Mar 01 2026 to Mar 01 2026 7 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Kālidāsa never met Kūṭiyāṭṭam. Until now.

Nepathya presents a scene from Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Kālidāsa’s most celebrated play: the moment when Duṣyanta and Śakuntalā meet and fall in love. Conceived and designed by Guru Margi Madhu Chakyar, this adaptation brings together what history kept apart.

In this adaptation, the Sūta enacts Duṣyanta’s actions. Duṣyanta mirrors the deer. His responses echo Śakuntalā’s movements. What emerges is emotions synchronizing across bodies, a complementary interplay that grew from attempting the impossible.

Kūṭiyāṭṭam stretches time. A gesture can last minutes. A glance becomes an entire emotional landscape. What you see is intensity, immediacy, and a particular kind of attention.

Kālidāsa. Kūṭiyāṭṭam. They meet at last.

Part of Pravāha 2026, The Body As Space: A Journey Through The Senses. This year’s festival is built around what we hear, smell, touch, taste, and see. Eight days of multisensory experiences through classical music, contemporary dance, installations, and conversations.

Presented by:

Artists

Nepathya
Centre for Excellence in Kudiyattam
Nepathya, founded in 1998 in Muzhikkulam, central Kerala, is a centre for excellence in Kudiyattam, a classical Sanskrit theatre tradition that has flourished in the village for generations. Rooted in the Ammanoor lineage of Chakyars who migrated from Koppam (Malabar), the institution preserves, teaches, and performs Kudiyattam in its traditional format, emphasizing the core aesthetic and technical principles of this ancient art form.

Beyond performance and training, Nepathya engages in research on the history and evolution of Kudiyattam, the conceptualization of new texts, and the revival of rarely performed works. Its process includes detailed literary and grammatical study, preparation of the aattaprakaram (performance text), rehearsals, and staging, with careful attention to preserving the poetic and dramatic integrity of the original texts. The development of new performance texts, costume design (aaharya), music, and documentation contributes to shaping the contemporary performance landscape of Kudiyattam.

In collaboration with the International Centre for Kudiyattam at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Nepathya has revived and staged works such as Kamsavadham Prabandham, Karnnabharam, Doothaghatotkacham, and Kanchukeeyam. It has also adapted Shakespeare’s Macbeth into Kudiyattam and conducted community appreciation courses. The troupe performs widely in Kerala, across India, and internationally, including at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2009. Each year, Nepathya presents the D. Appukkuttan Nair Award to a young artist in Kudiyattam or Kathakali.

The institution was led by Padmasree Guru Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakyar, a torchbearer of the Ammannoor style, and is now headed by his disciple and son, Margi Madhu, an accomplished performer and scholar. Along with Dr. Indu G., a leading Kudiyattam actress and scholar, and a dedicated ensemble of musicians, artists, and students, Nepathya continues to focus on rare full-length performances. Through collaborations with the Hebrew University (since 2008) and Tubingen University (since 2013), it has presented complete enactments of major acts while fostering scholarly and creative exchange. Nepathya views the uncompromised practice of Kudiyattam as a cultural resistance to the violence of modern mechanization.