Tullal
is a dance form of enacting a story through dance and music. This originated in
the early eighteenth century at Ambalapuzha. This was a small principality on
the coast of the erstwhile Travancore area
in south Kerala.
It
was invented by the trendsetting Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiyar, who rendered
his poetry based on epic themes in this newly formulated visual style. He
belonged to the Nambiyar community, percussionists by profession, accompanying
on the instrument called 'mizhavu'. This is the traditional presentation of
Sanskrit plays known as Kuttu and Kutiyattam.
There
is an interesting story behind the origin of Tullal. During a performance the
proficient Kunchan Nambiyar dozed off for a while and did not provide
percussive support to the Chakkiyar actor. The Chakkiyar made fun of his
behaviour with some whimsical remark. Nambiyar took offence and walked off. In
protest against the Chakkiyar's comments, he dissociated from Kutiyattam and
started contemplating a different art form. Thus the concept of Tullal comes.
Leaving aside the question of credibility, the fact remains that Nambiyar made
his art more meaningful and appealing to the common people. This has been done
by introducing a new technique of storytelling. Nambiyar was an active
participant in the elitist Sanskrit theatre. Apart
from his own experience in Kuttu in which social criticism and satire are of
prime importance, he delved deep into the popular form of Patayani.
He combined this with indigenous narration, rhythms, dance, and costumes in the
total art of Tullal. To know more read:
