Thullal

As a part of art assignment thullal the art form

1. T H U L L A L P R E S E N T E D B Y A R Y A . S P H Y S I C A L S C I E N C E

2. I N T R O D U C T I O N A B O U T T H U L L A L T h u l l a l i s a d a n c e f o r m w h i c h i s u n i q u e w i t h i t s s i m p l i c i t y i n p r e s e n t a t i o n a n d h u m o u r . I t s o r i g i n i s a t t r i b u t e d t o K u n j a n N a m b i a r , a v e r i t a b l e g e n i u s a n d o n e o f t h e f o r e m o s t p o e t s o f K e r a l a T h o u g h b a s e d o n c l a s s i c p r i n c i p l e s o f N a t y a S h a s t r a t h e t e c h n i q u e o f t h i s a r t i s n o t r i g i d . T h u l l a l i s p e r f o r m e d s o l o a n d i s c o n d u c t e d d u r i n g t e m p l e f e s t i v a l s f r o m t h e t e m p l e p r e m i s e s .

3. L a n g u a g e T h e t h u l l a l s o n g s a r e w r i t t e n i n s i m p l e m a l a y a l a m f r a n k t o o u t s p o k e n w i t a n d h u m o u r I N S T R U M E N T S T h e i n s t r u m e n t s u s e d i n T h u l l a l a r e t h e M a d d a l a m a n d t h e C y m b a l s

4. T H U L L A L M A K E U P T h e m a k e u p , t h o u g h s i m p l e , i s v e r y m u c h s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f K a t h a k a l i T h e f a c e i s p a i n t e d w i t h y e l l o w a r s e n i c m i x e d w i t h b l u e . T h e e y e s a r e b l a c k e n e d a n d l i p s r e d d e n e d . T h e f u l l p a i n t i n g o f t h e f a c e i s r e t a i n e d f o r t h e e x p r e s s i v e a d v a n t a g e T h e d a n c e r w e a r s a b r e a s t - p l a t e a d o r n e d w i t h g o l d e n p e a r l s , n e c k l a c e s a n d c o l o u r f u l t a s s e l s T h e w h i t e w a i s t c l o t h e s r e s e m b l e s k i r t s T h e h e a d - g e a r i s s m a l l , m a d e o f l i g h t w o o d , s t u d d e d w i t h b r i g h t s t o n e s a n d d e c o r a t e d w i t h g o l d e n p a p e r T h e b r a c e l e t s , a m u l e t s a n d w a i s t l e t s a r e a l m o s t s a m e a s i n K a t h a k a l i

5. O R I G I N O F T H U L L A L T h e o r i g i n o f t h u l l a l i s attributed t o K u n j a n N a m b i a r , a v e r i t a b l e g e n i us o f K e r a l a , i n t h e 1 8 n t h century. A c c ording to a p o p u lar l e g e n d , N a m b i a r w h o w a s p l a ying a m u s i c a l i n s t r ument k n o w n as M i z h a v u f or c h a k y a r k o o t h u h a d f a l l e n a s l e e p d u ring the l i v e p e r f o rmance . T h e r e f o r e the C h a k y a r b e g a n to r i d i c ule N a m b iar . N a m b iar w a s t h e n a n n o yed a nd p r o m ised to i n v e n t a n a l t e r native t o c h a k y a r koothu . H e d i s p l a yed a n o t t a m t h u l l al o r t h u l l al p e r f o r mance w h i ch w a s a i m ed a t m a k i ng sarcasm a t t h e e x i s t a n t s o c i o - p o l i t ical s c e n a r io o f t h e a r e a .

6. C L A S S I F ICATION T h u l l a l i s c l a s s i f i e d a s Ottam, S e e t h a n k a n a n d P a r a y a n b a s e d on the d i f f e r e n c e in c o s t ume , d a n c e a nd a lso t h e m e t r e a n d r h y m e o f the T h u l l a l s o n g s 1 . O t t a n T h u l l a l 2 . S e e t h a n k a n T h u l l a l 3 . P a r a y a n T h u l l a l

7. O T T A N T H U L L A L O t t a n T h u l l al is a r e c i t e - a n d - d a n c e a r t f o rm of K e rala , I n d i a . I t was i n t r oduced o n the E i g h t e e nth c e n t u ry b y K u n j a n Nambiar , o n e o f t h e P r a c h i n a k a v i t h r a y a m Mature P a n i c k a r popularized O t t am T h u l l al f or m o d e r n a u d i e n c e . O t t a m T h u l l a l competition s a r e h e l d a n d the a r t f o r m m a y be u s e d t o s p r e a d a s o c i a l m e s s a g e

8. P e r f o r m e r s I n O t t a m T h u l l al , a s o l o p e r f o r m e r , w i t h g r e e n m a k e u p and a c o l o u r f ul c o s t ume d e c o rated with a l o n g r e d and white b a n d and p a i n t ed w o o d e n o r n a ments , a c t s a nd d a n ce w h i le r e c i t i ng s o n g . A c h o r u s o r o n e o r m o r e a r t i s ts repeats e a c h sentences a s i t is completed . M o r e r e c e n t l y , o t t a m t h u l l al h a s been p e r f o r m e d w ith s o l o f e m ale a c t o r a n d w i t h a n e n s e mble c a s t .

9. T h e m e N a m b iar p a r o d i es t h e ways o f l a n d l o rds a n d o t h er p r o m i n ent c i t i z e n s , s o m e times e ven t he k i n g . F o r e xample , t h e c h a r a cter o f B h i m a f r om the e p ic M a h a b harata i s p o r t rayed as a n o a f . H i g h e r c a s t e s i n c l u d i n g B r a h m i n a n d n o t s p r e a d . La n g u a g e O t t a n t h u l l a l i s p e r f o r med i n M a l a y a l a m , w h i c h p l e a s e s l o c a l a u d i e n c e s . O l d s a y i n g s a n d e l e m e n t s o f f o l k l o re a r e u s e d .

10. M a j o r w o r k s T h e r e m a y be m ore than 6 4 o t t a m t h u l l al w o r k s s o m e o f t h e m a r e K a l l y a n a s o u g a n d h i k a m K i r a t h a m G a r u d a g a r v a b h a n g a m S a n t h a n a g o p a l a m G h o s h a y a t h r a

11. P A R A Y A N T H U L L AL Parayan thullal i s a d a n