By Vinod Raghavan*
Muscat: The century-old lyrics penned by the great Malayalam poet Mahakavi Kumaran Asan captivated the audience till midnight on Friday in the capital city of Oman.
A little-known group “Kaveetha Kootam”, formed by a handful of poetry lovers a couple of years back in Muscat, presented the show to pay tribute to the great poet Kumaran Asan on his 100th death anniversary. The group showcased the legend’s work through the traditional art form of music and dance.
The show was a visual treat of colourful pallets, soul-stirring lyrics, and a graceful presentation of poetry in a musical dance format in the presence of Malayalam actor Prem Kumar, Chairman of Kerala Chalachitram Academy, and a large audience who remained unmoved from their seats. It was like a leaf out of their school days when they used to learn and listen to the beautiful verses of the great poet Kumaran Asan.
The entire auditorium watched the three-hour show with rapt attention, and the audience also tapped their feet to the rhythm of every Talam. For a while, they forgot the materialistic world of which they have been very much a part ever since they arrived here for a good living by acquiring wealth and property.
Lakshmi Kothaneth, a journalist present until the curtains were down, said, “This just shows the literary work of the legend and the present generations of Kaveetha Kootam and Director PR Gokulam and his entire team’s dedication to bringing the creative art form –Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kerala Natanam, Mohiniyattam and Ottenthullal, to the audience of Oman.”
This was one of the finest musical presentations of the great poet, which will change the taste of the art form presented by Kaveetha Kootam. The set and the costumes were eye-catching, rich and soothing, said Kabeer Yousuf, a filmmaker.
The legendary poet was a member of the famous triumvirate of Malayalam poets along with Vallathol Narayana Menon and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer. Kumaran was given the title ‘Mahakavi’ (meaning ‘great poet’) by the Madras University, in 1922. The suffix ‘Asan,’ meaning ‘scholar’ or ‘teacher,’ reflects his role as a poet and philosopher, and a social reformer of his time.
Five characters from his poems Karuna, Chandalabhikshuki, and Nalini were highlighted during the show and were presented through five classical dance forms of Kerala: Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kerala Natanam, Mohiniyattam and Ottenthullal.
“This is an attempt to showcase the great Indian poet of our times, who initiated a revolution in poetry earlier this century. He transformed the medium of poetry from the metaphysical to the lyrical, inspiring his contemporaries to be vocal in their poetic expressions. What makes his poetry distinctive is its commitment to society in terms of moral and spiritual content, poetic concentration, and dramatic contextualization. We feel that this is a befitting tribute to the great poet,” said Gokuldas, the director of the show.
The event, ‘Keleeravam’, was divided into segments, such as Poomari (Floral Showers) – an audio-visual assimilation of life and nature choreographed by Nimisha Vineeth. It brought the complexity of the human mind to the stage by intertwining it with Malayalam poetry and literature. The scenes revolved around a huge tree with many branches and flowers. Situated between two imaginary lands, where people from both lands claimed it, the tree provided shade to both sides without bias. The narrative illustrated how nature is closely connected to humanity and how every human emotion affects the natural world.
The second segment, ‘Sree Bhoovilasthira’, was an effort by a socially committed expatriate community to introduce the characters and life situations that emerged from the poet’s perspective to the new generation without losing the essential values of poetry, through a spectacular showcase of dance forms.
The performances of actors Arun Madhav, Muhammad Kalathingal, Deepmala Ratheesh, Sandhya Ramesh, Shalini Sarala, Suseelan Palliyil, Sona Jibu, Ashwita Sujith, Akhila Ramachandran, Sheeba Prabhakaran, Vedika Raj, Sribala Sibin, Sribhadra Sibin and Joanna, were outstanding and the audience lauded them with loud claps.
The singers Ramesh Sivan, Deepti Rajesh, Shiju Maimoon and B.V Khamarunisa captivated the audience with their soul-stirring voices accompanied by music. The script was written by Vinod Peruva.
*Senior journalist
