Kunchan Nambiar (1705 – 1770), a native of Killikurissi Mangalam in Palakkad district and a product of the erstwhile Travancore State, was a poet of unparalleled genius in Malayalam literature. His creative persona was a unique blend of poetic brilliance, scholarly depth, and artistic excellence. It was this extraordinary combination that led Kunchan to establish the semi-classical dance form Thullal in the mid-eighteenth century.
There is a popular legend that Kunchan formulated this dance form to take vengeance against Chakyar, who ridiculed Kunchan for incorrectly playing Mizhav in the Koothu performance. The incident was at Ambalappuzha when Chempakasseri Devanarayana Raja ruled and patronised poets and artists to a large extent. Kunchan left the stage of Koothu, and on the same night, he composed a poem and performed it in the Thullal Dance form the next day in the temple premises. It attracted the audience, and the Chakyar lost his regular audience. The Chakyar complained about the misdoing of Kunchan, and the King ordered not to perform Thullal in the temples thereafter. This story is only a legend and belief. But if Kunchan Nambiar composed Kalyana Saugandhika in one night, it is a Sitankan Thullal, not Ottan Thullal.
Without any clear evidence, it cannot be said whether he framed Thullal poetry and dance within a short period or not and if at all it is correct which Thullal he composed first. Kunchan composed more than 45 Thullal poems and more than ten non-Thullal works of great importance in the history of Malayalam poetic literature.
There are Ottan, Sithankan and Parayan thullal forms framed by Kunchan Nambiar. The Dravidian word ‘thullal’ means up and down movements—other thullal forms, such as Padayani Thullal, Bharatam Thullal, Komaram Thullal, etc. Kunchan used the technique of Chakyarkoothu, and specific folk performances existed in the Middle Travancore area. Ottan is the most sophisticated and refined of the three hull forms compared to Paraya and Sitankan. ‘Krishnarjuna Yudham’ Pampan Thullal is supposed to be a Thullal work of the pre-Kunchan Nambiar period. But there is no evidence for its performance.
Angika, Vachika, Aharya and Sathvika Abhinayas combine beautifully in the Thullal dance. Except for the Vachika, all the other three aspects are minimised very much so that ordinary people can enjoy the performance well. More importance is given to Vachika Abhinaya. It is based on some puranic story taken from Ramayana, Bharata, Bhagavata, etc., and it is rendered in thullal metres like Tarangini, Vaktran, Mallika, etc. and sung with different ragas or tunes.
The dancer has to sing, remembering the whole story poem in definite tunes and rhythms. The orchestra men, the Maddala (Mridanga) player, and the person who plays cymbals have to repeat and continue every couplet of the poem. The performance usually lasts one to two hours.
All the story poems used for Thullal dance, whether it is of Ottan, Sithankan, or Parayan, are full of humour, satire and sarcasm. The poet does not leave anybody from his humorous criticism – Gods, brahmins, kings – all are victims of the artist. A sense of humour also is necessary for the artist.
Reginald Massery and Rina Singha remarked, “This dance lies somewhere between a folk dance and a classical dance. Its roots are certainly the same as those of Kathakali; broadly speaking, it follows the same principles. At the same time, it is very closely connected with the people. It has played a large part in those relations and entertainments, for it directly sets out to be non-academic.”
All dance forms are Angika, Aharya, Vachika, and Sathvika Abhinayas. In Thullal, all these aspects are very simple and inexpensive. The artist’s talent and sense of humour are the major aspects that make Thullal closest to the public. In Kerala, Hastalakshana Deepika is the basis of the hastabhinaya, and in Thullal, where minimum mudras are employed, it is also based on Hastalakshana Deepika. The Rasabhinaya is according to the canons of the Natyasastra.
Thullal demands musical ability, literary competence and artistic merit. Ganapathy, Patvattan, Munnarangu, Kalasam, etc., are the formalities performed by the artist before entering the play of the story. Gods are invoked at the beginning and the closure:
“Narayanaya Jaya; Narayanaya Jaya;
Narayanaya Jaya; Narayanaya Jaya;”
Among the thullal songs, Ottan—Ghoshayatra, Kiratham, Nalacharitham, Santhanagopalam, Syamanthakam, etc.; Sitankan—Kalyana Saugandhikam, Sundopa Sundopakhyanam, Ganapathi Prathal, Poundraka Vadham, etc.; Parayan—Pulinthudi Moksham, Thripura Dahanam, Sabha Pravesam, etc. are very popular on the stage.
Out of the 45 odd Thullal poems of Kunchan, more than 20 are regularly performed, and the Kalyana Saugandhikam Sithankan Thullal is also very popular on the youth festival stages. In the post-Kunchan period, more than 100 Thullal poems were composed by various poets, but none of these gained the popularity of Kunchan’s poetry. Scholars have done a few academic studies on Thullal, and among them, Sahithya Panchananan P.K. Narayana Pillai’s work is worth mentioning here.
The present writer’s two research treatises and references made in the history of Malayalam literature also deserve particular attention. In Germany, Harianu Harshita studied Thullal. In recent years, many Thullal artists have taken an interest in performance, and institutions like Kerala Kala Mandalam and Kunchan Memorials provide coaching on Thullal dance. A German, Harianu Harshita, studied Thullal, translated Kalyana Saugandhikam Sithankan Thullal into German, and performed in Germany.
Thullal is the most popular semi-classical art form in Kerala. The artist who performs Thullal has to gain very disciplined training in the art. He or she must be proficient in singing the poem, creating ethereal moments on the stage, and presenting the story in a humorous style, as the great poet designed and performed it. Kunchan was a unique personality in Malayalam poetry as well as in the art history of Kerala.
Prof V.S. Sharma
The writer is the former Head, Dept of the Malayalam and Dean of the University of Kerala.
