'It’s a myth that only men can excel in this art form: Kerala’s all-women Kathakali troupe'

The Thripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangam, the only all-women Kathakali team in India recently received the Nari Shakthi Puraskar from the President of India for their contribution to Kathakali.
The members of the Sangam talk to Kochi Times about their journey...
At a time when few dared to break the gender barriers, back in the year 1974, a group of 14 girls from Kochi set out to learn Kathakali, an art form which was solely men’s forte.It wasn’t a protest or a rebellion but a movement initiated by a few progressive minds, and thus was born the Thripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangam, the first all-women Kathakali troupe in India, in which even the accompanists and singers are women.
Cut to 2017, and those little girls have grown up to be Kathakali experts, now in their 50s and 60s. The last four decades have been eventful for them, having performed in more than 1,900 stages across the globe.
How the journey began...
The maiden member Radhika Varma, who is also a banker by profession, recollects, “My father, K T Rama Varma, was a connoisseur of Kathakali. He was the first one who thought of sending me to learn Kathakali. I started learning under Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair Asan and I performed Poothanamoksham for my arangettam. Seeing my performance, my father hit upon an idea, why not start an all-women Kathakali troupe?”
There were oppositions and apprehensions, as everybody had a notion that the art form is only for men. “We were kids then, so we never knew that we were being part of a movement. People around us were curious and sceptical but also surprised. Even Kathakali experts discouraged us saying, ‘Girls cannot excel in Kathakali,’” Radhika says.
Listening to such comments repeatedly, even the team started doubting their abilities. But after they completed a few performances, they were energised and started getting bookings for overnight shows. From then on, they have been performing nearly 50 shows every festival season. However, they admit that the journey has not been easy. Geetha Varma says, “Initially we used to get a feeling that people were teasing us because we were girls. But eventually we found that the orthodox audience of Kathakali started accepting us as performers.”
Kathakali, a means to express yourself
The artistes confess that learning and performing Kathakali is also a means of self-expression.
Homemaker and artiste Parvathy Varma says, “Every woman needs a means of expressing her feelings and for me it is through Kathakali. The moment I start performing, I let go and I feel liberated. Kathakali helps me stay calm and happy.”
School teacher Radhika Ajayan says that Kathakali helps her stand out in the crowd. “Kathakali gave me confidence and people treat me with respect and awe. When I am acknowledged as a Kathakali artiste, I feel proud.”
Dr Haripriya Namboothiri, the first woman to take a PhD in Kathakali, joined the team when she was a 25-year-old. She says, “Learning Kathakali isn’t easy. But I enjoy it and it is one thing that keeps me going. I will perform it till the end of my life.”
Balancing Kathakali, family and profession
Fifty-one-year-old bank employee Prameela Ajayan has been performing Kathakali since she was seven. She tells us, “Nothing has hindered our passion for Kathakali, neither marriage nor children. I also owe it to the fantastic support from my family. They know how important Kathakali is for us. The troupe grew along with us and we cannot differentiate it from our lives.”
On juggling work and Kathakali performances, Kumari Varma, lead singer of the Sangam, says, “Most of the time, after overnight performances we remove the makeup and freshen up from the venue and leave for office. We are used to it since our school days. This is our passion and it has never affected anything in our lives.”
Inspiring gen-next and even senior citizens
Thripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangam has recently acquired a new member, a graduation student, Archa Gowri Varma. “I was born into Kathakali and I am glad that I got to learn this magnificent art form. As our generation is not very familiar with the art, it is tough for my friends to understand my passion. But after I gave them a bit of explanation, they enjoyed my Kathakali performance.” Archa is sure that Kathakali will thrive in the years to come.
The troupe has presently many women students including senior citizens. “Seeing our performances, many women are coming forward to learn the art. Recently three senior citizens have joined the classes,” say one of the team members.
KT Rama Varma, Radhika Varma’s father
u Radhika was just 10 when she started learning Kathakali. She first learnt Poothanamoksham and performed it alone. The rest joined later. We were not worried about women performing Kathakali. Thanks to Ashan Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, who took it in a very positive spirit and taught the girls. The girls started with local shows and later went on to perform at Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Now when I look back, I feel content that our efforts did not go in vain. Though we started it as a pastime we were able to bring out very good artistes.
Breaking gender barriers
u The Kerala Kalamandalam is against women learning Kathakali and is yet to allow them to enrol for the course. However, recently they invited the Vanitha Sangam to perform at Kalamandalam.
u Once, 30 years back, when poet Olappamanna got to know that the Vanitha troupe is performing nearby, he had remarked, “Oh is it a girls’ performance? Let me watch how they are going to perform the roles that men have perfected!” The team was performing Balivadham that day. And the poet who walked in with a sarcastic and cynical mind went on watching it till the end. After the performance, he went up to the stage and lauded their performance.
u Radhika Varma once performed Kathakali at the university level and won the prize for the best performance. However, the organisers refused to give the prize to her saying, “The prize is for Bheemasenan and it was a man.” She had to explain that it was she who enacted Bheemasenan.