Adique, Maria Viluizza P.

(42042127)

March 8, 2017

ASIA 304 At-Home Response Paper

Kutiyattam: Discussion of Performances Illustrating the Battle Between

Bali and Sugravi

In this writing, I will be discussing a video showcasing Kutiyattam traditions

produced for the Nepathya Centre For Excellence in Koodiyattam, focusing on one

specific scene: the battle between the monkey-kings Bali and Sugriva from the great

epic Ramayana.1 I will discuss Kutiyattam first, then address the video. I will describe

and disclose historical context regarding the genre and the scene separately, as well

as deliberate on visuals such as costume and make up, hand gestures, and facial

expressions. In the end, I will speculate on the connections between the drum

rhythms and the performers, and consider the instrument(s) and rhythm that are

being used.

Kutiyattam is the enactment of Sanskrit drama and is believed to be the

oldest living theatre in the world, originating from Kerala of South India.2,3,4 It has

1 Sangeesh Chengamanad, Nepathya Koodiyattam Expressions, filmed [n.d.], Youtube video, 0:50
minutes, posted [April 2014], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMClKVUY04A.
2 Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, accessed March 7, 2017,
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/kutiyattam-sanskrit-theatre-00010.
3 C. Rajendran, Kutiyattam: In Retrospect and Prospect, Indian Folklife, no. 38 (2011).
4 Sangeesh Chengamanad, Nepathya Koodiyattam Expressions, filmed [n.d.], Youtube video, 0:23
antiquity that spans approximately two thousand years.5,6 Performers of the art had

royal patronage and social prominence on occasion.7 However, the number of

connoisseurs decreased once westernization permeated the culture.8 As a

consequence, performers had to be mostly content with an indifferent [audience

who have no traditional knowledge systems and scholarship] ... within the temple

precincts.9 The tradition starts with the lighting of the lamp in the middle of the

stage and then drummer(s) (and/or other instrumentalists) enter the stage.10

Depending on what story is being told, characters enter the view of the audience last

and recites Sanskrit very slowly.11

The above-mentioned order of events are not shown in the video that I have

chosen for this response. Instead, the beginning cuts to the already lighted lamp with

the presence of drummers lined behind the two characters (Bali and Sugriva).12 In the

great epic Ramayana, Sugriva was exiled from his native land by his own brother,

Bali.13 During his exile, Rama seeks Sugriva's help in search for his wife Sita.14 Sugriva

minutes, posted [April 2014], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMClKVUY04A.

5 Ibid, 0:28 minutes.
6 Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, accessed March 7, 2017,
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/kutiyattam-sanskrit-theatre-00010.
7 C. Rajendran, Kutiyattam: In Retrospect and Prospect, Indian Folklife, no. 38 (2011).
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Tom Hunter, Featured Performance 1: Kutiyattam Performances (lecture, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver Canada, January 5, 2017).
11 Ibid.
12 Sangeesh Chengamanad, Nepathya Koodiyattam Expressions, filmed [n.d.], Youtube video, 0:50
minutes, posted [April 2014], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMClKVUY04A.
13 John Campbell Oman, The Great Indian Epics: The Stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata;
with Notes and Appendices (London: London Routledge, 1900), 53.
14 Ibid.
helps Rama with the understanding that Rama would help Sugriva as well and be

reinstated as king.15 It is under these circumstances that Sugriva and Rama finally

locates Bali. A battle between the brothers commence and it is this battle that the

performers are depicting in the video.

As acknowledged before, Bali and Sugriva enter the stage last, while four

drummers are already lined in the background. We see that all drummers have similar

outfits: bare-chested with ornaments (eg. necklaces), and embellished white pants

(or skirt, it is difficult to tell). The outer two drummers in the formation (ie. the

drummer to the far left and far right) have smaller drums hanging on their left thigh

while the inner two drummers have larger (taller) drums that rest on the ground. I

can only speculate that the inner drummers play the 'bass' part of the ensemble

because of the size of the drum (the larger the instrument, the lower the frequencies

produced). Because of the size of these drums, I can also assume that they must

have a more dominant (ie. louder) sound than the outer drums. The inner drummers

also use their bare hands to play while the outer drummers seem to be using a tool

to strike the drums.

The actors (or dancers perhaps), on the other hand, have very elaborate

costumes. They both have wide skirts, very intricate golden shirts, elaborate make-

up (and masks maybe), and detailed head pieces. One of them though, wore an outfit

that has more red in it, while the other wore black. I can only hypothesize that they
15 John Campbell Oman, The Great Indian Epics: The Stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata;
with Notes and Appendices (London: London Routledge, 1900), 53.
wore contrasting colours to clearly differentiate between the two characters.

Moreover, I was able to correctly guess that the black-costumed performer is Bali

while the other (red) is Sugravi. Evidence for this is caught in the end of their

performance: the black-costumed man was slain by the red-costumed man (ie. Bali is

defeated by Sugravi). It is interesting to note that, upon further investigation, there

seems to be connotations involved with colour in Indian tradition. The colour black is

associated with evil, absence of energy, and death.16 On the other hand, the colour

red have a variety of meanings. It could mean purity, or (to incite) fear, but most

notably violence and disruption in South India.17 Therefore, it falls into place that

Bali wore black and Sugravi wore red. Furthermore, both of their hand gestures and

facial expressions parallel the other's. In the video, we can see that Sugravi and Bali

both have the same posture and stance as they circle each other. They both raise

their own branches with the same hand (right hand). What is interesting for me, is

that their hand gestures do not really portray the story (unlike in the Kathak dance

videos from the in-class response paper before). What we see is them raising the

branch to strike the other, but their gestures are not as graceful as what we have

seen. Furthermore, they move too much around the stage to properly see their facial

expressions. While it is obvious that there is a hint of anger in their faces, subtle

differences are difficult too see. Instead, we gather the story from their posture, the

16 Kate Smith, India: A Country of Symbolic Colors, Sensational Color, accessed March 8 2017,
http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-around-the-world/india-country-symbolic-
colors-1935#.WMDpu3e-IfE.
17 Ibid.
intensity of the music and the way they move around each other.

Musically, the rhythm of the drums is very complicated. Having Western music

background, my ears are very tempted to hear 4 / 4 time signature (hearing as the

pulse is mostly even, no syncopation whatsoever). Alas, I hear some individual

triplets and sixteenth rhythms here and there which only made it difficult for me to

determine the tala involved. However, I did notice that there is a connection between

the rhythms and the act that is occurring onstage. When the two are introduced and

first started their battle, waving their own branch of leaves (perhaps to explicitly

symbolize the characters being monkeys in the epic), the drum rhythms are

synchronized to the steps of the performers. Whenever the actors jump or turn

around, the rhythms complement their movements. Whenever Bali and Sugravi meet

in the middle and interact (that is, 'fight'), the rhythm becomes louder and more

intense. When they lose their branches and grapple each other, the drums become

more animated. Finally, when Bali is defeated, they quiet down (a little) and stop

briefly just as he hits the ground. Then the percussions become loud once more

signalling that there is more to come. True to the colour red's connotation, Sugravi

displays more violence by grabbing a nearby prop (seems like a chair or a small table)

and 'smashing' it onto the fallen Bali. Just as the prop hits Bali, the drums once again

stop briefly. At this instance, we hear Bali's painful shout. Thus, I can surmise that

the brief silence of the drums is meant to allow Bali's expression of pain.

In this response, I discussed a video showcasing Kutiyattam traditions and

focused on one specific scene: the battle between the monkey-kings Bali and Sugriva

from Ramayana. I deliberated about Kutiyattam first, elucidating historical context

about the genre, and then, I addressed the video. I examined the performance's

visuals (ie. costume and make up) and analyzed the actors' hand gestures and facial

expressions. I also discovered that the colours of the costumes of the two actors

correlate to the roles that they play. In the end, I speculated about the drum

rhythms' role in the performance and settled on the implications of my observances:

that the rhythms complement and accompany the actors in the performance by

increasing its intensity and volume in response to the act that is occurring on stage.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chengamanad, Sangeesh. Nepathya Koodiyattam Expressions. Filmed [n.d.]. Youtube video, 46:40

minutes. Posted [April 2014]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMClKVUY04A.

Hunter, Tom. Featured Performance 1: Kutiyattam Performances. Lecture, University of British

Columbia, Vancouver Canada, January 5, 2017.

Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Accessed March 7, 2017.

http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/kutiyattam-sanskrit-theatre-00010.

Oman, John Campbell. The Great Indian Epics: The Stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata; with

Notes and Appendices. London: London Routledge, 1900.

Rajendran, C. Kutiyattam: In Retrospect and Prospect. Indian Folklife, no. 38 (2011).

Smith, Kate. India: A Country of Symbolic Colors. Sensational Color. Accessed March 8, 2017.

http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-around-the-world/india-country-

symbolic-colors-1935#.WMDpu3e-IfE.