The Hungry Tides

Captions: George Vadakkeparambil, 73, has acted in 40 dramas. He performed till the age of 65. He stopped because of poor health

From her childhood Alphonsa was interested in Chavittu Natakam. When her family resisted her desire to be an artist, she tried to commit suicide. Moly Kannamali, a famous Chavittu Natakam artist and film star became Alphonsa’s mentor. Today, Alphonsa has acted in many dramas. The widowed Alphonsa lives in her hut all alone. Her children have grown up, got married and moved away

Antony, a daily wage labourer, plays Raja Antony. Antony was 16 when he performed for the first time. Today, he is 76. Because he has played the role of a king many times, he is now called Raja Antony

Silosh, 35, with his family. He learned Chavittu Natakam from his uncle. He has performed more than 50 times. During high tide, at nights, Silosh and his family sit awake on the cot till the water recedes 

T.J. Xavier and his wife. In 2018, flood waters entered his house and he lost his costumes and props 

Photographer KR Sunil 

Documentary photographer KR Sunil’s exhibition focuses on the Chavittu Natakam artists who are battling poverty and climate change

By Shevlin Sebastian

In December 2015, documentary photographer KR Sunil went to the island of Gothuruth, off the coast of Kochi, to watch the annual Chavittu Natakam festival.

A brief history about the art form: In response to the Kathakali dance form, the Christian community came up with Chavittu Natakam in the 16th century. Unlike in Kathakali, the dancers sing and speak aloud and stamp their feet on the stage. This is accompanied by the beating of drums.

It developed in the coastal areas, like Kochi, Alleppey and Kodungallur. The themes are from the lives of Christian saints, Biblical themes, and the history of Christianity. The costumes have a Portuguese influence and include brocade dresses, headgear and crowns.

In the Malayalam film, 'Kutty Srank’ (2009), Mammootty played a Chavittu Natakam artist.

Sunil ended up watching the shows by different groups for four days. He went backstage and became friendly with Somanath, the make-up artist. An idea grew in Sunil’s mind to do portraits of these artists.

During the performance on the fourth day, Somanath asked Sunil not to come on the last day. Because the artists who came from the coastal region of Chellanam were dark-skinned. So Somanath would have to work hard to make them fair. Hence he would not be available to chat with Sunil.

Nevertheless Sunil went. He immediately realised they were poor people, as compared to the mainly middle class people who had performed in the previous days. They were Dalit Christians. Many of them worked as fishermen, house painters, and labourers. “But it was clear to me, after talking with them, they had a passion for the art form,” says Sunil. He decided to take portraits of them.

But when Sunil went to their houses, he got a shock. Many of them lived in dilapidated hovels. In some houses, blue plastic sheets comprised the wall or covered the large hole in the roofs. The paint was peeling off.

He found the contrast unbelievable. On stage, they played kings like Raja Antony, and prime minister Mantri Pappachen, and performed against the backdrop of castles. “But in their daily lives, they lived in abject poverty,” says Sunil. “But that did not stop them from spending money for costumes and travel.”

Sunil took the photos over four years. He noticed that in the winter months of November to January, water from high tides inundated their houses.

Many times, when he went in the morning, he noticed that everybody was sleeping. The artists would inform Sunil that the water had entered the house in the night. Since many of them slept on the floor, they sat up on the wooden cot. They went to sleep only when the waters receded at 6 a.m. The children missed school. One of them, Thankachan, left his house, and moved on to higher ground.

“This is the distinct impact of climate change,” says Sunil. “The waters began to rise after the 2004 tsunami which hit the coast of Kerala.” Sunil made them wear their Chavittu Natakam costumes and asked them to pose in the flood waters.

There are about one hundred artists. They are in the age range of the fifties, sixties and seventies. “There are no new artists, because there is no income from this art form,” says Sunil. ““There is no state or corporate support. Because they are Dalits, they have no influence. So, once these generations pass away, the art form will die.”

However, there is Silosh, who is 35 years old, who is interested and doing well.

Sunil's work had been shown at the recent ‘Contextual Cosmology’ exhibition held at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram. The curators were Bose Krishnamachari, Abushka Rajendra, Premjish Achari and Sujith SN. The exhibition concluded on December 31.

In his earlier projects, Sunil has focused on the marginalised. He did a series on dhow workers who were going through hard times. He did one on the Muslim community of Ponnani, and the mixed communities of Mattancherry. Sunil also said that those who live off the sea and by the side of it tend to be more open and honest. “That is the effect of living next to Nature,” he says.

(Published in The Sunday Magazine, New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)