Performative and Percussionist Art Tradition Of Kerala

 Essay based on Dr. Manoj Kuroor's lecture on 'The Performative and Percussionist Art Tradition of Kerala'. ( available on you tube) 

Kuroor gives an insightful talk about Kerala's performance art and music, talking in depth about the origins of Sangam literature, what exactly does it mean, how is it structured, its aesthetic rules and dictums etc. But before that he introduces the idea of ‘performance art’ and one of the writers he mentions is Jacques Ranciere - his book - Aisthesis in which talks about the power of art to emancipate the spectator in terms of interpreting art and appreciating it in one's own terms. This leads to the idea that political action is brought about not only through rational ideas, but is also affected by art and aesthetic ideas which can play a prominent role in political struggles. Art is a way to challenge and make heard and visible what has been historically rendered inaudible and invisible.  

The speaker brings in two ancient Greek terms - “Aesthesis" and "noesis” - Aesthesis refers to sensory perception and experience. It encompasses all our senses, including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Aesthesis is immediate and pre-rational, meaning, it comes before and forms the foundation for our thinking and reasoning. Noesis refers to intellectual understanding, thought, and reason. Noesis goes beyond the immediate sensory experience and attempts to grasp the meaning, structure, and relationships behind things. Understanding Aesthesis and Noesis is crucial for exploring how we perceive, think, and make sense of the world around us. 

Kuroor talks about Baumgarten who is credited with introducing the term "aesthetics" as a distinct philosophical discipline in his 1735 work "Aesthetica.” He believed that aesthetic experiences, mediated by the senses, provided a vital foundation for intellectual understanding and reflection. Thus he connected both Aesthesis and Noesis.  

Thus, the study of “art” goes far beyond the traditional division into “ pure art” and “applied art” as it was understood in earlier times. It is crucial to take a nuanced approach that recognizes the importance of art in enriching our lives and interact with it in a way that appreciates its diversity and complexity.  

Immanuel Kant's ideas on “pure art” - emphasis on disinterested judgment, the free play of faculties, and universality provides a framework for appreciating art for its intrinsic beauty and form. Yet, absolute purity within this framework remains a complex and dynamic notion. In “conceptual art” we cannot connect the Kantian idea of “disinterestedness” as it gives priority to concepts and meanings over purely aesthetic qualities. It is also important to keep in mind that our understanding of “beauty” or aesthetic value is shaped by our historico-cultural background and is subjective. Art sparks emotions - fear, love, awe - and it thus plays over and beyond Kantian idea of “disinterested judgment.”

Kuroor also mentions Richard Schechner, a key performance art theorist. How is performance art different from everyday experience? Isn't life itself a performance? Performance theory examines the nature of performance across various contexts and cultures. It investigates the relationships between the performer, the audience, the space, and the action itself - analyzing the cultural meanings and significance embedded within a performance. 

It draws from a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, linguistics, theater history, literature, and even neuroscience. Unlike traditional theater criticism that primarily focuses on the text and script, performance theory emphasizes the performer's body and its presence in space. 

It explores how the body communicates through movement, gesture, and physical presence, creating meaning and connection with the audience. It acknowledges the active role of the audience in constructing meaning. It examines how audiences participate in the performance through their attention, reactions, and interpretations, making them co-creators of the experience.  

Performance theory delves into the cultural contexts and histories that inform different performance traditions. It seeks to understand how performances reflect and shape societal values, norms, and identities. Performance theory encompasses a wide range of performative acts, from everyday gestures and rituals to theater productions, dance, music, and even technological interfaces. This broad scope allows for an understanding of how performance shapes our experiences and understandings of the world. 

Another thought put forward by Kuroor is his reference to Hayden White's “Metahistory” - a book that offers a unique perspective on how historical narratives are constructed and how they relate to our understanding of the past. White argues that historians are not simply neutral recorders of facts, but rather creative artists who shape historical narratives through the use of specific literary tropes and rhetorical strategies. This view helped place the role of language, imagination and fiction in historical writing. 

In this context, Kuroor mentions Frank Ankersmith - an important figure in contemporary historical theory who brought in ideas about how historians don't just report “facts” but are active participants in constructing history through narrative and literary tropes. There is an inherent element of “selective memory” in a narration of history and it is very much part and parcel of our understanding of history. This subjective relationship with history essentially gives it a dynamic nature that is opposed to the previous ideas of history as set in rock. 

Having set the stage for presenting history in all its varieties/variables, Kuroor talks about the early history of Kerala. From Paleolithic times to Neolithic times, to the growth of agriculture and formation of villages, history of Kerala is not separate from a vast area encompassing the seas to the east, seas to the west, the current Andhra Pradesh (area near present Tirupati) to the southernmost part of India. The whole area was called “ Tamizhakam” and Kerala's identity lies inextricably intertwined with this. 

Sangham period - roughly from BCE 2 to AD 3 is still shrouded in mystery. Yet it is from this point that we can see the visible history of Kerala. Kuroor mentions that the problem with historical studies is that they take archeological, archival evidence before considering literary evidence. In such a scenario, there is a lot of historical evidence that we derive from the Sangam literature that is not given the importance that it deserves. This approach to historical studies denies literary evidence the impact that it should get. Especially in Kerala's situation where we do not have as much archeological investigations, it denies us a chance to look beneath the sanskritised culture on the surface and dig into the ancient Dravidian culture still intact in Kerala. The cultural developments and political agendas have erased a lot of the essential Sangam literature's spirit from Tamil culture.  

He goes on to give detailed examples of the cultural contexts as presented in the ancient Sangam literature which includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named – Silappathikaram and Manimegalai .

Tolkappiyam was authored by Tolkappiyar and is considered the earliest of Tamil literary work. Though it is a work on Tamil grammar, it also provides insights on the political and socio-economic conditions of the time.

Ettutogai (Eight Anthologies) consist of eight works – Aingurunooru, Narrinai, Aganaooru, Purananooru, Kuruntogai, Kalittogai, Paripadal and Padirruppatu.

The Pattuppattu (Ten Idylls) consists of ten works – Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunararruppadai, Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai, Mullaippattu, Nedunalvadai, Maduraikkanji, Kurinjippatttu,Pattinappalai and Malaipadukadam.

Pathinenkilkanakku contains eighteen works about ethics and morals. The most important among these works is Tirukkural authored by Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil great poet and philosopher.

The two epics Silappathikaram, written by Elango Adigal and Manimegalai by Sittalai Sattanar. They also provide valuable details about the Sangam society and polity. 

During the Sangam Age, South India was ruled by three dynasties-the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. The Cheras controlled the central and northern parts of Kerala and the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. The Cholas controlled the central and northern parts of Tamil Nadu. The Pandyas ruled from Madurai. Tolkappiyam talks about the Five-fold division of lands – Kurinji (hilly tracks), Mullai (pastoral), Marudam (agricultural), Neydal (coastal) and Palai (desert). 

Although a lot of information is available in the Sangam literature to understand the position of women during the Sangam age, it is a sad fact that it remains a topic not much studied or researched.Women during this time were much respected and were allowed intellectual pursuits.There were women poets like Avvaiyar, Nachchellaiyar, and Kakkaipadiniyar who flourished and contributed to Tamil literature. Women did get a lot of freedom, but it is noted that the lives of widows were miserable. Kuroor mentions the conspicuous absence of notable women poets in Malayalam literature for centuries after the Sangam period.  

It is only in the 2000’s and the internet age we see more women poets in Kerala according to Kuroor. Is it because of lack of historical evidence or lack of actual women writers? Does it reflect a society built on invisibility of women? Referring to general lack of awareness of Kerala's shared cultural, historical context with Sangam literature and Sangam age, Kuroor mentions how we still give importance to the Aryan myth of Parashuraman as the creator of Kerala. It completely ignores a deep and vast ore of Kerala's Dravidian cultural heritage. In this context, it is to be noted how he busts the Onam myth and states how Mahabali had nothing to do with Kerala's past or myth. He points out how it actually refers to Assyrians/ Asuras ( Ahor) battles with Aryans. 

After going in depth into the concept of Thinais as presented in Tholkappiyam, Kuroor mentions how each thinai has a particular emotion connected with its geographical description. He mentions ‘akakoothu’ meant for performance in front of royalty and ‘purakoothu’ for performance outside in public. In the ancient text of Silappadikaram we find the myth of Kovalan and Kannaki. Kuroor traces a connection with the Kodungallur bharani paattu with the story of Kannaki discovering the dead body of Kovalan and the language used which is very similar to the strong language used in the bharani paattu in Kodungallur. Even the name “ Kannankali '' used in Kerala seems to be similar to Kannaki, daughter of Shiva and Parvati.  

Whether it is in Koodiyattam, ottanthullal, parayanthullal - when we trace its evolution – in the sounds, tunes etc we find similarities to ancient Tamil schemes/structures and it is in Kerala and its art forms that ancient Tamil literary and musical traditions can still be found intact. In Tamizh culture these were lost with the coming of Shaivism and Vaishnavism. In Kerala, such loss has not happened too much, and just below the surface of Sanskrit culture we can see the influence of Sangam period in Kerala's folk traditions.  

The discussions held during the talk paved for a rethinking of the hierarchical structures one finds in the temple arts - with kathakali ruling at the top. Can the art we make in today's time be understood more if we look at it through the methods, concepts presented in Tholkappiyam's Thinai ideas? Does this aesthetic idea help us transcend a Western aesthetic concept to reach into our own socio-cultural backgrounds? The strong elements of the local or maybe it can be called “vernacularity” can be seen in our living traditions, and, the question is whether we can regain our unique voices through the aesthetic theories or guidelines set by thinai concepts of the Sangam period.  

There are musical instruments as well as ‘ragas’ that can be traced to ancient traditions. Some of the musical instruments, it is interesting to note, are moving forward by adapting to contemporary times in interesting experiments that fail to be documented or recorded because of lack of knowledge or historical awareness of its ancient origins and modern pathways. (Eg. instrument called “maram.” )

It is time for us to look beyond the usual and clouded lenses of ‘ rasa theory’ or ‘natyashastras’ and approach the arts with fresh perspectives. Another example mentioned was the tradition of ‘kalamezhuthu’ which as a proclaimed ancient system was believed to be unchanging in a static sort of way but if one analyzes it in the present day context, we see elements of modernity coming in in terms of new colors used, other improvisational elements blending in, in an atmosphere of organic growth. Yet it should be said that Kerala still holds on stubbornly to ‘classical’ culture as opposed to folk culture. In Kerala's cinema culture also not much change has happened in terms of development of pop music or pop musical instruments. We are still within the tight clutches of what is classical.  

In terms of dance forms, the idea of audience participation was very much part of the Sangam culture and if one looks at contemporary performance theories we seem to have come back to these very same ideas of audience participation in performances. The equality and empowerment of the audience which was there in olden times is as contemporary as ever in today's context. What is the need of the hour is not to stick to mechanical and deadbeat interpretations of prescribed aesthetic theories but to go forward with the spirit of freedom and inclusivity in artistic thoughts.