Mohiniyattam Recital by Lakshmi Sarojam at Edapally

Mohiniyattam recital by Lakshmi Sarojam will be held on 01 April 2016, 06.30 pm, at Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, Changampuzha Park, Edapally, Kochi.

The music is by Arun Palluruthy (Vocal), Shyam K Menon (Mridangam), Vivek Shenoy (Flute), Sundarrajan (Veena), Trippunithura Hari (Edakka) & Sandhya Rajan (Nattvangam).
Make up by Kalady Babu.

Lakshmi Sarojam, trained in Bharatanatyam, learned Mohiniyattam from Nrithyakshetra (Temple of Dance). She has done several performances in India.

Nrithyakshetra (Temple of Dance), a centre for traditional art and dance forms is run by Sandhya Rajan (Granddaughter of the maestros Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair & Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma) with the support of her mother Sreedevi Rajan (Daughter of Guru Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma (Mohiniyattam) & Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair (Kathakali)) and sister Smitha Rajan.

Kochi Biennale Foundation to partner in stage production of ​​O.V. Vijayan’s Khasak

The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), in collaboration with the Kodungallur Film Society and the Bahadur Memorial Trust, will put on ​​‘Khasakkinte Ithihasam’, the acclaimed theatrical adaptation of literary giant O.V. Vijayan’s magnum opus.

​​The production, which will run from April 1-3 ​,​ 6:30 pm​ ​at the Government Boy’s High School ground in Kodungallur is part of a long-running community engagement initiative by the KBF to promote deeper discourse on and greater access to art and culture. The programme is backed by technology major HCL.

Taking its cues from the groundbreaking 1969 Malayalam novel (since reprinted over 50 times), the play – directed by Deepan Sivaraman and presented by KMK Smaraka Kalasamithi Thrikkaripur – depicts the lives and myths of the imagined land of Khasak, the setting of which much resembles the landscape of North Malabar. The director even incorporates Theyyam – a ritualistic dance tradition from the region.

The story of Ravi, a guilt-ridden college dropout who runs away to the hamlet of Khasak in the Palakkad countryside to atone for an illicit affair, is the central narrative of the novel, but Vijayan explores themes like the points of contact and conflict between a mythic past and a rationalising modernity through his protagonist’s experiences and encounters.

Beyond the existential angst of the protagonist, the play delves deeper into the magical, philosophical realm through its rich assortment of inhabitants – ‘Padma’, ‘Maimuna’, ‘Allapicha Mollaka’, ‘Kuppuvachan’, ‘Khaliyar’, ‘Appu-Killi’, ‘Mungamkozhi’, among the other most celebrated of Vijayan’s characters.

 “Theatre in Kerala had its roots in the rustic. Before elaborate stage productions and arts clubs, there were the farmlands and woodlands,” said noted artist and Secretary, KBF, Riyas Komu. “The pastoral has also been the muse for Kerala theatre – even before the town and city offered new avenues for thematic exploration.”
“The strength of Khasak keeps evolving and today’s ‘Khasak’ is a new legend. The mythos of Vijayan’s fictional land is recreated to reminisce of a shared yore, from where fantasy and fact have been distilled in such still living traditions as Theyyam,” he added.

Tickets for the production can be purchased at
​​www.kodungallurfilmsociety.org.

Kutiyattam Plays to be Staged - Directed by Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar

Two new story portions from the epic Ramayana are now adopted to Kutiyattam / Koodiyattam, the age old Sanskrit theatre tradition of Kerala, by Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Ammannur Gurukulam, Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur Dt).The plays will be staged on 26 & 27 March 2016 at Ammannur Chachuchakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur Dt. (Kerala, India).

Rajaneesh Chakyar said that the acting manual is prepared from the third and fourth chapters of the Sanskrit drama 'Prasannaraghavam' written by Jayadevan who believed to be lived in 13th century.
The story lines of these chapters are Seetha Swayamvaram (Marriage of Sita) & Parasurama Vijayam (The Victory of Parasurama). The project is financed by Central Cultural Department.

The details:

26, 27 March 2016 (Saturday, Sunday)
Time: 06.30 pm; Venue: Madavanatyabhoomi, Ammannur Chachuchakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur Dt. (Kerala, India).
Directed by: Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar

Artists:
Story/ Scene:- Seetha Swayamvaram
Actors& Characters
Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Viswamithran), Margi Sajeev narayana Chakyar (Janakan), Sivaprasad Madhavamathrugramam (Satanandan), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Sreeraman), Ammannur Madhava Chakyar (Lakshmanan), Bhadra K M (Seetha).

Story/ Scene: Parasurama Vijayam
Actors& Characters:-
Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Parasuraman), Ammannur Madhava Chakyar (Sreeraman), Sivaprasad Madhavamathrugramam (Lakshmanan).


Music:
Mizhavu (Percussion) - Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Ravikumar, Kalamandalam Vineesh, Kalamandalam Vivek.
Idakka (Percussion) - Kalanilayam Kaladharan, Kalanilayam deepak
Chutti (Makeup) - Kalanilayam Haridas
Thalam (Cymbals)- Gayathri P, Archana Nandakumar, Keerthi Sagar, Bhadra P K M
Costumes / Make up - Kalanilayam Sankaranarayanan, Kalanilayam Haridas

Sree Swathithirunal Music & Dance Festival by Nadopasana at Irinjalakkuda.

Sree Swathithirunal Music & Dance Festival, the annual dance and music festival organised by Nadopasana will begin on 24 March 2016. The four day festival showcases music concerts and dance performance. The awards, Sree Guruvayurappan Gananjali puraskaram & Gold Guruvayurappan pendants will be presented to talented upcoming artists.

The festival schedule

24, 25, 26, 27 Mar 2016: Sree Swathithirunal Music & Dance Festival
Venue: ONV Nagar, NearKottilakkal Ganapathi temple of Sree Koodalmanikyam Devaswom, Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur Dt., Kerala (India) .
Organised by: Nadopasana, Irinjalakkuda.

24 Mar (Thursday):
05.00 pm - Music Concert (Mridangam Arangettam)
Vocal : K P Karthik
Violin: Master Gokul V S Alangode
Mridangam (Arangettam, debut performance):Varun Menon K
Ghatam: Dipu Elamkulam
06.15 pm - Sangeetharadhana, Rendering of Swathi Compositions

25 Mar (Friday):
05.00 pm - Inaugural Ceremony
Sopana Sangeetham by Porur
Presentation of awards
07.00 pm - Swathi Naada Tharangam
Musical Ensembles of Maharaja Swathithirunal Compositions


26 Mar (Saturday):
05.30 pm - Lecture Demonstration based Maharaja Swathithirunal Krithis
06.30 pm - Music Concert

Vocal : S Naveen
Violin: C Rajendran
Mridangam: G Chandrasekhar Nair
Ghatam: Uduppi G Sreedhar


27 Mar (Sunday):
05.00 pm - Thiruvathirakkali
06.00 pm - Music Concert
Vocal : K P Harikrishnan
Violin: Master Gokul V S Alangode
Mridangam: Sajinlal, Edappal
Mugharshangh: Kalamandalam Harikrishnan
07.30 pm - Mohiniyattam by Jayaprabha Menon, New Delhi.


Photo: Jayaprabha Menon, Welcome Kerala

Bharath Fest - National Dance & Music Festival at Thiruvananthapuram

A three day Dance & Music Festival 'Bharath Fest - 2016' organised by Bharath Kalakendra at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (India).  will be conducted on 23, 24 & 25 of March 2016. This 8th National festival of dance & music showcases performances of talented and reputed artists from various regions. Eminent personalities will be honoured with prestigious awards on this occasion.

The festival details,

23, 24 25 March 2016 : Bharath Fest - National Dance & Music Festival.
Venue: Theerthapada Mandapam, East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram.

23 Mar:
06.15 pm: Inaugural Function
06.45 pm: "Natana Vaibhavam" .Presented by - Margi Usha & Gayathri Subramanian
07.45 pm: Odissy . Presented by - Sriradha Paul, Kolkata.

24 Mar:
06.00 pm: Bharatanatyam . Presented by - Alex Raphel, Bangalore
07.00 pm: "Veena Madhuram". Veena recital by Kozhikode Soundar Rajan.


25 Mar:
05.45 pm: Odissy . Presented by - Prachi Hota, New Delhi.
06.45 pm: Closing Ceremony
07.30 pm: Bharatanatyam . Presented by - Parvathy Ram & Aiswarya Sreenivasan (Karur).

Tamil Drama Festival at Thrissur

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Thrissur will organize a festival of Tamil dramas on 19, 20 & 21 of March 2016. The festival will be inaugurated on 19^th March  at 05.30 pm. Three dramas presented by the drama troupes from TamilNadu will be presented on these days. The program will be conducted at 06.30 pm on these days at Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Theatre, Thrissur, Kerala (India) .

The dramas played :

19 Mar: Title: Soppana Vazhvil, Director: Y Gee Mahendra

 20 Mar: Title: Sri Thyagarajar, Presented by: United Visuals, Chennai; Director: T V Varadharajan

 21 Mar: Title: Avatharapurushar Sri Ramanuchar, Presented by: Natakakavalar, Kalaikkoottam;  Director: K R S Kumar.

Screening of Film at Edapally, Ernakulam

Film Screening at Edapally, Ernakulam on 17 March 2016 (Thursday) at Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, Changampuzha Park, Edapally, Ernakulam, Kerala . The screening  will will begin at 06.00 pm.

Title: My Cousin Vinny (1992 ,119 minutes)
Language: English USA
Writer: Dale Launer

My Cousin Vinny

The film deals with two young New Yorkers traveling through rural Alabama who are put on trial for a murder they did not commit, and the comical attempts of a cousin, Vincent Gambini, a newly minted lawyer, to defend them.


Much of the humor comes from the contrasting personalities of the brash Italian-American New Yorkers, Vinny and his fiancée Mona Lisa, and the more reserved Southern townspeople.
Lawyers have praised the comedy's realistic depiction of courtroom procedure and trial strategy. Pesci, Gwynne and Tomei received critical praise for their performances, and Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Billy Gambini and Stan Rothenstein, students from New York, are driving through Alabama. At a convenience store they accidentally shoplift a can of tuna. After they leave, the store clerk is shot and killed, and Billy and Stan are arrested in connection with the murder. Due to circumstantial evidence and a confession to shoplifting misconstrued as one to the shooting, Billy is charged with murder, and Stan as an accessory. The pair call Billy's mother, who tells her son that there is an attorney in the family his cousin Vinny. Vincent LaGuardia Gambini travels there, accompanied by his fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito. Although he is willing to take the case, Vinny is a personal injury lawyer from Brooklyn, New York, newly admitted to the bar on his sixth attempt, and with no trial experience.


Vinny manages to fool the trial judge, Chamberlain Haller, about being experienced enough for the case,in a game of cat-and-mouse that progresses throughout the film. His ignorance of basic court procedures and dress code, as well as his abrasive and disrespectful attitude cause the judge to hold him in repeatedly in contempt. Much to his clients' consternation, Vinny does not cross - examine any of the witnesses in the probable cause hearing. Except for the murder weapon, it appears that the district attorney, Jim Trotter III (Lane Smith), has an airtight case that will inevitably lead to a conviction at the trial. After Vinny's poor showing at the hearing, Stan fires him and uses the public defender, John Gibbons and nearly convinces Billy to do the same. Vinny asks for one more chance to prove himself.

Kathakali Festival at Thrissur

Kathakali Club Thrissur will conduct Kathakali Festival with the financial assistance of Cultural Ministry, Govt of India on 13 March 2016 from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm at ThekkaMadhom Lakshmi Kalyana Mandapam, Thrissur, Kerala (India). The event will have seminar, cholliyattam (acting practice) and Kathakali performances.

Eminent personalities like Kalamandalam Rammohan and Venu G participate in the seminar. The seminar titled  Aaharyathinte Prasakthiyum Pradhanyavum that begins at 10.00 am discuss the importance of costuming and makeup of different characters in Kathakali. Cholliyattam (acting practice) and the performance of Kathakali are then staged in the afternoon (from 2.00 pm). The three stories staged on this day are Kalyanasougandhikam, DuryodhanaVadham and PrahladaCharitham. This is a golden opportunity to see all the different types of costuming in Kathakali including the rare character Narasimham. The Kathakali is presented by the performers from the renowned kathakali school PSV Natyasangam, Kottakkal.

Kathakali Performance

The details of the Kathakali performance.
Stories: Kalyanasougandhikam, DuryodhanaVadham and PrahladaCharitham
Presented by: PSV Natysangam, Kottakkal

1. Story: Kalyanasougandhikam
Written by: Kottayathu Thamburan
Characters: Bheemasenan, Panchali, Hanuman
Actors: Kottakkal Kesavan Kundalayar (Bheemasenan), Kottakkal RajuMohan (Panchali), Kottakkal
Haridasan (Hanuman)

2. Story: DuryodhanaVadham
Written by: Vayaskkara Aryan Mooss
Characters: Sakuni, Duryodhanan, Dussasanan, Dharmaputhrar, Bheeman, Arjunan, Nakulan, Sahadevan, Panchali, Sreekrishnan, Dritharashtrar, Mumukshu, RaudraBheeman
Actors: Kottakkal Sudheer (Duryodhanan), Kottakkal Hareeswaran (Dussasanan), Kottakkal
Harikumar (Dharmaputhrar), Kottakkal Krishnadas (Bhemman), Kottakkal Harikrishnan (Arjunan), Kottakkal Sajeeshkumar (Nakulan), Kottakkal Sooryakrishna (Sahadevan), Kottakkal Balanarayanan (Sakuni), Kottakkal Pradeep (Panchali), Kottakkal C M Unnikrishnan (Sreekrishnan), Kottakkal Krishnadas (Dritharashtrar), Kottakkal Balanarayanan (Mumukshu), A Unnikrishnan (Raudrabheeman).

3. Story: PrahladaCharitham
Written by: Madavur Mudavana Kelu Aasan
Characters : Hiranyakasipu, Prahladan, Sukran, Balakanmar, Santhamarkanmar, Kolayalikal, Narasimham
Actors: Kottakkal Muralidharan (Hiranyakasipu), Kottakkal Sunilkumar (Sukran), Kottakkal Manoj (Prahladan),Kottakkal Harikrishnan, Kottakkal, Sooryakrishna, Kottakkal Sajeeshkumar (Balakanmar), Kottakkal Pradeep, Kottakkal Balanarayanan (Santhamarkanmar), Kottakkal Krishnadas, Kottakkal Harikrishnan (Kolayalikal), Kottakkal Devadas (Narasimham)

Music:-

Song (Vocal): Kottakkal Narayanan, Kottakkal Madhu, Kottakkal Santhoshkumar, Kottakkal Vineesh.
Chenda (Percussion): Kottakkal Prasadkumar, Kottakkal Vijayaraghavan, Kottakkal Maneesh Ramanathan
Maddalam (Percussion): Kottakkal Raveendran, Kottakkal Radhakrishnan, Kottakkal Mahesh
Chutti (Makeup): Kottakkal Satheesh, Kottakkal Anilkumar, Kottakkal Devadas
Backstage: Kottakkal Vasu, Kottakkal Ramakrishnan, Kottakkal Unnikrishnan, Kottakkal Ramachandran, Kottakkal Anoop.

Temple festival with Elephant Procession and Folk Arts

Temple Festival at Vengassery Bhagavathy Kshethram,Vengassery, Kerala (India) on 13 Mar 2016.  The festival - Tholpavakoothu & Nattuthalappoli - has elephant procession, folk forms like Poothan/Thira etc.  The highlights on 13th March are folk and ritual processions. There will be a holy procession in the morning (11am) to Vengassery Mana with one caparisoned elephant and ritual drumming. The return procession starts in the afternoon (1pm) with three caparisoned elephants, Nadaswaram, Panchavadyam etc. Panchavadyam and Melam are then continued after reaching the temple. Processions with folk forms like Poothan/ Thira and processions by various groups with one or two elephants also visits the temple in the evening (4pm-6.30pm). There is one more procession after midnight with Thalappoli, one/three elephants, Melam, Nadaswaram, Panchavadyam etc.which will continue for hours.


Location/Access: The temple is at Vengassery, near Thithala in Palakkad Dt;  On Edappal – Thrithala road, from Vengassery its walkable distance. 8km to Edappal & 6km to Thrithala

Sanskrit theatre 'Uthararamacharitham'

Nepathya, centre for excellence in Kutiyattam at Moozhikkulam, Aluva in Ernakulam Dt of Kerala (India) is conducting Kutiyattam play on 10,11 and 12 of March 2016. The story 'Uthararamacharitham' newly choreographed by Dr Indu G of Nepathaya will be presented on these days. Dr Indu will present 'Uthararamacharitham' , the scenes from the epic Ramayana, on these three days. The event organised by Nepathya with the financial assistance from Dept of Culture, Govt of India, New Delhi will begin at 06.30 pm on these days. Koothambalam, the traditional theatre, of Nepathya at Moozhikkulam will be the venue.

Kalamandalam Manikandan, Nepathya Jinesh, Kalamandalam Sivaprasad and Nepathya Aswin will be accompanying the actor on Mizhavu, the percussion and  Kalanilayam Rajan on Edakka (percussion). Thalam, the cymbals, supporting the play are by Kalamandalam Haritha and Gayathri Unnikrishnan.

Kutiyattam, also Koodiyattam, is the traditional Sanskrit theatre from Kerala. The age old theatre tradition that still survives is declared by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

For complete list of festivals and events in Kerala -  CLICK HERE or www.welcomekeralaonline.com

Music Program at Ernakulam

As part of Kochi Biennale Foundation’s ‘Arts and Medicine’ programme, noted playback singers Shyam Prasad and Praveena Shyam  will perform at the Government General Hospital, Ernakulam on Wednesday, 09 March 2016.

Venue:   Ernakulam Government General Hospital
Time: 10.30 am

Film Screening at Edappally

Kerala Museum in association with Kerala Sangeeth Natak Academy presents film screening  on every second Wednesday of the month.

On 9th March 2016, the film Don't Touch My Children will be played at  Rohini Hall, Kerala Museum at Edappally, Ernakulam Dt (Kerala,India). The film directed by Ron Termaat will start at 6 pm .The entrance is free.