Biennale Run-up: Vadakara Outreach to stage Chavittu Nadakam

KOZHIKODE: 

Bringing to Malabar the inclusive spirit of the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB-6), the organisers of the sixth edition of the art festival are hosting an event on ‘Contemporary Folklore and Cultural Resistance’ at Vadakara this Sunday.

Being conducted by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in collaboration with Vadakara Sahithyavedi, the Outreach event on November 16 will feature seminars and lecture-demonstrations besides the presentation of the Biblical Chavittu Natakam stomp-theatre from Ernakulam district.

The songs, dance and discussions, under the KBF’s ‘Art…Time…Conflict’ series curated by researcher Keli Ramachandran, will be held at the Vadakara Municipal Town Hall. Beginning at 10 a.m., the programmes will conclude with a stage show of the Chavittu Nadakam play ‘Karalman Charitham’ by Kurumbathuruth Yuva Kerala Chavittunataka Vedi of Puthenvelikara near North Paravur.

The public can participate in the seminar along with the delegates. For registration, call at 9495031956. The venue is 52 km north of Kozhikode city.

The forenoon’s seminar will be inaugurated by folklorist Prof Purushottam Bilimale, who is Chairman of Kannada Language Development Authority. Folk-arts scholar Dr Raghavan Payyanad will deliver the keynote. KMB president and visual artist Bose Krishnamachari will be the chief guest. The session will be chaired by poet Veerankutty, president of the Sahitya Vedi. Kalaripayattu exponent Padma Shri Meenakshi Amma will be honoured.

The ceremony will be followed by talks on ‘Folkloric Cinema; Cinematic Folklore’ (Dr Aju K. Narayanan) and ‘Reflections on the Representation of Women in Folklore’ (Dr P. Vasanthakumari). Subsequently a session on the singing traditions of Kerala will be led by V.T. Murali, Faisal Elettil, Dr A.K. Appukuttan and Ravi Wayanad.

Comparing and contrasting north Malabar’s Theyyam tradition with Chavittu Nadakam of coastal Kochi will be a demonstration by Y.V. Kannan and Roy Georgekutty. At the closing session, literary critic Dr P. Pavithran will deliver the keynote. Seminar coordinator Dr K.M. Bharathan will preside. This will be followed by Chavittu Nadakam.

KMB-6, which is to begin on December 12 around Kochi, has its artworks curated by Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, Goa. The show will be on till March 31, 2026. KBF is a 2010-registered non-profit charitable trust.