Kathakali is the major form of classical Indian dance. It represents some story or drama through facial expression and hand gestures, like that of Ramayana/Mahabharata. Furthermore, these arts are performed by male artists with glowing colors. And it is said to have originated around the 17th century AD. Altogether Kathakali is a part of Kerala’s art and culture.
Kathakali is an art of different colors. Here, artists apply different colors on their faces which are natural. Furthermore, these colors are made up of leaves and flowers. Markedly, Kathakali is found in an ancient Sanskrit book known as “Natya Shastra”. Hence, got dated between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
A Kathakali artist needs a lot of patience to learn and practice all these mudras and facial expressions in order to perform it in very fine detail. By the same token, it takes years of hard work and continuous efforts for a Kathakali artist to perform this difficult yet beautiful tradition on stage.
Henceforth, it is a great privilege to capture these art forms in this decade also. As kathakali style gets adorned with heavy and attractive make-up which can’t be witnessed everywhere. Moreover, due to their elaborate costumes, it is perfect for art and culture photography. Hence, the surfeit of uniqueness of our nation India never fails to amaze us. And that’s the sole reason that the photography field is getting established day by day.
Photographs & Text by Punit Sahu.
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All the photos and text in this post are copyright of Punit Sahu. Their reproduction, full or part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
