The curtain raiser series of the National Percussion Festival, organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi from July 11 to 13, kicked off on Tuesday with a seminar on the cultural and historical legacy of rhythm in Kathakali, held at the Nila campus of Kerala Kalamandalam.
The seminar was inaugurated by Prof. B. Ananthakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam. In his address, he expressed delight at the renewed academic attention being given to the insights and traditions of past masters. He stressed the need for more rigorous and serious discourse in the field of percussion and performance traditions.
The seminar, moderated by V. Kaladharan, featured presentations by Dr. N.P. Vijayakrishnan, Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan, Jayakrishnan Kottakkal, Kalamandalam Krishnadas, and Kalamandalam Hariharan. Festival curator Keli Ramachandran also addressed the function.
On July 10, a panel discussion titled “Rhythmic Journeys: From Ancient to Contemporary Theatre” will be held at the School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur. The session will be led by Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan and team, with Dr. Abhilash Pillai, Director of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, delivering the keynote address.
The Seminar Hall of the School of Letters, M.G. University, will host a lecture on rhythm and stagecraft in the films of legendary filmmaker G. Aravindan on Tuesday. The session will be delivered by noted film scholar Dr. C.S. Venkiteswaran, with an introductory address by Dr. Aju K. Narayanan. Festival curator Keli Ramachandran will also attend the event.
Published – July 08, 2025 07:13 pm IST
