand so many other one
act plays (See,Chart A-11) are exemplifications of this.
compositions
and
presentation
of
these plays
In the
there is
the
influence of the great masters of the East and West, with the
vision of the actor as well as the audience-concept.
Naduqaddhika : Introduction
6.3.0
As a part of the revivalist tendencies in the modern

Malayalam Theatre during 1980s
young playwrights were genuinely
inspired by the culture of the performing arts of Kerala.
K.J.
Baby is one of them- He was inspired by the Adivasi-culture of

Vayanad.
His play Nadugaddhika is significant not only for the
inspiration it derives from 'the Gaddhika' ritual of the Adivasis

of Vayanad, but
modern
for the strong relevance it acquires in the
context.
The play
depicts the slavish
life of
the
Advasis in Vayanad with a historic and aesthetic perspective.

The new theatre-culture of Baby was a spontaneous sprouting from
the tribal culture of the Adivasis, as he lived with them to
feel their very pulses.
play Nadugaddhika
"Before staging
The spontaneity by which the ritual
evolved is given by Baby in his interview.
or writing
knowledge about theatre.
~adugaddhiKa
~- .
I had
no
prior
I had no a c q u a i n t a n c e , w h a t s o e v e r , w i t h
a formal theatre or play.
My acquaintance with theatre began
when I created an art-form '~~oorna'."(AI.9-3).
Even though-
'Apoorna' was not a well accomplished play he became aware of

the strength of theatre as a medium for communication, through
its presentation.
It was almost a documentary play which dealt
with the problems of the Adivasis, who received itwiththeir

heart and soul.
c
Thudi etc.
This inspired him to studytheirsongs, dance,
It was then he chanced upon to see the ritual of
Gaddhika: (1983: 54- 5 5 ) .
6.3.1
Gaddhika-Ritual :Gaddhika, Nadugaddhika and the play

Nadugaddhika
Gaddhika is a ritual prevalent

'Adiyars', a
in the aborigines of
section of the Adivasis of Vayanadu.
It is
performed as an exorcist ritual to ward off illness or epidemic

or to cure a haunted person.
When affected by these, a family
may ask the '~addhika'-groupto perform the ritual in their

residence.
may go
The group,with the leadership of a '~ooppan'
there singing songs in praise of 'Siva' or '~aliamma'and would

perform the ritual.
year.
Nadugaddhika
is performed only once in a
This is to exorcise the illness of the whole village by
the Gaddhika-group. This ritual is usually seen in Thirunelli.

Wearing a peculiar costume of dark colour, making 'Guda' (small
temple like structures) with fire-wicks fixed on them, the
group would go to every hut of the village with 'Thudi' and
'Cheeni'. Singing and moving in a certain dancing pattern they
would
approach,
the
door-step
of
the
patient comes out, the group through

exorcise the illness.
The leader
patient.
When
the
a trance-dance would
of the
'Gaddhika
group
would wear a piece of red cloth around his waist and a white one
around the head.
cups.
They would have lights in small earthern
Usually 'Gaddhika would be performed during the day time.
Receiving rice, bread, cocks, tender coconuts and other eatables

from the residences, they would retreat with all the male members
of the village accompanying them, to a part of the forest where
they would eat out all the things got as offerings.
The origin
of this ritual may be, the fear of some epidemics by these
aborigines.
As in some other ritual arts, the performer has no
heriditary claim for performance.

and
sings well would
'Gaddhika
be
ritual.
As
given
in
The performer who acts well

prominent
other
spectators here, only participants.

witness
the
ritual
become
the
positions
rituals,
there
in
the
are
no
All people who come to
participants
automatically.
Sometimes people who come from outside may remain as spectators

in the strict sense.
.
Baby informed the investigator that one day it .hit-
all
of a sudden on him that he could write a play using Gaddhika.

Thus the origin of the play was spontaneous, hence the power of
the purity of a ritual.
He tells that when he took ritual into
theatre he had not taken it as Such.
He has taken the basic
movements and steps from the Gaddhika ritual.
The concept of
going to every house of the village by the Gaddhika-group is

also absorbed into the play.
.. :
house to
house
As the Gaddhika-group goes from
along with its participants, the drama
troupe, after presenting the play at one place goes to another,

with almost all the participants.
Gaddhika is performed like
this.
6.3.2
Treatment of myth in the play

"While I was wandering and sometimes living with these
tribes collecting some tribal songs, a wonderful myth of their

Goddess 'Mali' was sung to me by a tribal girl.
In these lines
I saw a myth, which intellectually enslaved these Adivasis from

the very ancient days.
From it, it was very clear that more
than
the
physical
spiritual." (AI. 9
(p.20)
(N-39).
enslavement,
10)
Once
'Keeyorathi'
escaped
'Pakkathappan'.
two
But
from
they
Adiyar
slaves
the
slave-camp
personified
in
20).
the
The
last
the
mental
and
upper
class
'Melorachan'
of
were hunted down by
and
Melalar,
the Goddess
The song is still sung by 'Adiyars'
as an intellectual enslavement.
p
the
The myth is referred to in the play
'Mali'. (Baby, 199:26-40).
was
'Mali' is the Goddess of
land-owners.
(Scene 2
it
It is referred to in the play
underlying
scene
of
tone of
the
play
the myth
(p.49).
is
The
'Theyyakolams' of 'Melorachan' and 'Keeyorathi' emerge from the

crowd,
(as .the awakening
of
their
suppressed
spirits) to
encircle Thampuran, symbolising the evils of the establishment.

In the play, they dance in between Thampuram and the girl.
dancing
pattern is borrowed from Adiyar's Thira.
The
His aim was
to use the spirit of the myth to interpret the history of

Kerala right from the last two centuries connecting the rituals
of '~di~ars: Despite the transitions from Kingship, British,
Congress
as
well
as
the
Communist
regimes, the Adivasis,
remained still in their primitive intellectual enslavement.

'Pakkathappan' is actually the symbol of the ruling class and
'Mali' is the instrument by which they keep the Adiyars in

eternal salvery.
This myth acquires a new dimension in the
modern theatrical context.
It is the mythical atmosphere that
differentiates Nadugaddhika from other popular Theatres.

soil of Vayanadu is so fertile in myths.
The
6.3.3
--concept
The
in Nadu Gaddhika
actors
continuous
and
in
- ritual influence
Nadugaddhika
strenuous
process
were
of
prepared
training.
through
They
were
Adivasis with no knowledge of the formal theatre activities.

But as their ethnic culture was there in the play, they reacted
spontaneously to
the demands
of
the
theatre.
About
this
experiment Vayala says, "It can be related, at least in a very

remote way to the serious theatre experiments the World over.
The experiment is in relation to the anthrapological background
of a people, their cultural and religious practices and all the
other
manifestations
of
their
social
existence
Nadugaddhika can be, though quite feeble one of the sincere

1)
attempts of the kind- (1984 July
Dec:45).
Even though formal
theatrical exercises were not familiar to Baby
he gave some
exercises to them to give shape to what was really in his mind.

After
few
weeks
of
rigorous
training
physically
and
mentally, they were transformed and made ready for performance.

As the actors were mostly Adivasis
and some of them were
directly connected with Gaddhika ritual, in the improvisation

sequences they could contribute immensely to the rhythm
movements.
and
When asked about the status of the actors in the
society, he replied that the actual performers! of the Gaddhika

ritual get a social status among the tribe.
But the actor in
Nadu~addhikagets it only so much as an artist.
6.3.4
The Transformation and Transportation in the actors in

Nadugaddhika.
The evaluation of the transformation and transportation

of the actors in ,Naduqaddhika is an important point.
would
help
to
connect
these
experiences
in
the
This
ritual
performers as well as the actors in the ritual Gaddhika, as

some of the actors were real performers of the ritual.
In the
actors who were Adivasis the transformation was more intense.

The play ends in a violent ritual movement similar to that of
Gaddhika (AI. 9 - 8).
The dance would be in tune with rhythm of
their musical instrument 'Thudi'.

utilized for the dance.
would
get
into
transportation
he
The whole body-movement is
As the rythm in 'Thudi' quickens they

trance.
replied
that,
When
in
asked
the
about
actual
Gaddhika the main performer goes into a trance.
their
ritual
of
He returns to
his self by drinking water mixed with charcoal and turmeric.

It is a part of the ritual.
(Baby, 1991:170).
But in theatre
when they would be completely exhausted after performance, it

would take some time for returning to their self.
a natural cooling process.
There occurs
After removing their costume, they
drink, smoke and chat and comment upon the performance.
6.3.5
Audience in Nadugaddhika
The play is one of the best examples of how a ritual

can be made use of in the theatre to invite the maximum sharing of
the audience.
Baby tells that at first, the audience was only
the Adivasis.
How the Adivasis shared the spirit of the play
is witnessed by Civic chadran
(1983:8).
The presentation of
the play was with full participation of the audience throughout

the
'Churams'
background.
of
The
Vayanadu
with
historic
ethnic
~divasi-audience discovered their own fate in the
characters who cry, weep and get angry.

their own destiny.
and
It is the tryst with
The audience throughout Kerala, irrespecive
of caste, class and creed shared it.
Udaya Kumar writes "The
energy of the anger and revenge conveyed by Naduqaddhika has

been
fully
contained
by
the
audience, when
they
depart.
At least a seed of restlessness and dissatisfaction is sown in

the mind of the spectator."
(1983:ll).
effect of the play on the audience.
He still extends the
In them, there surged up
the emotion to get out of slavery which dehumanised them.

Before them, even the last mask of the exploiter drops down.
The force of the ritual 'Gaddhika' in this function is very
powerful.
The
function of
the
Through a ritualistic exorcism

the audience aesthetically.
with new awareness.
rituals is
fulfilled here..
it gets rid of the illusion in
It is the primary function of art
The current relevance of the play was felt
recently thraugh the audience' reaction when it was performed

throughout the valleys of Narmada.
It is informed by the author that it was the unprecedented
audience-participation
Nadugaddhika, a play
that
(AI-9
made
the
11).
artistic
"Wherever we
response of the audience was nearly total.
venture
of
went,
the
When the audience
were the Adivasis, they appeared participating in their own

ritual 'Nadu Gaddhika'.
There was an emotional sharing.
When
the phrase 'Paikinto,Paikintol was uttered, at first the Adivasiaudience used to laugh but when it was repeated they began to
cry.
2)
They saw in the play their own life. (A1 - 9
11)
He
further witnesses that in some places, the staging of the play,

created a festival-atmosphere, as the performance of a ritual
The sharing was so intense that,as in some ritual arts
art.
the audience would rush forward, and there would be a groupdance of the actors and audience.
The success of the play lay
in the perfect balancing of efficacy and entertainment.
When
the play was taken out of the rural areas and performed before
the urban audience, the response was slightly different.
Their
view point was to enjoy an art-piece, not to participate in it.

Even though the concept of space of presentation is open air,
in some places it was presented in the proscenium.
limited
the power
of the play, but
It not only
curtailed the immense
freedom of it, in its varied dimensions.
It shows, above all,
the ritual quality of the play.
6.3.6
Music and lighting, ritual. influence
The playwright informs the investigator that he has not

taken original Gaddhika-songs (A1 - 9 - 6).
of the same rhythm.
But he composed songs
The underlying rhythm of the play is the
basic rhythm of Gaddhika ritual.
(All through the play the
references are thereJ- When the actors sing this rhythm, the
Adivasi-audience suddenly recognize it and involve' themselves
into
it
emotionally.
The
Adivasi
'Kuzhali', 'Choola' are used.

Thampuran 'Chenda' is used.
musical
instrument like
At the entrances and exits
of
The application of music thus gave a
ritual atmosphere to the whole presentation.
"It is the
aesthetic rhythm of hardwork, and not the solid acting through

training, which forms the wealth of Naduqaddha."
(Udayakumar,
1983:13).
by
The
lighting
effect
was
given
torches
('Pandhams') as in ritual arts.
The play is the best example of how the soul of ritual

can be recreated in the Modern Theatre to interpret,to produce
a new awareness.
According to Civic chandran,
Nadugaddhika
is not a play which can be re ferredtoonly passively in the

history of Malayalam Theatre (1983:8).
phase of the committed theatre of
It is the most powerful
Malayalam.
First of all it
concentrates on the problems of the down-trodden.
The message
it wants to convey, reaches the real target, the downtrodden,

fulfilling one of the primary functions in theatre.
In that
sense,it opens up a new avenues of the popular art form of the

theatre, giving a blow to the middle class popular theatres of
Kerala. ( N - 4 0 )
It is really the force of the ritual Gaddhika.
6.4.0
Pulijanmam : Introduction
Pulijanmam by N. Prabhakaran is an example of how ritualinfluence still persists in the modern Malayalam Theatre.
play won the Sangeeth Natak Akademy Award
in 1988.
The
It is
particularly taken for evaluation to trace its ritual influence

as one of the strongest phases of modern Malayalam Theatre.
The playwright had imbibed the spirit of Theyyam performance
around him and he had been profoundly influence'd by it.
He
himself confides that a dramatic moment in Theyyam performance

inspired him to bring it into theatre frame work
(1989:37).
The play is the product of the direct influence of it and the

theme is drawn from a famous myth.
The playwright says that
his intention was not to create a play with ritual influence.

When he thought of modern man's
self-conflict, despite the
external comforts and luxuries of life, he was inspired to

mould it into theatre.
Thus the play becomes another example
of how the concepts of ritual art can be made into theatrical

rendering
to
interpret
the
problems
of
modern
man.
The
playwright confides how the ritual art of Theyyam can be made

use of in the theatre (AI.lO-1).
It came spontaneously to him.
haunted
The dramatic as well as the tragic end of '~ari~urukkal'
his imagination which finally gave shape to the play Pulijanmam.
6.4.1
Myth in Pulijanmam and its treatment in the play.
'Pulimaranja thondachan' is a legendary figure of the

'~ulayas: He was born as the son of 'Karumpan' and 'Kurunji',
two 'pulaya' slaves of a
famous ' ~haravadu'at Kun jimangalom.
Named as '~ari: he showed a dislike for manual work from his

early childhood.
higher things.
Everybody felt that the boy was meant for

So he was sent to different 'Gurukkals' to
complete his training in 'Kalari' and other martial arts, and

himself.
became a '~uru'
It is at this time, the king of Allam Nadu was possessed

of by an evil spirit and
became insane.
Men of the royal
court tried several exorcists to get the spirit out.

the court sent for
spirit.
'the Gurukkal' to drive away
Finally
the evil
Though at first he refused, on persuading he relented.
The 'Gurukkal' was promised the reward of half the Kingdom.
On
his way to the king 'the Gurukkal' had several trials to face
from the other 'Gurukkals' of Allam Nadu, but he won them all
over
by
his
supreme magic
power.
God
and
Goddesses like
'Pottan', 'Gulikan' and 'Kurathi' tried their tricks to deter

him but he silenced them too.
In the~processof driving away the spirits from the king,

he in a dazed mood drank toddy ('Kalasam') from the hands of
'the Gurukkals' of the court which was resented by the people
of the court and they
lesson.
decided to teach 'Karigurukkal'
'
So they refused to comply with the agreement, instead
they put additional demands on him that he should get the milk
from the tiger. '~urukkal'who knew the technique of assuming the
forms of animals
'Odimarayal') , readily agreed to it.
Before
he went into the form of a tiger, he instructed his wife to

sprinkle 'Kadi' (rice-water) on him with a broom, for that'was
the technique to regain his human form.
When he returned
after fulfilling the promise, his wife did not do as she had
been instructed, instead, she got into the hut and hid herself,
as
she
was
utterly
terror-striking tiger.
frightened
at
the
sight
of
the
The 'Gurukkal' in the tiger-form tried
all tricks to get his wife to do what was required.
At the end
in sheer despair, the tiger got into the hut, attacked and
killed her in a fit of terrible wrath and disappeared into the
forest.
After
sometime,
the
possessed of the spirit again.
king
of
Allam
Nadu
became
According to 'the rasi' it was
found out that the spirit of 'the Gurukkal' possessed him.
The
king decided
his
to worship
Theyyam every year.
All
these
'the Gurukkal'
by
performing
This is the myth.
incidents
'Thottams' of Theyyam.
are
described
in detail
in
the
But there is only a slight reference of
the context about Gurukkal's encounter with God and Goddesses

of 'Pottan', 'Gulikan' and
'Kurathi'.
But Pulijanmam starts
with this dramatic situation, and all other incidents are left
out.
modern
The myth is re-interpreted here as the conflict in the

man.
It
has
got
powerful
politicial
under
tones.
Karigurukkal' becomes the symbol of a political philosophy

discarded, relegating it to the realm of oblivion.
myth acquires new and current political dimensions.
But the
The play
becomes a perfect example of how myth can be re-interpreted to

explain the modern man's precarious plight.
6.4.2
Actor in Pulijanmam
a ritual concept
The roots of Pulijanmam is in the ritual art of Theyyam.

But it hasnot become the decoration or part of the play.
informs
(AI. 10
2) that training to the actors was
necessary as most of them were related to the ritual art.

could contribute to the action sequence of the play.
of
that, a
N.P.
not
They
In spite
continuous three-months' intensive rehearsal was
needed before the first presentation.
When asked about the
extent to which the actors had gone to trance N.P. replies that
inspite of the fact that some of them were original Theyyamperformers, they kept their transformation under their control
(AI. 10-4).
'
But compared to the actors in an ordinary stage,
it took more time for their transportation.
This meant that
the influence of the ritual Theyyam, was more on them.
This
also implies that the direct application of a ritual on the

stage would affect the transormation of the actors more.
6.4.3
Ritual influence in the actions sequence of the play
connection with Artaud.
The encounter offKarigurukkal'withlPottan', 'Kurathi' and

'Gulikan' has been given a ritual sequence.
It is presented as
an encounter between man
and gods.
symbols of Karigurukkal's mind.
They are actually the
These ritual characters have
theatrical functions with modern relevance.
'Pottan' puts the
social and the contemporary conscience of justice under trial.

The introduction as well as the action-pattern given to the
characters, 'Kunjaman' and
'Kunjanan' are in tone with the
rhythmic pattern of the ritual characters 'Pottan', 'Kurathi'

and 'Gulikan'. The last scene of the disastrous disappearance
of 'Puli' powerfully recalls the spirit of Artaud's theatre of
cruelty.
It is presented with violent music and in red colour
to reveal the ferocity of the action.
For depicting some of
the decisive moments of action, the movements of Theyyam were

rsorted to.
improvised
For
with
example, the entrance of

different
of
the
action
sequences of
the
'
Karigurukkal was
movement-patterns
different contexts of various Theyyams.
IT
(~alasams') in
The concept about some
play
comes very
close to
Artaudian ideas about the theatre of cruelty:
"Through a cruel and sacrificial act, theatre can be

converted into a rare field of experience with the help
of
some
decisive
movements
in
ritual
arts.
The
audience who witnesses the last scene of the play would

be convinced about this."
[N.P., 1989 (87) : 391.
The dialogue-pattern given to the characters are also

with a tone almost close to Theyyam-performers.
The Theyyam-
tone was changed to suit the theatre function.
Laughter to
'Pottan', 'chats' to Kurathi (like 'Koolies') , fierce-roar to

'Gulikan' were given.
characters.
This was akin to the original ritual
Thus in the action sequences, the influence of
Theyyam was remarkable with theatrical functions.

line with
the
structure of
the play.
When
This was in
'Gurukkal' is
transformed into 'Puli', the ritual '~hiriuzhichil'is made use

of.
The dream of 'Vellachi' is presented through the folk art
'chimmanakali'.
6.4.4
Audience in Pulijanrnam.
The
director
K.P.
Gopalan
witnesses
that
the
full
enjoyment of the play was possible only by an audience endowed

with high standard of aesthetic appreciation.
N.P.
mentions
that there were different responses from a rural and urban

audience (AI-10-5).
There was greater emotional involvement
among the rural audience.
rural spectator responded to the
performance of the same play as if he were witnessing a true

ritual performance.
He treated the director as a 'Parikarmi'
and offered him money ('Polikkal') just before the beginning of

the
play.
This
shows
that
predominent in the play.

so much involvement.
on
three
occasions
influence of
Theyyam was
But the urban audience did not show
N.P.
of
the
says "I had been with the audience
the
presentation
of
the
play.
witnessed the feelings manifested in their behaviour, through

this 'old story', something not alien to them." (A1 - 10 - 5). He
adds that there was good response from the audience when the
play was presented in the open air.
When the play was presented in proscenium, a section of the

audience remained only as spectators.
In the open air presentations such a
drawbacks of the play.

thing never happened.
of presentation was
They even criticised tho
This means that when the ritual quality

lost, the involvement of
the audience
became less.
6.4.5
Ritual stage props
ritual atmosphere was given to the presentation by
providing
some ritual stage-props.
When
it was presented
before a rural audience, in the place of cyclorama

palms. with
a particular design was
tied.
At
decorations of tender coconut leaves were given.
the
coconut
sides,
In the last
scene where '~urukkal'

dissolves into 'Puli' 'Kothirithattu' made
of plantain stems
were used.
Thus the stage was prepared like
the place of an exorcist ritual.
'
. In
selecting the stage-
props, as in Theyyam performance materials directly available

from nature were used.
This enabled to convey the subtext of
the play to the audience. (AI-10-6).
6.4.6
Application of music
For music, the rhythm of Thevyam was given throughout.

The main musical instruments
'Edamthala Chenda' , etc.
were 'Chenda', 'Ilathalam',
The 'ragas' sung were those at the time
of 'Purappadu' in Theyyams of 'Muchilott Bhaghavati', 'Madayil

Chamundi' etc.
During the moments of reflections,.
dream,
sorrow, agony, the instruments 'Cheenikuzhal' and flute were
used.
Different 'chats', lines from 'Thottam pattu', folk-lore
hummings were used for theatrical effects.
Thus application of
music was entirely traditional and ritualisic in character.
6.4.7
Lighting ritual influence
The application of light was completely ritualistic.
The
stage was illuminated by 'Naithiries' (ghee-lamps) in coconut

shell-halves.
The use of electric light was minimised as it
would spoil the ritualistic atmosphere of the play.

scene of Vellachi's dream blue light is used.
In the
The change of
'Gurukkal' into 'Puli' is presented completely in red light to

give it a fierce ritual effect.
Similarly, the end of the play
was with a meaningful application of light.
When the '~urukkal'
falls down, the '~omalies

' (ancient forms) come and place each
'Naithiri' at the head
and
feet, thus providing
character to the dramatic climax.
ritual
Thus the entire design was
to provide a ritualistic atmosphere to the whole performance.

Influence of Rituals in Modern Malayalam Theatre

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Influence of Rituals in Modern Malayalam Theatre

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CHAPTER VI

INFLUENCE OF RITUALS IN MODERN MALAYALAM THEATRE

In the last chapter, it is attempted to illustrate how

laid strong foundations for the development

Kavalam and G.S.

of the indigenous theatre-culture of Kerala, drawing sustenance

The prominent playwrights of

them being the products of the

Kalaries, went deeper into the traditional concepts of actor

- audience relationship and the culture of the

themselves in the traditional elements of indigenous theatre,

to develop a strong strain in the Modern Theatre

of Malayalam with their deeper insight and vision of those

As a result, the peripheral influence of the ritual

arts gave way to the influence of the inner theatre spirits in

The result was the strongest phase of Modern

Malayalam Theatre today.

Four representative playwrights belonging to this later

(NP) are selected for close evaluation.

plays which are widely recognized in one way or other

actor-audience relationship and

study the extent of the influence exercised by the culture of

Out of the four plays selected, three

plays Agni (by Vayala), Sauparnika (by R.N.P.),

won the Kerala Sangeeth Natak Akademy Award in 1983, 1985

acclaimed to be one of the popular plays of the last decade,

Among the still younger generation of playwrights P.

playwrights and plays

exhibiting the influence of the new

The playwrights are interviewed exchaustively to study

their ideas of theatre and how far they are influenced by

Vayala Vasudevan Pillai

The two Kalaries held in Sasthamcottah and Koothattukulam

young sters who participated in these Kalaries, (organised by

got new awareness of

concepts and the use

The play ~aravklppu

identifed the folk element in the play.

the clear influence of G.S.'s

with his Agni and Thulaseevanam he shows his marked identity as

director's note to Agni he states

circumstances under which

It was in a workshop held in 1977

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademy under the chairmanship of G.S.

the culture of the indigenous theatre of Kerala,

but he never wanted to make use of its peripheral influence in

Vayala points out that every performance is a spiritual

Therefore, the elements existed in

one traditional performance can be

like a spiritual energy emanating from the environment and the

rituals should be made use of in theatre, he replied that, the

take rituals in theatre as they are (as the 'Sarpapooja' in

have to create new rituals to interpret modern

re-creation of rituals means, the process should enter the

should produce in us a culture of their

rhythm, colour, the actors'

The intimate contact

devotional aspects, the audience's

This culture should dissovle into the creative

enjoyment to the audience also.

It is in this way that rituals

and theatre are connected.

Actor-concept: ritual influence