It’s a sad irony that the people who love us most are also the ones who are taken for granted the most! Only when they forsake the material world for higher spiritual realms do we realize their Himalayan stature …and so it was with Achan.

I meet someone somewhere and inevitably he is a fan of Achan’s writing or personality! And then the manner in which that someone relates to me and accepts me is entirely different. It is as if the magic of Achan’s life has embraced me…doors begin to open, courtesies are extended and a new warmth enters the discussion. This theme has recurred time and time again throughout my life.

During one of my numerous sorties to Mumbai during the late eighties I had an amazing experience. Sitting in a taxi on the long ride from Santa Cruz airport to Nariman Point I began a sociable conversation with the cabbie. Pandit was from UP but had made Mumbai his home several decades earlier. He was gracious and well read and wanted to know about me. I told him I lived in Cochin but traveled often to Mumbai. Soon the conversation veered around to family and I mentioned that Achan was a famous name in the world of Malayalam literature. The minute I mentioned Achan’s pen name “Mali” he turned around and said that he had read some of his work. I was amazed! How could a taxi driver from UP living in Mumbai have read Achan’s Malayalam works? Apparently, Pandit had read a translation of “Mali Ramayanam” serialized in a Hindi magazine! I was dumbfounded! It was then that I began realizing the true power and penetration of Achan’s life.

A lot of the time we partake in intellectual gymnastics on the state of our country. Eroding values is a favourite topic of discussion….as if the previous generations were all pristine practioners of principles! If that were so, would we be rearing generation after generation of cynical young Indians bereft of role models ? And yet Achan stood out like a beacon by his simplicity and principle-centred life. Many, many times he demonstrated that doing the right thing was far more preferable to opting for short cuts. As a senior officer of the government he was incorruptible even when placed in the bustling business driven city of Ahmedabad.

Versatility was Achan’s middle name. You name it and he knew it because he had done it! From tennis to all sports, Indian history and culture, Malayalam, English and Sanskrit literature, music, current affairs, broadcasting….he was a master practitioner of them all. His skills and interests were all transferable, imbuing him with a world view that render the rest of us pygmies by comparison.

Excellence was the hall mark of Achan’s life. Everything he did was as close to perfect as he could get. This has guaranteed that his books have remained best sellers over the last 50-odd years; it also explains why anyone (lakhs of people by now) who has witnessed Karnasapatham kathakali (authored by Achan) has been so deeply affected by the synergistic combination of the poignancy of Karna’s dilemma and the masterly blend of ragas and verse. If he wrote a note or a letter you could bet your last rupee that the language was perfect and the handwriting was exquisite; if he produced a backhand down-the-line on the tennis court you could be sure that it was straight from the copybook! If an artiste momentarily dropped the shruti during a concert Achan would wince! There simply was no room for mistakes in anything that he was involved in!

Achan’s word was his covenant and punctuality was his style. With him you knew exactly what to expect and where you stood. The word ambiguity simply disappeared in his presence!

But more than all that, Achan loved us all….more than can be articulated; and that perhaps is the greatest of his legacies (and there are ever so many)! The shoes he left behind are so awfully large that sometimes I despair if I can ever even touch them, let alone stand in them. A father’s legacy, sadly, is visible only after he is gone…..

The late `Mali’ Madhavan Nair was a versatile genius. But his lasting contribution was to the Kerala arts.

THE late Mali V. Madhavan Nair excelled in many areas — he was the tennis champion in the erstwhile Travancore state, an athlete who set several records, a member of the state team in a variety of games, editorial board member of Free Press Journal (Mumbai), editor of National Book Trust, station director of All India Radio, director of cultural affairs of Travancore Devaswom Board, chief editor of Kerala Nirmithi Kendram, and, above all, a towering writer on arts, literature, Indian architecture and sports for a variety of English publications like The Hindu, Statesman and Malayalam periodicals like Mathrubhumi.

This law graduate wrote under the nom-de-plume `Mali’ and `Vanamali’ and also under his real name V. Madhavan Nair. However, he was more popular as Mali.

Household name

Mali’s debut children’s novel Circus, published in Mathrubhumi during the 1950s, was a trendsetter. Through his shortened versions on Indian epics for children, both in Malayalam and English, Mali became a household name during his lifetime. Altogether Mali authored 53 books, including 40 books for children of which seven were in English.

In the field of Kathakali, Mali earned a name through his magnum opus and sole script, “Karnasapatham”. Written in 1966, the International Centre for Kathakali, New Delhi first staged it. “Karnasapatham” is the only story of recent origin to have earned this coveted stage recognition and is considered to be on a par with the great classics like the Nalacharitam of Unni Warrier.

What makes Karnasapatham so popular? First, the librettos are so simple that even a layman can understand and appreciate it. Till then, Kathakali scripts were written in highly Sanskritised and ornate Malayalam with the result that an average viewer could not understand much.

“Karnasapatham” heralded a new epoch in that aspect; it evoked an unprecedented response. Even during the author’s lifetime, it saw more than 5000 stage performances.

“Karnasapatham” is the first play to focus on Karna from the Mahabharata. The climax of Mali’s story was the highly emotional meeting between Karna and his birth mother Kunti.

Every leading Kathakali artiste has taken a role in “Karnasapatham”, whether as Karna, Kunthi, Duryodhana or Dussasana. The late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was well known for his role both as Karna as well as Kunti. Kalamandalam Gopi has played the pivotal role of Karna, to the extent that it is one of his masterpieces, especially along with Sivaraman as Kunthi.

Ready appeal

The entire play lasts about three and half hours, unlike other Kathakali plays that are intended for dusk to dawn performances. At a time when people do not have much time, “Karnasapatham” had a ready appeal. The entire story was conceived and presented like a one-act play sans any break.

This was a departure, since traditionally Kathakali plays were split into a number of different scenes connected by slokas.

The songs were composed in mellifluous language and set in rakthi ragas like Hindolam, Kanada and Reethigowla, some of them for the first time in any Kathakali repertoire.

Unlike other Kathakali plays, Mali himself set the music and devised the nritya aspects for “Karnasapatham”, making him the author-choreographer.

At one point towards the end of his life, irritated by the “unwarranted and unacceptable liberties by changing the set original ragas by musicians to suit their whims and fancies”, Mali decided to ban the staging of “Karnasapatham” without his written consent. However, the play was too popular for him to succeed in this attempt.

Mali also unearthed the music of composers from Kerala and propagated them, sometimes at the risk of his career and in the face of much opposition. He did it for the love of art and literature. His book Kerala Sangeetam mentions the steps he took to highlight composers from Kerala and Malayalam songs. Kerala Sangeetam is a classic work on the origin and development of classical music in Kerala.

“Of late, after his death, deliberate attempts have been made to conveniently forget his contributions and credit is given to others who were only following in his footsteps,” laments his daughter Madhavi Ramkumar who is Caratic vocalist. But for Mali the old precious compositions of Kerala wouldhavelanguished in obscurity and not seen the light of day.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2005/07/10/stories/2005071000400500.htm

“Karnasapatham”, the most successful Kathakali play written in the 20th century, is now deemed a classic by virtue of its theme and the innovative ingredients woven together, within the framework of classicism, by a master story teller and dramatist.

Depicting the anguish of Karna, forced to choose between his friend and benefactor Duryodhana, and his siblings the Pandavas, the tightly knit story culminates in the triumph of his devotion to the former and in his mighty oath renouncing all else. The current presentation featured superb performances by all the players, with restrained emoting in the opening segment with Duryodhana, Bhanumathi, and Karna, and an ebullient Dussasana ushering in a complete change of mood.

Kalamandalam Gopi’s ilakiyattam, recounting past incidents including his tutelage under Parasurama, and the subsequent curse from him, conveyed the character’s deep sense of unease, further accentuated in the interpretation of the heart rending padam “Endiha manmanase” in Hindolam. The crux of the play, the interface between Karna and Kunthi, saw deeply evocative abhinaya from the lead actor, though the protagonist’s unspeakable torment has been more palpable and more powerful in many of his innumerable earlier performances in the same role.

Margi Vijayakumar’s interaction, in his role as Kunthi, was a reiteration of his status as a top ranking ‘sthree vesham’ artiste. The poignancy and depth of the text could not, however, be exploited fully due to constraints of time, and logical progression to the denouement was affected, as a major portion afterwards, leading up to the oath, was edited out. The exquisite lyrics, and the usage and juxtaposition of ragas, set by the author himself, have contributed much to the success of “Karnasapatham”, and the bhava-laden rendering of the vocalists was one of the highlights of the day’s performance.

But the introduction of Sumanesaranjani in place of the designated Anandabhiravi, and of Shubhapanthuvarali instead of Shahana, diluted the underlying emotional intensity and integrity of Kunthi’s dialogues, as did Sindhubhairavi in place of Punnagavarali in Karna’s padam. Nevertheless the total dedication and synchronisation of the vocalists and the percussionists augmented a memorable performance that concluded with a vibrant kalasam by the pacha, kathi and chuvanna thadi characters together.

MADHAVI RAMKUMAR

© Copyright 2000 – 2009 The Hindu

Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2010012950820300.htm&date=2010/01/29/&prd=fr&

He has enriched entire generations with his contributions to Literature, Music, Kathakali and Sports. Mali’s versatility is clear from his career: lawyer, journalist, author, story-teller par excellence, musicologist, kathakali playwright, dramatist, editor, pioneer in Indian radio and TV broadcasting…tennis champion, high jump record holder…the list is seemingly endless! Officially, Mali served with the All India Radio for many years before retiring as Station Director.

Mali is the benchmark in Malayalam children’s literature. He set world class standards (quantum of output, quality, simplicity and creativity) for Malayalam children’s literature. Mali’s wordcraft manifested itself in an innovatively simple style that reached out and captivated children and adults alike. It is therefore not surprising that most of his 52 books are best sellers! The thousands of stories and childlike humour that flowed from his pen are a priceless treasure for children in the years to come. Virtually all his work is ideally suited for animation and special effects for today’s infotainment.

By retelling the three epics in his own inimitable style Mali has performed yeoman service in educating and instilling amongst readers, a sense of pride in India’s ancient and noble heritage.  Mali Ramayanam, Mali Bharatham, Mali Bhagavatham, Puranakathamalika and all the other wonderful books are a treasure trove of stories, highest human values and cultural refinement that are vitally required in the world today..

The most popular attakkatha (kathakali play) of the modern age, Karnasapatham, which has been staged over 10,000 times was authored by Mali. It was born out of his masterly understanding of not just kathakali but also human behaviour, music and the ethos of India. By its one-act play style, simple but highly evocative lyrics set to appropriate ragas (some of which have never before been used in kathakali) and a gripping storyline, Karnaspatham has enthralled audiences all over the world. Mali’s signal service to kathakali has been to increase its mass appeal by ensuring that even laymen can appreciate and enjoy Karnasapatham.

Mali’s  Kerala Sangeetham is still the ultimate  reference  work for scholars of carnatic  music as it has evolved in Kerala. Students and musicians alike use this book to enhance their understanding and build their repertories.

Mali was one of those rare gems who combined personal discipline, integrity of the highest order, scholarship, versatility, creativity and supreme writing ability. He transcended into the higher realms on the 2^nd of July 1994 but his work remains as a priceless treasure….and still speaks…with eloquence about his contributions.