Kathakali

Mom of arts, daughter of Kathakali

       At 78, Lalitha Das is in love. She calls it real madness and not just love. “Yes, I am mad. I am passionate and I can't live without it. The rhythm of Kathakali runs through my blood. It's a 71-year-old story,”  Lalitha Das speaks with energy levels that could outclass a 17-year-old girl.  Today, she is the president of Bangalore Club for Kathakali and the Arts (BCKA), a popular movement that promotes art and culture. While Kerala's all-time runaway hit, Kathakali tops the menu of BCKA, it also extends solidarity to all art forms of Karnataka, especially Yakshagana.

        The BCKA is backed by a long list of patrons who have made a name in their respective fields. Dr Vyjayanthimala Bali, Rani Satish, Capt C P Krishnan Nair and Dr G Madhavan Nair -- to name a few.

AN EARLY START
       Lalitha Das began learning Kathakali at the age of seven at a time when it was strict no-no for girls. Going back to 1943, she said, "It was the period when I gave my first stage performance. Eyebrows went up on seeing a girl taking a liking to Kathakali, considering it was a taboo. Those were the days when girls got married early in their lives and my case was no different. Now, I really regret for not having mastered Kathakali. It is too late, but I have never stopped chasing my passion and I founded BCKA as an answer," she said.
Having travelled across the globe along with her late husband, who was on an international assignment with the Union government, Lalitha Das said that her long stays in Bhagdad and Libya only enriched her thoughts on Kathakali. "I never missed any opportunity to watch a Kathakali session that ran through the night. After my husband died I knew my travel  would be restricted," she said.

BANGALORE CONNECT
          Couple of years back, her first show had Girish Karnad in attendance. "His interest and curiosity in Kathakali was really inspiring and I knew Bangaloreans would love this art form. It was a turning point and the idea of BCKA then took birth. With the support of my daughter, we decided to take the club to the next level. Yakshagana is another art form that has a mesmerising effect on the audience. The stories are very captivating. On an exchange programme of BCKA, we took the entire troupe of Shivananda Hegde from Udupi to Calicut. On another occasion, we brought 32 artistes from Kuchipudi village in AP to the city," she recalled.

According to Lalitha Das, Kathakali has already gained popularity in Bangalore. "The queries we get from non-Keralites are encouraging. It's a challenge to promote ancient art forms in Bangalore in these modern times. Bangaloreans are staunch supporters of art and culture," she said.

DO NOT DEGRADE ART
        Lalitha Das laments the usage of Kathakali in advertisements. "I wrote to Kerala government seeking their intervention to stop an advertisement from being aired on channels, which portrayed Kathakali in poor light. It was removed. All art forms should be respected and not exploited. Unfortunately, in the case of Kathakali, it is being used extensively in all kinds of advertisements," she said.

YOUNG GUNS MUST
    The septuagenarian is of the view that youngsters must be properly educated in getting the right insights into Kathakali and other art forms. "The key is fanning the passion among youngsters if ancient art forms have to survive. Kathakali has a really tough training pattern. In Kerala, Kalamandalam is doing a great service and in Bangalore BCKA is making an honest attempt. We must tap the young talent," says Lalitha Das.

ALL FOR A CAUSE
     So what does the 78-year-old young and vibrant lady do in addition to  promoting art and culture? "We honour artistes periodically. BCKA has a huge heart towards charity and we help various NGOs. On August 24, we have an annual charity event at Chowdiah, with Stephan Devassy's band in action. I believe  in the philosophy of art for a cause. And, age is definitely no bar!" she said.