Venkitakrishna BhagavatharMundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar (1881 - 1957)
He was born at Munda Mukha (Mundaya, മുണ്ടായ) near Shoranur, to a village revenue official Kasturi Ranga Iyer and Alamelu Mangai. Kasturi Ranga Iyer had a modest income which helped meet the barest needs of the family. The village is on the banks of the Bharathappuzha river. The presiding deity of the village is Lord Ayyappan. Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar was one of the pioneer of Kathakali music.[1] Venkitakrishna initially trained in Kathakali under Moothedath Vasudevan Namboodiri. After performing a few female roles, he quit to pursue vocal music under the same guru. Vasudevan Namboodiri taught Kathakali music to many in true Gurukulam style, but the prominent among them were Vellinezhi Ramankutty Bhagavathar and Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar. Then along with his brother Raman, Palghat Rama Bhagavathar he began to learn Carnatic music from Vadakancheri Rama Bhagavatar and his brother Subbarama Bhagavatar. He revolutionized Kathakali Sangeetham by introducing the ragas from Carnatic music to the prevailing Kathakali music environment. He redefined and restructured the Kathakali music, to empower the text, contexts and characters. Kathakali, the well known dance drama is famous for its costumes and actors and has equal importance to the music as the mood of story reach the audience through the music. The creation of mood to the particular story is very much important and it was learned by Bhagavathar in his early childhood. The basic Carnatic lessons he learned from his guru made him to introduced a host of Carnatic ragas which were new to the vocal music tradition of Kathakali. He also introduced the sruti box in Kathakali music and insisted that his co-singers too stick to sruti. His music carried Carnatic elements in much stronger dose. For, he hailed from a Tamil Brahmin family with ancestry tracing to Thanjavur belt. His forefathers were into traditional Sampradaya Bhajana that flourished towards the end of the 18th century as a choral singing at temples in praise of gods. The man who redefined Kathakali’s vocal musicFrom introducing Carnatic ragas and the sruti box to moving around the stage, Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar set new trends
In the composite art-form of Kathakali, the vocal music embodies the vachikaabhinaya (verbal acting). This feature stands out as a definite departure from its predecessor, Koodiyattam, in which the actors speak in chaste Sanskrit, Prakrit and Malayalam based on the characters they present on stage. Till the dawn of the 20th century, the vocal music of Kathakali might have faintly followed the canons of Sopana Sangeetam , sung by the Marars and Poduwals beside the sanctum sanctorum. After an intimate reading of the visual grammar of Kathakali with its unfailing accent on the navarasas, Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar strongly felt that the dance form’s vocal music should be redefined and restructured, to empower the text, contexts and characters. He undertook the task almost all alone and the rest is history. Hailing from a family of musicians in Mundaya, a sleepy village near Shoranur in Palakkad district, Venkitakrishna initially trained in Kathakali under Moothedath Vasudevan Namboodiri. After performing a few female roles, he quit to pursue vocal music under the same guru. Along with his brothers, Raman and Shankaran, he trained in Carnatic music too and by age 20 Venkitakrishna became prominent as the principal vocalist on the Kathakali stage. He came to be known as Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar in the cultural circles of central Kerala. According to art historian K.P.S. Menon, his training in acting was instrumental in shaping his career as a successful vocalist. From the perspective of music, Kathakali plays can be broadly divided into two categories — the ones by Kottayath Thampuran and a few others , which seldom allow the vocalists to create an emotional ambience that can surpass the strong visual frames; and the plays by Unnai Warrier, Irayimman Thampi and the like, which offer ample scope for emotive singing, sometimes competing with the actors. The former demands adherence to the rhythm and tempo of every padam while in the latter the vocalists have to keep in mind the characters as well. Venkitakrishna blended both these qualities in his singing. Introducing new ragas He introduced a host of Carnatic ragas which were new to the vocal music tradition of Kathakali. The conservatives raised their eyebrows when they first heard ragas such as Khamas, Darbar, Kapi, Sindhubhairavi, Chenchurutti and Nattakurunji. He converted lengthy padams into ragamalika in order to salvage the listeners from incredible boredom. Venkitakrishna also systematised the rendering of the shlokas and the dandakams (a prose-verse combination used in Kathakali to truncate several incidents in a play) even while retaining the deshi (indigenous) ragas such as Paadi, Khandaram, Puraneeru, Kanakkurinji, Gaulipandu and Navarasam. Though the phrases of these ragas are repetitive, each one carries a distinctive fragrance appropriate to the character and context. Special care was taken to ensure that the gamakas and brigas employed in the padams did not interfere with the sahitya. It is well-known that Venkitakrishna introduced the sruti box in Kathakali music and insisted that his co-singers too stick to sruti. Vocalists prior to him were not so keen on following a particular sruti while singing over many nights for many different characters. Venkitakrishna was not happy when microphones began to invade the Kathakali stage. “He empowered the actors not only through evocative singing but by constantly moving to observe their actions and expressions. In stark contrast, the vocalists today simply stand in front of the pedestal mikes and sing and do nothing to galvanise the actors,” says percussionist and critic Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduwal. Even during his heydays, Venkitakrishna incurred the wrath of the so-called purists, who lamented the marginalisation of Sopana Sangeetam . But little did they realise that Carnatic music had already exerted its influence even on Kerala’s traditional temple orchestra, Panchavadyam, and on Thayambaka, the solo recital on the chenda. Interestingly, those who spearheaded these revolutionary changes were Thiruvilwamala Venkichan Swamy and Kolanthaswamy, both privileged caste Tamils, as was Subrahmanyappattar, the man who refurbished the Kathakali melam (chenda-maddalam combination). Among the vocalists who accompanied Venkitakrishna on stage, Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambeesan, in course of time, established a style of his own and ensured its outreach through his distinguished disciples. Yet, Nambeesan admitted that he learnt all the aesthetic nuances of Kathakali music from his guru Venkitakrishna. Over the years, the vocal music for Kathakali has gone through tremendous transformation, some of which unfortunately runs contrary to the time-tested syntax that reaffirms the identity of the art-form. Which is why it is important to revisit Venkitakrishna’s work to understand how he innovated within the frameworks of tradition. Written by Sri V Kaladharan. (The author is a critic and connoisseur of traditional art forms of Kerala.) 
Kathakali artistes perform 'Kiratham' along with the music ensemble
Carnatic Elements in Kathakali
In the 19th Century, Travancore had only the Sopanam style of singing as a continuation of what was used in the earlier tradition of Ramanattom. In central Kerala, the Tiruvilwamala and Mottedattu schools of music were basically Sopanam. It was only around 1910 that musician Kavusseri Masnu Bhagavatar brought in the Carnatic elements and this trend was popularised for Kathakali by Nemmara Madhava Menon and with the later Venkatakrishna Bhagavatar, the Carnatic music element increased to include raga alapana.
The nuance of Kathakali music(Courtesy to THE HINDU : by LEELA VENKATARAMAN)
One of the most evolved art forms, music for Kathakali, is often inadequately understood by Carnatic music aficionados who normally compare it with grammar and rules that apply to their own music and find it lacking. Music as a vachika element in Kathakali is designed entirely to enable and enhance characterisation, and not primarily for expressing classical virtuosity. Though Kathakali music ragas are largely from the Carnatic genre, there are ragas special to it and not known to Carnatic singing and even those common to Carnatic music in usage and ‘prayog’ for this dance drama form follow an individualistic mode. In the 19th Century, Travancore had only the Sopanam style of singing as a continuation of what was used in the earlier tradition of Ramanattom. In central Kerala, the Tiruvilwamala and Mottedattu schools of music were basically Sopanam. It was only around 1910 that musician Kavusseri Masnu Bhagavatar brought in the Carnatic elements and this trend was popularised for Kathakali by Nemmara Madhava Menon and with the later Venkatakrishna Bhagavatar, the Carnatic music element increased to include raga alapana. But while the raga is often Carnatic, the very slow tempo in which it is sung is certainly a regional element. In fact the “Chembada tala chauka kalai’ singing which requires phenomenal voice and breath control to hold each moment of a note that much longer, without in any way lessening the flow and continuity of melody, is not easy for any singer to master. One understands the need for two singers, one main and the other who takes up the refrain from where it is left off. Along with this almost boneless suppleness of voice full of emotion, a mastery over rhythm, both inherent and acquired is a must, for the singer keeps time with his beat on the Gong (if the main singer) and with cymbals (for the second singer). Sense of timing Also the singer has to keep his eyes riveted on the actor for every little body movement has to synchronise with the gong beat. So adept are experienced singers that every nuance of a moving facial muscle is anticipated and synchronised with the gong rhythm. The training of a singer for Kathakali is in conjunction with a performing actor, after the ‘janteswara’, etc., training like it is for the Carnatic singer. After varnam, the next step of learning singing of padams from various Attakalaris or plays, are in conjunction with a Kathakali performer. The singer has to control the performance, its tempo and also the percussionists by his acute sense of timing. The raga used is entirely governed by the mood and character and unlike Carnatic music where a Kambodhi would not be followed almost immediately by a Yadukula Kambodhi, or a Husseni or Mukhari or even Anandabhairavi would not follow a Bhairavi rendition, Kathakali music has no such qualms, for if the mood demands a certain raga, its following soon after another raga very close to it, is no restricting factor. Unlike other dance forms which for abhinaya delight in using lyrics interpreting love in separation (viniyoga), Kathakali revels in sambhoga sringar situations where the hero and his beloved are lost in contemplation of each other’s beauty. Nalacharitam’s “Kuvalaya volochane, bale, bhaimi, kisalayaadhare, charuseele” where Nala addresses his wife joyfully describing every detail of her physical attributes, rendered in mandara sthayi in two avartans (rhythmic cycles) of adanta tala – the first tempo in 56 matras, moves so slowly that the really accomplished singer can add a nectarine quality with his melody and words inspiring the best out of the hero. As the eyes of the actor move to each aspect of Damayanthi being described, the singer has to keep in pace – which is why Kathakali experts very often price the singer more for his conducting ability than for his melodious rendition – though a wailing high-pitched singing in Bhairavi or Todi can create goose pimples in the listener. No pause! Apart from the slow singing which is very difficult to master, the fluidity takes years to acquire. Unlike classical musicians, a Kathakali musician goes from raga to raga with no pause. The singer rendering in Natakuranji “Devi sukhamo” as Hanuman falls at the feet of Sita when he is led to the ashram by Lava and Kusha in “Lavanasuravadham” is heart rending for audiences. Ragas like Padi (not from Mayamalavagowla as janya but from Harikambhoji), Puraneer, Indalam, Begada ragam sung using madhyama sruti, Navaroz are special to Kathakali Natyasangeet. So also ragas are used for moods they are normally not associated with in Carnatic music as Neelambari used for raudra and veera rasa as against a lullaby or similar mood in Carnatic music. Similarly, Ahiri is used for Veera mood rather than Karuna. In a scene showing Krishna reasoning with Duryodhana to hand over some part of the kingdom to the Pandavas after completing the period of exile, Duryodhana’s belligerence in Begada and Krishna’s pleading tone in Senjurutti make a wonderful contrast heightening the dramatic tension. The drums like the Chenda, a most versatile instrument which can bring out any tonal quality in the world and the maddalam as percussion (particularly important in the cholliattam improvised segments) add the final dimension to the drama in Kathakali. Sadanam Harikumar in a most informative lecture at Chennai’s Kalakshetra showed how the gait, rhythm and metres in which Tanam is sung in Carnatic music, has been imitated in recitative parts of sahitya rendered at a speed in high points of climax in Kathakali. Original article from HINDU Lecture Demonstration on Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar
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Neelakantan Nambisan - Sishya of Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar
Those days, Nambisan was a student of Kathakali music. Kalamandalam, where he took lessons on vocals for the classical dance-theatre, was just south of the river. On the other bank was Mundaya village, near Shoranur. The budding singer had to cross the Bharatapuzha to reach the guru’s house for higher studies. Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar, nearing 60, would eagerly train Nambisan.
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Articles in press and other about
Mundaya Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar 
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Kerala Kalamandalam
Venkitakrishna Bhagavathar with his wife Seethalakshmi and
son Kasturi Ranganathan (M V Ranganathan)
