Ammannur Madhava Chakyar (1917 - 2008) and Kudiyattom

Ammannur Madhava Chakyar the 91 year old Kudiyattom dancer is no more. He died on July 1 at his house Ammannur Chakyar Madom, at Irinjalakuda near Thrissur. He was 91. Had it not been for him Kudiyattom would have gradually died a tragic death in select Kerala temples. He brought it out and the world saw this graceful Sanskrit dance form which is a predecessor of Kathakali. He had a string of awards to his name, these included Padma Bhushan, Kalidasa Samman, Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award and Kendra Sangeet Nataka Akademi Award. He was selected to receive the UNESCO heritage citation which described Kutdiyattam as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.

I had the good fortune of attending a Kudiyattom performance at the Indore Rajwada on March 20 2008. This was part of the Phalgun festival to celebrate Holi. The Jatayu Ravana confrontation after the abduction of Sita was the theme of that day's performance. Some images I clicked that day

















A Short Biography Of Ammannur - Kapila. Kapila maintains a weblog on Kudiyattom. She is a disciple of Ammannur and is the daughter of G Venu who is also a disciple of Ammannur and is an eminent researcher into the dance and theatre forms of Kerala who has also played a major role in the revival of many of these ancient forms.

Link to an article from The Hindu (Friday Mar 18 2005) titled Endowed With Divine Talent. It is about Madhava Chakyar and his disciple and researcher G Venu who were honoured at a function in Chennai. Click here.

Short films at the Youtube Screening Room

Youtube has revolutionised internet use. Everyone who uses the internet will agree that this innovative idea which came about in 2006 thanks to the efforts of Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim has enriched our internet usage.

I am stunned by the range of videos especially the vintage variety which one can see thanks to Youtube. I have also been able to create blog posts based on one topic (The Beatles for instance). And I have also been able to upload a dozen short videos of birds that I shot in this small town where I live. The other day I happened to see the promo for a short film which was available on Youtube and I got to know about the Youtube Screening Room and this gave me access to some lovely short films.

Some of these are award winning films and there is no way that one can get to see them in India in a multiplex or a normal cinema hall. Here are some of the films that I have seen:

(1) The Danish Poet: This is a lovely short film set in Scandinavia which won an Oscar for animation. The narrator is the legendary Liv Ullmann.

(2) 4960: Directed by Wing -Yee Wu this short film is set during the siege of Sarajevo and according to Youtube " follows a young man and woman as they attempt to communicate across the war-torn space between them."

(3) Ryan: An Oscar winning animation film on the famous animator Ryan Larkins who descended into alcoholism and penury. This film is by his friend and fellow animator Chris Landreth.

Why don't you take a visit and see for yourself?

Click to Enter: The Youtube Screening Room.