February 25, 2022
A special day filled with freshness! Yes on this day we had our Art and Aesthetic visit and the journey was to explore the beauty of Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum and Natanagramam.
The Guru Gopinath Natanagramam is a cultural institution functioning under the Department of Culture, Government of Kerala. It was Started in 1994. The centre, named after the late Dr. Guru Gopinath, a pioneer reformer of Kathakali dance, was established in Vattiyoorkavu, a suburb of capital city Thiruvananthapuram.
The Guru Gopinath Natanagramam has been established as a centre for learning, training and research in various Indian Dance forms, particularly Kerala Natanam, the dance form composed by the maestro Guru Gopinath. The institution carries on the attempts initiated by the Guru to popularise the dance forms of Kerala and to find fresh talents.
We started our journey from MTTC with prayer followed by valuable words of our dear principal Dr. K Y Benedict sir. The journey in bus with friends was interesting.😀 We reached Natanagramam along with our dear teachers- Joju sir, Maya ma'am and Ancy ma'am. Natanagramam welcomed us with a very pleasant atmosphere and we were received with welcome drinks.
The staffs there led us to the museum and the sights were really a visual treat.
The wax statues seemed as original humans. There dance postures and dressing style were portrayed carefully in the statues.
Paintings of various dance pauses were displayed and we got chances to take photographs and it was really blessing to keep those photos as memory of this journey.
The galleries of the museum included,
1.History and evolution of dances in India
2.Dances of Kerala- folk dances
3. Dances of Kerala- Temple
4. Homage to Guru Gopinath and KeralaNatanam
5.Classical.dances of India & folk and tribal dances of India
6. Archival gallery and dances of the world.
All the galleries were beautifully arranged and reminded me one thing-
“In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.” — Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
After visiting the galleries we were led to the 5D theatre to watch a documentary on Theyyam.
Picturisation of theyyam- it was just awesome! A visual experience to awake the thought on our culture, traditions, beliefs, emotions.....
The experience was wordless
"India is a place where colour is doubly bright. Pinks that scald your eyes, blues you could drown in.”
I think each and every dance form or rituals of India will have thousand and thousand stories to say.
There were open Verandas too where displays were arranged. We spent some more time in the verandas and it is happy to see that they used each and every corner of the museum to showcase the value of art.😍
After the show, we assembled in the briefing hall and had a presentation session by Dr. Sajeev Nair, a Doctoral degree holder (PhD) in Engineering Science, Graduate Electrical Engineer, Chartered Engineer, Life time Member and Fellow of Institution of Engineers, Life Member of National Safety Council and ISTD, Lead IMS auditor, with additional International Qualifications in Learning and Competency. Currently he is the Senior Vice President – Learning and Development, and Head, Manufacturing at Reliance Industries Limited .
He has acted in over 500 plays while directed and produced many as well. Afterall he is a student and follower of the legend Guru Gopinath.
He briefed us about the Natyasasthra and Navarasa. With him we travelled to the world of dance and theatre. Nava rasa were shown by him. His facial expressions, body movements, eye and face movements.... All were wordless.👏
How can I describe my feeling with words. His performance was astonishing! Unforgettable!
While watching his performance I realised,
“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”
After all the sessions, we had our lunch at Natanagramam. We shared our lunch with a happy mind.😊
Again after a photo session we bid good bye to Natanagramam with a mind full of freshness and positivity.
" The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things but their inward significance"- Aristotle
This visit was actually a journey to realise the inward significance of art form.
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