Thidambu Nritham – a spiritual journey - Anil

 

I remember an interview in all india radio 18 yrs back – guest of honor the legendary icon, thidambu nritham dance exponent and the ‘celestial thaandava’ dancer Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri; titled ormayile yavanika. He had given enlightenment to the listeners and replies for all the questions of the interviewer. Thousands of his admirers were not aware of his hardships and trainings. His debut performance was in Kanhangad, his native place and the event was roughly 50 yrs before; still, he is at the top. In those days, thidambu nritham was observed as a ritual in temples. Govindan Namboothiri has invigorated the dance – brought in noteworthy innovations, without rousing the originality and ritualistic traditions. ‘My ambition and passion since the age of 5 has been thidambu nritham and it continues..’ what else other than a life committed to thidambu nritham dance.. He explains the rudimentary methods and painful experiences he had during his initial days of training. ‘chavittithadal and training in the four fundamental rhythms are the basics’. Even now, he wakes up at 3 early in the morning and trains himself and disciples thidambu nritham till sunrise. Thidambu nritham is celebrated in a temple during annual temple festival. ‘In a temple, though the seva samiti invites me for the performance, it is the chief priest who gives final permission to me, because it is a divine art.’ In his words - ‘Thulasi, Chethi, Jamanthi and Mulla are main flowers used to decorate thidambu’. The color of the flower to be highlighted in the  garland depends on the main deity. ‘The dance begins with chenda melam followed by an important ritual ‘kotti urayikkal’ beginning at  north side if main diety faced eastwards, and if faced westwards, the ritual begins at the south side’. There are customary rhythms based on which thidambu nritham is structured – thakiladi, adantha, champada and panchaari further to conclude with ekathaalam. Govindan namboothiri had sacrificed each instant of his life for the development of art thidambu nritham. Several cultural organizations and temples honored the exceptional artist over the years, and the spiritual journey of the thidambu nritham legend continues. Unsurpassable divine dancer!

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Puthumana : A blissful experience in temple dance

Baiju Sankar

Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is the artist of temple art thidambu nritham related to temples in Kasarkode, Kannur and Calicut districts. Puthumana is the singular synonym for the master of temple dance, learned temple dancer, unique temple dancer and refined temple performer in India. Puthumana started the journey with thidambu nritham at age of 5, with an association with temples. He has seen many popular Kathakali and Koothu dancers too at temples. Puthumana is a worshipper of thidambu nritham for 60 years, and is the revivalist who took thidambu nritham to worldwide, intercontinental and international stages. Puthumana had a purpose, vision and mission of lifetime to rejuvenate the dance from fading position. When we perceive with eye or ear the words temple dance or thidambu nritham from anywhere in world, a picture of dancer puthumana govindan namboothiri will be depicted in our mind.

Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri studied till the tenth and used full time for thidambu nritham practice. Puthumana's first guru was his uncle, and he say that entire world is his guru and is a constant learner. The dance thidambu nritham is developed through him and development happened also through observation and inspiration from nature. At this old age also Puthumana is able to do anything and everything in thidambu nritham.

The temple dance of Puthumana ji is very emotional, expressive; but there is involvement of foot movement only. Puthumana releases devotion and emotion in steps. For the audience, Puthumana's dance is a enlightening experience and the programme will be very energetic, divine with entertainment. The secret of Puthumana ji's uniqueness is inhererent training, intense training and self training in gurukula style each day without break. Puthumana enriched himself in last 60 years. Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is the leader and leading anchorman of temple dance in Kerala. He leads all temple festivals in North Kerala.The dancers from Kathakali and Koothu see him with big respect and devotion. The audience believe that the blissful blessings and excellence in the footwork of Puthumana Ji is God's grace to place him at the pinnacle of Indian temple dance. The encouraging comments and notable honors to Puthumana Ji were many which repeated again and again, decade by decade. The support happened repeatedly from many people that too from different parts of the world. The sweetness, dancing styles, varities and variations in steps invocated into his feet are irreplaceable. The emotions sounded by the steps are transferred to viewers in the world. The great dancer has fulfilment, happiness, enthusiasm and satisfaction to transfer knowledge to others in concerts, lectures, demonstrations, interviews. He trains all types of people right from scholar to laymen in stage programmes. A viewer lives through perpetuity of step variations during this incomapable experience.

Puthumana, the blessed master of temple dance and encyclopedic exponent of thidambu nritham is very modest, unassuming and down to earth person.

Puthumana Ji has a formidable position in Indian temple dance. His decision to take the 'creative', 'inventive', 'perceptive' and 'aesthetic' part of thidambu nritham to people from all classes outside the temple boundaries has invited criticism. Puthumana has innovated on thidambu nritham, but self-effacing however determined; and stood strong unwaveringly. With the tenacity, fearlessness and endurance he got from deep knowledge, he experimented and innovated again and again on thidambu nritham. The artistic excellence and performance of Puthumana Ji is beyond comparison and his ability is shooting up with age. The articulations and emphasis of devotion Puthumana displays in the steps transferred to devotees as emotions of devotion and worship creates a tower of pure reverence. In last 60 years, Puthumana transformed the temple surrounding to a place of heavenly angelic experience and open stages to blissful artistic experience.

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The International Icon of Indian Temple Dance

Baiju Sankar

Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is an Indian Temple dancer and artist from Kerala. He is the incomparable stalwart of temple arts who devoted and sacrificed all moments of his life for revival of declining temple art thidambu nritham. Puthumana believes in traditionalistic approach in thidambu nritham added with numerous inventions of rhythms and steps. Puthumana is the sole artist alive who is proficient, competent and accomplished to present the 700 years old 'golden' steps in the feet, and remains unmatched. The distinctive style of Puthumana is loved, treasured and favoured not only by dance followers of India, but also admirers from several nations worldwide. Puthumana says that thidambu nritham should not be confined within the boundaries of the temples. Puthumana is appraised as the personification and manifestation of the thidambu nritham temple dance, for his contributions in revival of the dance. Puthumana brought a cultural identity to temple ritual thidambu nritham as a temple dance as symbolic and embalatic of south Indian culture representation. Puthumana went behind Thidambu nritham as early as age of 5, in childhood. He grew to a full time learner and performer after passing matriculation, spending each moment of life and twenty-four hours diligence, enthusiasm and commitment to thidambu nritham. Puthumana gets up every day morning at 3 am, and starts sadhakam, which is a pattern of life accustomed by him for 60 years. Puthumana had been fully engrossed in thidambu nritham into the classical gurukula training. He believes that state of mind, discipline and regular practice is a must for all temple dancers also for Kathakali. He has invented new styles and combines new steps into the styles in thidambu nritham. Puthumana has been spending a lot of time for all his followers, viewers and crowd. He is also a role model for all in punctuality, honesty and sincerity. Puthumana had the rare opportunity to present thidambu nritham with greats from other dance fields. Puthumana believes that dance has an all-inclusive, all-round, all-embracing international language. Puthumana has the openness to connect with any artist and art type. Puthumana makes thidambu nritham an experience of ecstasy, in which he is a learner, he is a presenter and where only himself and audience are present. Puthumana, another element of happiness, integrates with the delighted international minds...

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Temple artist Pudhumana Govindan Namboodiri

Pudhumana Govindan Namboothiri is an Indian artist who created a significant mark of his own on temple dance. He is the dominant persona and discoverer of present-time thidambu nritham dance. The long-time leadership and supremacy in the temple dance were manifested by the great by way of boundless ingenuity, inventiveness, individuality, and taking care of originality. Pudhumana Govindan Namboothiri is well-liked by the world for his original and pure Indian class of temple dance. His finest contributions include detailed and minuted translations of kaliyamarddanam, akroorabhakthi, sivathandavam, sasthapreethi and deveevandanam. Pudhunmana holds the supreme position in the saga of renascence, revival, and rejuvenation of Indian temple dance thidambu nritham.

Pudhumana is exceptional in harmonizing and integrating delicate divisions of moves and gestures in the dance. He is real and authentic in every footstep with the propensity to array up disjunctive schemes into an unrepeatable consolidation strategy for building a new concept of temple dance movement in stages open to all. Pudhumana is a blend of unquenchable inquisitive thoughts on one hand and huge emotion and excitement to devotion on the other. The composite pattern of artistic amazement of Pudhumana is approachable to the public.

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Mohiniyattam

There is no precise historical evidence to establish the antiquity of Mohiniyaattam, the classical female dance-tradition of Kerala. Probably it was evolved in the eighteenth century. In the court of king Swathi Thirunal who ruled Travancore (South Kerala) in the 19th century Mohiniyaattam flourished along with Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. The post -Swathy period witnessed the downfall of Mohiniyaattam. ‘The dance of the enchantress’ slipped into eroticism to satisfy the epicurean-life of some provincial satraps and feudal lords. Poet Vallathol rescued Mohiniyaattam form total extinction. It was added to the curriculum of Kalamandalam in 1930.

The make-up and dressing of Mohiniyaattam is simple and semi-realistic. The dancer’s face is made up of yellow and pink-paste. She wears sandal-colored jacket and sari. Jasmin flowers adorn her tied-up hair. She decorates her eyes with KAJAL and the lips are reddened. The traditional theme of Mohiniyaattam is devotion to and love of God. Vishnu or Krishna is more often the hero. This dance-form explores all the subtleties of the expression, Sringara, in all the items performed. We feel his invisible presence when the heroine or her friend (Sakhi) portrays him through hand-gestures, soft, undulating and circular body movements. In the slow and medium tempos the dancer finds adequate space for improvisation and suggestive facial-expressions, the invocation of Mohiniyaattam is known as CHOLKETTU. JATHISWARAM, VARNAM, PADAM and THILLANA are other items in a Mohiniyaattam-recital. Varnam is the piece de resistance in Mohiniyaattam.Thillana unfolds to the audience the dancer’s rhythmic virtuosity. Padam focuses on ABHINAYA. Mridangam, Violin and Edaykka lend excellent support to the vocal music and to the visual-rhythm of Mohiniyaattam.

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Thullal

Thullal is the successor of Kathakali. Kunchan Nambiar who lived two centuries ago, wrote the text of Thullal and choreographed it for the stage. All the forty or more Plays of Thullal composed by Kunchan Nambiar are replete with humor, sarcasm and social-criticism, Thullal has three divisions- Seethankan, Ottan and Parayan. The distinction between them lies mostly in the make-up and costumes and to some extent in the metres and the rhythm applied. Thullal often reflects the literary, artistic and cultural life of the medieval Kerala. In Thullal, episodes from the Indian Epics are retold in simple Malayalam poetry. The stylized singing of the lines carries with it the beauty of the dravidian metres. A rasika once called Thullal ‘the poor man’s Kathakali’. Thullal is a solo performance. As a semi-stylized dance-theatre-narrative, Thullal is a more popular entertainment than other temple-arts. The performer establishes powerful communication with the audience through verbal-acting which is interspersed with humor and social references.

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‘My lifetime devotion to thidambu nritham was God’s plan’ – Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri

Ranjan Mohapatra

Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is the finest exponent or master in Indian temple dance thidambu nritham. Puthumana is the sunshine on stages at this age also. The voyage was long more than sixty years. Thidambu nritham is a ritual dance performed by carrying the thidambu (replica of the deity of Gods and Godesses) on head. Puthumana is one and only blessed artist in whose performances the ritualistic signs of the presiding God or Godess appear, but unintentionally. Puthumana’s thidambu nritham had been heavenly unique, magical and unsurpassed. The humble artist says ‘I haven’t done anything. I apply whatever I’ve learned and do as disciplined, dedicated daily practice in the early hours of the morning. It’s only God’s grace and blessings of all gurus and elders’. Puthumana applies his full concentration on the performance with great zeal and enthusiastic attention whole the time. Puthumana evokes and invokes to the inner soul and offer prayers to keep in mind the permanent denotations, gestures and demeanor of the governing god and goddess, before entering on stage. Puthumana speaks about thidambu nritham. ‘At the commencement of the dance, I forget any kind of mental or physical uneasiness in me. My reverence is to god to enter into my heart and foot movements. I do not see or hear what others do at that time.’. Puthumana showcase his intellect and prowess as manodharmma in a very sensible style. His awareness in the natyashastra  and basics is huge. He thinks that his consecration to thidambu nritham was decided earlier by God. He surrenders to god like a solemn vow, which he thinks comes out as his contributions. Puthumana says his inner feeling is that there is a consistent harmony and congruity between his heart and gods he present on his head, and less with the human beings. Art can be used as a weapon for continued existence, but once an artist start copying actions from somewhere else, no longer the art will remain unique. Thidambu nritham is a part of Indian culture, parentage and heritage. He says ‘I believe that if we do lose its value in the presentations, it will not continue as thidambu nritham, and become some other dance; whether in temple or exterior. And, when the value of any temple dance is frittered away, it may cause dislike to the audience.’ Puthumana Govindan Namboothiri is abiding his ceaseless connections and eternal love with the temple gods.

 

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