Arun Narayan and Sanusha US, creator and illustrator of graphic novelette Why is he hiding backstage?
| Picture Credit score: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A vibrant, rectangular piece of material held by two males is lowered barely to disclose the mask-like face of the artiste on stage earlier than it’s pulled up once more. The peekaboo sport continues with tantalising glimpses of the actor whereas the percussion drums up pleasure, increase anticipation for a Kathakali play about to be staged.
Explaining this attention-grabbing prelude to a Kathakali play is a slim graphic novelette, Why is he hiding backstage?, which takes readers above the age of eight into the colorful creative heritage of Ottanthullal and Kathakali, conventional performing arts of Kerala.
Written by Arun Narayan and illustrated by Sanusha US, the comedian is a pleasant introduction to the artwork types, maybe the primary of its sort in Kerala, if not India.
Arun, convener of the Indian Nationwide Belief for Artwork and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Palakkad chapter, says this sort of novelette has been on his thoughts since 2016. He occurred to note that the viewers for conventional artwork types principally comprised senior residents and there was a perceptible lack of children who didn’t know and didn’t care to learn about these artwork types.
Sanusha, an architect, explains that originally, the plan was to carry out a graphic novelette on the lives of native heroes, artwork types, names of locations and so forth. The pandemic compelled them to take a break. Final yr, a jewelry chain approached a design home Sanusha is related to, to design exercise pages or books for kids that might preserve them engaged when the elders shopped. “As a substitute, we got here up with this concept of a graphic novelette that might even have exercise pages for kids to play, to color and so forth, all based mostly across the story within the e book,” elaborates Arun.
The result’s a 32-page e book — with greater than 300 panels — that takes readers behind the stage to point out up shut the origins, coaching, make-up and staging of Kathakali performs. And there are exercise pages too, for colouring, puzzles and so forth.
Why is he hiding backstage?, a graphic novelette on performing arts of Kerala.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular association
The reader travels with Appu and his elder sister Anu when their mother and father take them to Kerala Kalamandalam to satisfy the artists, gurus and college students of Kathakali. It additionally has a brief narrative of the Kathakali play Kalyanasougandhikam, an excerpt from the Mahabharatha, through which Bhima encounters his half-brother Hanuman whereas looking for a flower that Draupadi wished.
Arun and Sanusha keep in mind that a workshop at a faculty in Bhimanad in Palakkad gave them a picture of their protagonist Appu, filled with questions on every thing that he comes throughout.
“We met a instructor and her son. Her son had questions on all that we had been doing. She advised us that her son is perpetually inquisitive. Kids, by nature, are inquisitive. As a substitute of silencing them, we needs to be encouraging that. That’s the reason we selected to mannequin Appu on that inquisitive little one,” says Arun.
Each Arun and Sanusha reminisce about their fondness for comics which heightened their curiosity about heritage, historical past and so forth. Arun admits that Amar Chitra Katha comics had been his introduction to Indian mythology and historical past. Comica like Herge’s Tintin collection triggered his curiosity in world affairs whereas the Asterix collection finally made him a historical past buff.
“Comics are a great way to introduce kids to totally different topics. Since there may be hardly something in that kind about Kerala’s heritage, nature, people tales and so on, we determined to work on these strains to succeed in out to kids,” explains Arun.
The illustrations have been rendered with consideration to element as could be seen from a web page of the graphic novelette Why is he hiding backstage?
| Picture Credit score:
Particular association
The richly illustrated panels and detailed storyline give a transparent image of the artwork types. “Kids are uncovered to a number of sorts of visuals. A flat pictorial depiction could not maintain their consideration. I’ve tried so as to add depth to the panels to counterpoint the photographs,” says Sanusha.
Photos that present the Koothambalam, a spot the place performances had been as soon as held, have been painstakingly detailed to provide it a 3-D impact and make it as near the true constructing. So is the case with the totally different characters of Kathakali and its apply.
“The normal artwork types are advanced and it took plenty of time to pare it right down to the necessities to speak about it with out dropping the essence of the artwork,” factors out Sanusha.
Every query that Appu asks throughout his journey to Kalamandalam and Killikurishimangalam is answered patiently by his mother and father and different elders he encounters. Nobody dismisses his questions or shushes him.
For example, Appu needs to know why Ottanthullal artistes put on skirts. As Appu and Anu embark on their journey in Why is he hiding backstage, the reply is revealed.
The e book has been printed by Right here and Then in affiliation with INTACH; ₹299
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