Kathakali;+Kalyanasaugandhika

=**Kathakali** = []

**__AIDS TO THE APPRECIATION OF KATHAKALI__**
 * 1) BASIC TERMINOLOGY
 * attakatha = Kathakali play
 * atta=play or dance
 * katha = story
 * Sloka=verse
 *  pada=song interpreted through dance and gestures (3 kinds)
 * pallavi (refrain)
 * anupallavi (sub-refrain)
 * charanam (literally, the "foot")

**__KALYANA SOUGANDHIKA__** Part one:
 * tala=time signature/rythm
 * raga=melodic scale
 * pada improvisation=ilaki-attom
 * Mudras=gestures and sign language
 * King Bhima speaks erotically (sringara) to his wife, Panchali, in the garden, enjoying the afternoon breeze and the enchanting songs of the koils (birds of love).
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Panchali finds the divine Sougandhika flower, picks it up and shows it to Bhima, asking him to find more for her.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bhima promises to get more for her. Bhima promises he will and asks his wife Panchali to stay with his brother during his journey to Indra's world in search of them. (This is a prime example of how Hinduism influences Kathakali play structure--anytime someone is asked to to something, that person must comply and obey the request.)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Panchali offers to get Bhima some food before his quest but Bhima declines saying, "your meaningful and soul-stirring glances are sustenance enough for me."
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Improvising the following scene, Bhima encounters the gandha Madana, a giant mountain, saying he will clear the creature-filled pathway with his mace. In high spirits, Bhima strides along the path as wild beasts run from his terrifying presence.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Fueled by the thoughts of his wife, Bhima continues on to find an elephant caught in distress by a python only to be attacked by a lion, finally. He also sees kinnaras (sect of demi-gods) singing, drinking and cooking. Also, some actors display Bhima encountering Siddhas (another sect of demi-gods).
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Finally, Bhima reaches the garden. He enters proud and haughty, which is why he is humbled by the monkey god, Hanuman, upon his arrival.

Kalyana Sougandhika
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Panchali is the wife of five brothers, one of which is Bhima -
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pandavas- the five brothers
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Blood relation fight between the family
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Kauravas- the group whom the brothers are fighting against - 100 brothers
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pandavas were pushed out of their kingdom in a game of dice
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pacha - green (Bhima, Dharmaputra) Bhima is on the right in the picture below
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[[image:Kathakali10.jpg height="224"]]

After the love scene between Bhima and Panchali, Bhima encounters his half brother Hanuman the monkey and they have a delightful scene in which Hanuman tweeks Bhima's pride but blesses him in his venture to find the Saugandhika flowers for Panchali.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Minukku - golden makeup (Draupadi)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[[image:minukku-kathakali-kerala.jpg height="259"]]
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Vella Tadi - White beard (Hanuman)
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[[image:hanuman.jpg height="352"]]

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Kathakali sequence from //Mahabharata//, the characters are Arjuna, the ace archer of the Pandavas and Lord Krishna (perhaps the most interesting character in the epics)! The character make-ups belong to the //Pacca// (Green) category. They denote that the characters are high-born and belong to the nobility! Lord Krishna wears the vase like headgear, with a tuft of peacock feather on top! Notice also the bright red lips of the characters and the white rice paste framing, called a //cutti//.

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This is a black (//kari//) character. This is the basest of the Kathakali characters. In this class are forest-dwelling characters and female demons. They wear bucket-shaped headdresses and also add other features like comic false breasts. They often carry branches in their hands to denote their primeval nature! media type="youtube" key="XqqadGMXT1w" height="385" width="480" This and the next video are about Ravana, the demon king and the antagonist of the epic //Ramayana//. This character is also noble-born denoted by the Green (//pacca//) base of his make-up but the bulbous additions on his nose and forehead denote his inherent evil and arrogant nature. Also notice the inverted red moustache bordered by the white paint.

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The following video illustrations were recommended to me by Julien Touati, a French actor studying kathakali at the Kottakkal company in Kerala. They arrived in my e-mail today, Tuesday, September 15, 2009. Besides being on youtube you can find them on his website http://www.myspace.com/julienkrishnan

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The following four videos were filmed at the Kerala Kalamandalam during the summer of 2008 and provide some brief insight into the kuttampalam theatre and acting and maddalam drumming classrooms.

media type="youtube" key="4HNvEBABaq0" height="340" width="560" Much bigger than the stages in the temple theatres -Feeling of the old theatres -Moat to catch the rainwater -Hand carved doors -Mural on the back of the stage -pillars on the four corners of the performance space -raised about a foot about -Lord Shiva, elephant (associated with Natya Shastra) - ornaments near the stage -big mirror available for actors to check their appearance -A large, intimidating stage space -Two sides for the dressing room- ceiling fans -Power failures are common - generators are used -carvings done by hand in granite - all done by local artisans -large theatre in a small village -designed on the Natya Shastra and unique in India

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