kalolsavam | Chavittunatakam captures themes resonating with diverse audiences

Experience the energy & theatrics of Chavittunatakam, a folk theatre with dance & acrobatics, at Sopanam auditorium in Kollam.

Very few art forms can unleash limitless energy on stage and Chavittunatakam is one. There is glitter and flamboyance, verve and theatrics, finesse and innovation. From their synchronised stompings to their infectious energy, the participants are all balls of fire. Part dance and part acrobatics, the folk theatre has an infectious vitality and the players add pizazz to it through a variety of hops and skips. At one point the music soars to a mad crescendo and the dancers move as if liquid adrenaline has hit their blood stream.

While the dance drama is often called Christian Kathakali presenting stories related to Christ, saints and kings, the Chavittunatakam competition at Sopanam auditorium was not limited to Carelman Charitham (Charlemagne the Great) or Mahanaya Alexander (Alexander the Great). There were productions on Lord Ayyappa, Joan of Arc and Velu Thampi Dalawa, the contestants performing the art form without losing its stylistic essence.

Since the original plays are quite long, their duration ranging from 2 hours, the competition featured small snippets, mostly three important scenes from a play fit into 20 minutes. In Velu Thampi Dalawa, the troupe chronicled Dalawa’s revolt against the British East India Company and the end where he prefers death to captivity. While William Shakespeare’s renowned play Julius Caesar was picked by a group, the tragic story of Joan of Arc who was burned to death was impressively presented by another.

Roy Asan, a senior Chavittunatakam artist who has trained seven teams from five districts, is in Kollam with a heavy heart. Still recovering from the unexpected demise of his 20-year-old daughter Ann Rifta Roy who lost her life in the Cusat stampede, the festival kept reminding him about her favourite events. “Since she was an ICSE student, she never participated in the School Arts Festival, but after Class X she was a part of Vanchipattu and Oppana teams. Though she wanted to join Chavittunatakam team, she couldn’t do that,” says the father. Ann Rifta Roy had started learning the art form at a much younger age and she also enjoyed performing on stage with her father. “My father Georgekutty Aasan was a very popular artist and she was really fond of the art form. She used to tag along during district-level festivals,” he adds.