Ayroor panchayat makes Kathakali part of school routine for kids

Ayroor Grama Panchayat in Pathanamthitta, renowned for its Kathakali legacy, is providing children a chance to learn the classical art form as part of their school routine. 200 children will receive free training on Kathakali mudras for six months, with four trained artistes appointed to lead the sessions. The local body is also executing various projects to make the village a major centre for learning and watching the 'total theatre' and tap its tourism potential.

Aimed to turn its cultural legacy into an entitlement for the young, the Ayroor grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta, a hotbed of Kathakali, is now offering children a chance to learn the classical art form as part of their school routine.

Starting next week, all five lower primary schools in its limits will organise sessions once a week for teaching Kathakali mudras (sign language). The project, being implemented as part of an arts education plan approved by the local body, intends to engage children in classes three and four in the art form.

Ampili Prabhakaran Nair, president of the local body, says an annual plan for Kathakali education has been approved by the panchayat council and four trained artistes have been appointed for leading the sessions. The project is part of a continuing drive by the local body to foster a love for the art form among youngsters.

“Around 200 children will be offered free training on Kathakali mudras for the next six months. If we want the children to value the artistic heritage of this village, we must give them access to it early on in life,” she says.

V.R. Vimal Raj, secretary of the Pathanamthitta District Kathakali Club, which is associating with the programme, says observing closely and thinking critically are the two important aspects in learning an art form. “The focus of these sessions is only to teach the 24 mudras or hand gestures, which is the basic thing in understanding a Kathakali performance,” he says.

In consideration of its rich tradition as a hub of Kathakali artistes in the Thekkan Chitta (Southern School) and the unusually high literacy in the art form, Ayroor village had recently adopted the official name of Ayirur Kathakali Gramam. According to the panchayat, over 70% of its residents, including women and children, are well-versed in the dance-drama.

The classical art revived its old glory in this river-side village with the formation of the Kathakali Appreciation Forum in 1987, which later evolved into the district Kathakali club. The club has 750 members and runs a Kathakali school, which is imparting training to 90 children.