The rise of the artivists

Kathakali artistes and aficionados are preparing for a new kind of performing life in the post-pandemic world

Recently, I received a message saying a seat had been ‘reserved’ for me at a Kathakali performance that would be held under Kerala’s strict COVID-19 protocol. It further requested me to send a copy of my vaccination certificate!

That message, and its sender Nandakumar Cheramangalath, represent a nascent wave of art activism in Kathakali where individuals, informal groups, and organisations are trying to fill the vacuum created when the pandemic closed down the traditional platforms. Gone too were the corporate sponsors and the advertisements.

In the pre-pandemic era, it was the hundreds of temples in Kerala that kept the Kathakali artiste busy, especially in the festival season stretching from December to May. Several Kathakali clubs that held programmes every month across the State also helped ensure a decent living for the artistes, especially for the majority who are freelancers without a regular salary. The first lockdown, which came during the peak of the festival season in March 2020, struck an unexpected blow from which the performers and the arts community are yet to recover.