Narippatta’s Art and Life: A Personification Of Genius and Discipline

Writer and Kathakali enthusiast Sreekumar Kakkad pays tribute to the life and art of Kathakali maestro Sadanam Narayanan Namboodiri, better known amongst art lovers as Narippatta, and points out that his was a creative personality poised betwixt genius and discipline. Narayanan Namboodiri passed away at Karalmanna in Kerala on October 23.

A protagonist whose performances are marked by the magical touch of creative brilliance and masterly precision to the classical school, Sadanam Narayanan Namboodiri, better known amongst art lovers as Narippatta, commanded an imposing presence, which took centre stage of the Kathakali repertoire in Kerala. He was an ardent follower and active proponent of the Kalluvazhi Chitta. An enjoyable blend of sportive spontaneity and meticulous technical perfection defined his approach to art. His dramatic delineations delightfully transcend the time – space limits of the arena and transported the audience’s imagination to worlds of epic grandeur.

Hailing from a respected family of Northern Kerala, Narayanan Namboodiri had his initial training at home under the tutelage of Govindan Bhattathirippad and Chethalloor Kuttappanicker. Later at the Sadanam Kathakali Academy, renowned Kathakali Guru and master-performer, Padmasree Keezhpatam Kumaran Nair mentored and groomed his pupil’s inherent talent to perfection. He pursued his higher studies with the Government of India Scholarship for two years.

A septuagenarian who inherited the true legacy of classical Kathakali lineage which is chaste and robust, this versatile genius excelled equallyin a range of characters from Pacha and Kathi to Minukku and Vellathaadi. His significant contributions to his art include new mudras for Nalacharitham, and choreographic methodology for Darukavadhom, Vamanavatharam, Balidanam and Bhaktikeerthi. He has collaborated in the publication of Kathakali Plays in English- Translation of popular stories of Kathakali, by Jane Pillar, Canada.

Highly inventive and open to new ideas, this prolific artiste nurtured an inclination within him to explore new vistas for his artistic pursuits. He has travelled widely and performed across the globe, including in countries such as Italy, Poland, England, Germany, Finland, France, Dubai, Qatar, UAE (Ras Al-Khaimah), Bahrain, South Korea, Singapore. He has also conducted Kathakali demonstrations and workshops for art enthusiasts at several places in different countries.

He has associated with a number of major projects both in India as well as abroad. The art festivals at Kalakshetra, Chennai, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, and Kolkata have had a lasting impact and has brought in many aficionados closer to the art of Kathakali. His workshops for European artistes organised by Kerala Kalamandalam, Prana Company by Mishcel and by ARTE, Paris have also attracted widespread attention.

Apart from being the visiting faculty at School of Drama, Calicut University, he had taught at Sadanam Kathakali Academy, Keralakalakendram, Asthikalayam, and Nrithyopada Creative Ensemble. Several overseas students also have been trained by Sadanam Narayanan Namboodiri, underscoring his stature as a seasoned Guru par excellence.

Sadanam Narayanan Naboodiri who has endeared a generationof art lovers and connoisseurs with his tasteful and refined presence on and off the stage, has also featured in a number of films and documentaries. These include Nottam (the documentary on Guru Padmasree Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair), and films on M. R. Bhattathiripad (MRB), social reformer, cultural leader, and litterateur who played a significant role in the history of Kerala, Padmasree Mattannur Sankara Marar, directed by Shri. M.R. Rajan and in Kaliyarangathe Kalapam, a Doordarshan production on the Kathakali legend Kottakkal Sivaraman. He is the recipient of Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi’s Gurupuja Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Fellowship for excellence in art. Apart from his theatre endeavour he has also made his mark on the mini screen, playing the titular role in the much acclaimed socio-political TV caricature series, Munshi.

The legacy Narippatta Narayanan Namboothiri has left behind is that of an uncompromising stand on the purity of his art which is founded on a lifelong effort to learn, understand and assimilate the basic principles propounded by the great Gurus of Kathakali. The project he had undertaken as part of a fellowship awarded by the Ministry for Cultural Affairs vouches for his unflinching commitment and boundless reverence towards the priceless heritage of his Guru, the Kathakali doyen, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair.

In order to perpetuate the visions of the guru, he wished to evolve a pedagogy which offer the students a contemporary interpretation of the finer elements of stylistics and theatrics methodology professed by Guru Padmasree Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, while in essence staying rooted to the current Kathakali repertoire and respecting the classical values. His research and fellowship work were not a mere documentation of the dry diktats of the masters but a passionate odyssey of an artist of more–than-half-a-century’s experience, into the annals of the art and into his own inventory of perceptions.

This creative odyssey explored novel vistas leading to the modernisation of the present day Kathakali training turfs, after a thorough validation of the organic growth of Kathakali training techniques up till the last leg of the 20th century.

Further, it was also an empirical and normative study of the Guru’s experimental departure from the erstwhile classical teaching methodology, in an era which witnessed a paradigm shift in the feudal based social structure of Kerala. This period marked a stage in Kathakali history, where the art with its retinue of teacher- performers bade farewell to the edifices of aristocracy in search of its new patrons of the democratic age.

The research that he carried out as part of the fellowship was also a grave and committed attempt to formulate a notated lesson plan for Kathakali thereby putting forth an all- new methodology in Kathakali teaching. This was aimed at immensely increasing the scope for formulating more universal and scientific ways of future documentation and preservation of the art. There is little doubt that Narippatta, alias creative poise personified would be sorely missed by students and connoisseur of Kathakali, but one can be equally certain that his artistic legacy will be taken forward by generations to come.