Expert comments
by Madan Menon Thottasseri, analogous to discrete news - മലയാളിക്ക് ജീവിതതാളം നഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നു (Malayalees
Loosing Rhythm of Life while ignoring Malayalam)
(in Mathrubhumi- Kollam
News vide http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/2283694-local_news-kollam.html)
An analysis with a probe
into past chronicles veiled behind selected current news and posted as comments
by Madan Menon Thottasseri!
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Is there any correlation
between music or dance of a civilization with that of certain games or sports
excelled by the people there? Yes… This is the elucidation given by Mullakkara
Rathnakaran, M L A, who inaugurated the Oyoor Natya Sastra Dance Academy’s
Anniversary at the auditorium of the Koozhuttu Devi temple, in Kollam district,
Kerala.
He had narrated how
Brazil could continue to perform well in Football while retaining their
traditional Samba music and dance form which gives a thrust for rhythm. It is to
be noted that Mullakkara Rathnakaran must have observed righly while the Samba
music can prompt football players to apply shots as well as timely passing of
ball to team members to carry forward to the goal post of the opponent team for
the final kick of goal.
He expressed the
apprehension that malayalees are losing the rhythm of life as people are
ignoring Malayalam, their mother-tongue. I fully endorse his views. Though I
write these comments and other Articles in English, I still adore my
mothertongue; I like speaking in Malayalam especially to those who knows the
language, even to non- keralites. I can still write poems or short stories in
Malayalam. Despite getting my writings published, I have not continued to
espouse in literary writing. Still I can deliver a lecture or do presentations
in the vernacular; but use only English while venues and situations warrant. If
the situation is favourable (in respect of subject, venue, situation, audience etc.)
then I would like to lecture in simple Malayalam.
The Academy is actually
called as ‘Oyoor Kochu Govindapillai Memmorial Asan Smaraka Kala Kendram’,
which to commemorate Shri. Kochu Govinda
Pillai (1916–2008) who was an exponent of Kathakali Dance
Drama. He was the great disciple of Sri.Chennithala Kochu Pillai Panicker and
Sri.Kurichi Kunjan Panicker, who identified his talents in Kathakali. Kochu
Govinda Pillai had won the Sangeet Nataka Akademi Award for 1989.
By the by what is the speciality of
the Samba Music and Dance?
Samba Parade- Rio's Carnival 2008
Samba is originated from Bahia in Brazil with
its roots in Rio De Janeiro and Africa mainly through slave trades. Currently
it is one of the mostcultural expression of Brazil, symbal recognized
globally.” Samba de roda’ ( dance circle) had become a UNESCO Heitage of
Humanity in 2005. Though Samba had only played strings and other percussion
instruments, due to the onslaught of American orchestras, the post world war
–II, Samba accepted trumpets,clarinets, flutes , trombones etc. In addition to
rythems and bar, the notation for segment of time with given number of beats,
Samba brings a wholesome culture of food, attire with fluorecent clours
involving community artists like sculptors, painters,stylists, designers to prepare
cloths, costemues, carnival floats and even motor vehicles that created history
for the School of Samba Arts. Let me describe Carmen
Miranda (1909-55) the Portuguese-born
Brazilian samba Singer, dancer, Broadway actress, and also film star popular in
the 1940s and 1950s.
The Samba National Day
is celebrated on December 02. The date was established at the initiative of Luis
Monteiro da Costa, an Alderman of Salvador in honor of Ary Barroso. He
composed "Na Baixa do Sapateiro" even though he had never been
in Bahia. Thus 02 December marked the first visit of Ary Barroso to Salvador.
Initially, this day was celebrated only in Salvador, but eventually it turned
into a national holiday.
Brazil's national music
transcends region, however; samba schools, samba musicians and carnival
In
Brazil, folklorists suggest that the word samba is a corruption of
the ‘Kikingo’ word -word Semba, translated as ‘umbigada’ in Portuguese, meaning "a blow
struck with the belly button” In the middle of the 19th century, the word ‘Samba’ defined different types
of music made by Black slaves when
conducted by different types of ‘
Batuque, but it assumed its own
characteristics in Brazilian states due to diversity of tribes but also the peculiarity
of each region in which they were settlers. Some of these popular dances were
known as bate-baú, samba-corrido, samba-de-roda, samba-de-Chave and
samba-de-barravento in Bahia; coco in Cerara
etc.
Carmen Miranda ( 1909 -55), Samba dancer
.jpg)
At this
time ‘Samba’ is popular and very frequently associated with Football and Carnivals.Its success in
U.S enable to spead wings to Europian nations.Popularity of "Aquarela do
Brasil" (Watercolor of Brazil),the 1939 song of Ary Barrosoin flowed by
Carmen Miranda took forward Samba to a new horizon of a new trend called as
Bosa Nova, a lyrical fusion of Samba and Jazz.. The success of the samba in
Europe and Japan only confirms its ability to win fans, regardless of their
language. Currently, there are hundreds of Samba
Scools held on European soil and scattered among countries like
Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Sweden, and Switzerland. Already in
Japan, the records invest heavily in the launch of former Sambista's set of
discs, which eventually created a market comprised solely of catalogs of
Japanese record labels.
Common Instruments of Samba Music
Bossa Nova Pioneer - Joao Gilberto
Samba passed through
various mutations from decade to decades……. During the dictator’srule samaba
music famed musicians like cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Guiiherme de Brito,
Valha Guarda de Partela, ZE Keti and Clementina de Jesus whoall recorded first
albums! In 1970, Samab craeated popularwaves with many new lyricistsand singers
like Paulinho da Viola, Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes,
and Beth Carvalho
The ‘bossa nova’ style
influenced Jazz and incorporated more of classical music in Samba. . From a
festival in Carnegie Hall of New York, in 1962, the bossa nova
reached worldwide success. But over the 1960s and 1970s, many artists who
emerged—like Chico Buarque,
Billy Blanco,Martinho da Vila, and Paulinho da
Viola advocated the return of the samba beat in its traditional form
outside the main scene of the Brazilian Popular Music festivals, the sambists
founded the Bienal do Samba in the late 1960s, and it became the space for the
big names of the genre and followers. Even in the final decade, the samba-empolgação (samba-excitement)
of carnival blocks Bafo
da Onça, Cacique
de Ramos, and Boêmios
de Irajá came
into being. In the early 1980s, after having been eclipsed by the popularity of DISCO and BRAZILIAN
ROCK, Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement
created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.
Samba got morphed during
1990s embracing types of music that were growing popular in the carribbiean such
as RAP, REGGAE
and ROCK. Samba fusions
with popular Caribbean music can be seen in Aall thse forms.which are not just
to entertain, but to unify all Blacks throughout the Americas culturally and
politically through music. Thus samba-rap and other music forms have lyrics
that encouraged Black pride, and spoke out against social injustice.and colour prejudice.
Still is not recognized by all as the
national music of Brazil, or as a valuable art form. Light-skinned
"upper-class" Brazilians construe Samba as music of dark-skinned
blacks originated from West Africa. Thus majority among them looks down on samba
as the music of low-class, dark-skinned Brazilians.
Samba continued to act
as a unifying agent during the 1990s, when Rio stood as a national Brazilian
symbol. Even though it was not the capital city, Rio acted as a Brazilian
unifier, and the fact that samba originated in Rio helped the unification
process. In 1994, the FIFA WORLD had its own samba composed for the occasion,
the "Copa 94". The FIFA WORL CUP 1994, in which samba
played a major cultural role, holds the record for highest attendance in World
Cup history. Samba is thought to be able to unify because individuals
participate in it regardless of social or ethnic group. Today, samba is viewed
as perhaps the only uniting factor in a country fragmented by political division.
The Afro-Brazilians
played a significant role in the development of the samba over time. This
change in the samba became an integral
part of Brazilian nationalism, known as as "Brazilianism".
Now Samba is more mixed
with Drum and
Bass leading to the foundation of novel music – SAMBASS!!.
Marcelo
D2 (born Marcelo Maldonado
Peixoto) Singer & Song Writer
frequently mix hip-hop with samba.
+Singer+&+Song+Writer+frequently+mixhip+hop+with+samba..jpg)
Samba Female dancers
I would like to give some details
about the village Oyoor....
The
Ithikkara River flows south of Ugramkunnu. Prior to public works improvements
in 1975, the river used to become swollen and flood during the monsoon season.
Both the widest and the narrowest parts of the river may be found near Oyoor,
as there is a spot where the water has to flow between two huge rocks
Oyoor (known as Oyur) is a small township under the Velinalloor Grama Panchayath in Kottarakkara Taluk of the Kollam district. The small
enclave is in the bank of Ithikkara River which flows towards south. Before the
public works improvements in 1975, this river was flooded during monsoon
season. At one location where the river is narrow, the water has to flow between
two big rocks having just two feet width, which is known as 'Unnikrishnan
paras'; The river had widened after this rock.
In summer while the flow recede water flows only through one side of the
wide river leaving the balance as a desert like land which enable the village
to facilitate a rural market of indigenos products including household items.
The market is called as “manal Kachavadam” which was a ‘flea/ swap market’
under barter system in olden days.
The
road along with the barren sand land leads to Pakalkuri, a hamlet in the northernmost
part of Thiruvananthapuram district. Children
in Oyoor also depend on the High School in Pakalkuri. In olden days, children
used to ferry across the Ithikkara River, in front of the temple. A bridge across the river was constructed in
1961–63, foundation stone of which was laid by Sri Pattom Thanupillai, the then
chief minister of Kerala.
The
famous Sri Ramaswamy Temple which dates back more than 1,000 years is
located in Velinalloor. Historically, His Highness Marthanda Varma Travancore Kingdom,
the last in the monarchy had
constructed the temple in Velinalloor.The temple is the site of ‘kaala vayal’-
cattle show part of the annual festival –Rohini Nakshathram.
This
temple had enough epic-value while the place is believed to be the King of Vanaras , called as Ugrankunnu, also known as
Sugreevan Kunnu.The nearby another hill- is called as Bali Kunnu ( Bali was the elder brother of Sugreevan). Evidently Ravanan while
taking Seetha to Lanka was stopped by Jadayu. Though Jadayu ried to stop Ravanan
stealing Seetha, he was killed by Ravanan. The place- Chadayamangalam is where Ravanan cut jadau’s wings.The place is called as ‘Jadayupara; This temple of Rama is supposed
to commemorate Lords Rama’s killing of the evil spirited Bali and installing
Sugreevan as the King of Vanara Sena as well as to honour the extreme sacrifice
of Jadayu.
There
is ‘Sree Keezhuttu Devi’ temple which is the abode of both Durga and Bhadrakali
resides in the same Nalambalam. Another temple - “Pey kavu’ is situated hust
100 meters way from the Devi temple wherein there is no idol but people believe
the presence of Lord Shiva as – Appoppan ( Grandfather) with no exclusive
priests. Anyone who comes as devotee can do pujas. But women are barred from
entering the temple. Bananas are the favourate offering to Lord Shiva, called as
Pey-Oottu. The other temple nearby are -Kuzhithrachalil Sree Murugan temple,
which is an ancient temple, the Mathiyodu Madan Kavu
(Madan, male diety, son of Shiva and
Parvathy originated from ancestral guardian spirit of villages) and the
Kaithakkal Devi Temple and Ganapathy temple
in Kottarakkara.
The ‘Sri Ramavilasam
Kathakali School’, managed by Sri Vasukutty the former Kalamandalam Principal - Sri.
Gangadharan (Kathakali music), is also located in Velinalloor. Another school of
Arts - Kalabharathi Kathakali School is also there at Pakalkuri. Celebrated Kadhakali
artists - Kalamandalam Ratheesan and Kalamandalam Ramachandran hails form this
village. Kalamandalam Ratheeshan is well famous for his 'Nalan' and
Kalamandalam Ramachandran for his female characters especially the 'Kurathi'.
Conclusion:
Let me wind up this subject… ‘Malayalees
loosing the tempo of life while ignoring Malayalam’. Not only Kerala, the whole
of India has to comprehend one reality. We should not be like other other
nations which had lost identity by forgetting their language, culture and
traditions. We are unique and we have to retain our idendity due to
geographical or cultural heritage. Let me quote Dalai Lama……. “Open your arms
to Change, but don’t let go of your values”
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