Ankita Nair is pursuing her PhD in the discipline of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Gandhinagar. She is working on the recent transformations and challenges posed by modernity to the Kerala classical theatre, Koodiyattam. Her research interests include Indian literature, performing arts, and aesthetics. She is trained in Indian classical music, Bharatanatyam, and briefly in Nangiarkoothu, the female solo form of Koodiyattam.

Abstract of the lecture

The Kerala Kala-eidoscope: Delving into its Performing Art Traditions  

The rich heritage of performing arts has been an integral part of Kerala’s culture. These music, drama and dance traditions encompass ritual-folk, ritual-classical, classical, folk and semi-classical performing art forms. This lecture will explore how the mārga–deśi dialogue has informed them, as can be perceived in all their performative features — the deśi forms carving out their space in the mārga and the impact of mārga on the deśi forms. Focusing on language, the lecture will then discuss the confluence of Malayalam, Tamil and Sanskrit, and show how their interplay has enriched those performing arts. Through form and content ─ the structure, motifs, stories, language and reception — we will see how the Kerala performing art tradition illustrates the dialogic coexistence of cultures.