The need to save the oldest Sanskrit theatre

With few practitioners and fewer resources Koodiyattam faces an uncertain future

Of all the ancient Sanskrit theatre forms, only Koodiyattam from Kerala has managed to survive. It lived within temple precincts, more specifically in the homes of the Chakyars and Nambiars, the two communities who were its sole practitioners. It is 70 years since Koodiyattam emerged from temples to occupy the public stage as an entertaining theatre form. And for the past roughly 50 years, members of all communities have been welcome to perform it. Despite this, the state of Koodiyattam seems uncertain. The more than 1,000-year-old theatre form has just around 100 practitioners , and there is a need for immediate support from the government and from society. The lack of full-length performance opportunities, a limited repertoire, the failure to attract new actors, and, most important, the lack of patronage are pressing issues Koodiyattam faces today. It is true that the number of performance venues and opportunities have gone up in recent times, but what we see today are mostly selected condensed versions, lasting just two to three hours. Such performances, though welcome, are not true to the spirit of Koodiyattam. What is lost in the short format is the deep and subtle acting, the long solo scenes that offer the actor freedom for unhurried digressions, the powerful eyes that bring out the spectrum of nuanced rasas, the detailed abhinaya techniques, and the depth of knowledge that needs to be acquired to perform the longer version.