Chakyar koothu

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Guru Padma Shri Mani Madhava Chakyar performing Chakyar koothu

Nangyar Koothu

Chakyar Koothu (pronounced [tʃaːkjaːr kuːtː̪ɨ̆]) is a performing art form from Kerala, south India. It is a kind of mono act and a traditional equivalent of a stand-up comic act. However, unlike the stand-up comic, the performer has a wider leeway in that he can heckle the audience. This highly refined art form narrating stories from Hindu epics (like Ramayana and Mahabharata) and [[Puranas]], combined with prevailing socio-political events, were originally performed in temples in connection with festivals by members of Chakyar community along with Ambalavasi Nambiars. Chakyar narrates the story based on Sanskrit champu prabandha - mixture of prose (gadya) and poetry (shloka). The medium used is refined Malayalam along with thhe original Sanskrit text.

"Koothu" means dance - which is a misnomer, since there is minimal choreography involved in this art form; facial expressions are important, though. Traditionally, it was performed Koothambalam- a place specially designed to perform Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu, inside a Hindu temple and the performer begins with a prayer to the deity of the temple. He then goes on to narrate a verse in Sanskrit before explaining it in the vernacular Malayalam. The narration that follows touches upon various current events and societal factors with great wit and humor.

Koothu was traditionally performed by the Chakyar community. Only two instruments accompany the performance - a mizhav and a pair of cymbals. Different from this is Nangyar Koothu which has only lady characters. It is performed by female performers called Nangyarammas and they belong to Nambiar caste.

Chakyar Koothu was performed only in Koothambalams of Hindu temples. Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār a visionary and virtuoso of this art took Koothu and Kudiyattam outside the temples to the common people. He is considered as the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Kutiyattam artist of modern times.

He performed Chakyar Koothu for All India Radio and Doordarshan for the first time, which popularized this traditional art form among the common man.

When Mani Madhava Chakyar's guru, Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran wrote a new Sanskrit champu prabandha called Prahlādacharita and requested some senior artists to study and perform it, they found it impossible. Then the guru asked Mani Madhava Chakyar, who was then a young artist, to try. He agreed and studied a part of the prabandha within one night and performed it next day at Tripunithura - the then capital of Kochi state. The incident proved his mastery over both Sanskrit and the classical art forms. After some months, he performed entire Prahlādacharita at the same stage.