Dying on the stage in the Nāṭyaśāstra and Kūṭiyāṭṭam: perspectives from the Sanskrit theatre tradition (original) (raw)
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Kūṭiyāṭṭam, the traditional Sanskrit theatre of Kerala has come to the limelight in recent times with the UNESCO awarding the title ‘Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ to it in 2001. Being the only surviving Sanskrit theatre anywhere, it opens up vast possibilities of research in classical theatre .India is fortunate in having a seminal text like the Nāṭyaśāstra which happens to be the only ancient treatise in the world in outlining the a to z of theatre. However, the abstract principles of performance described in the text are often baffling for want of a living theatre. Sanskrit theatre, it is well known, has become extinct in most parts of India from medieval times. However, through Kūṭiyāṭṭam, we can understand the implications of theatrical practices of ancient India to a considerable extent, though it has developed a lot of regional ramifications in the course of its development. It is proposed here to explore what Kūṭiyāṭṭam has to offer us in decoding the theatre language of ancient India. The salient features of the Sanskrit theatre, especially its emotive dimensions, body language, dance orientation and orchestration could be better understood if we could explore the theatrical practices of this unique art.