Kuravanci Natyas
Vidyavacaspati Dr. R. Nagaswamy
Kuravanci is the most attractive among the dance dramas. Over one hundred Kuravanci dances dramas, composed in the 18th, 19th Century are known. Several of them published and many yet remain in manuscript form. (I have myself published five Kuravanci dance, dramas as early as 1979). The popularity of this particular dance from is mainly due to its attractive structure blending happily the highly classical and the invitingly rustic forms. The content of all the Kuravanci forms are the same. A beautiful, talented girl falls in love with the hero, when she happens to see him in a procession. She pines for union. The Kuratti appears, identifies her lover, and predicts that she would soon unite with him. In the mean-while, the Kurava, searches for his spouse Kuratti, and on seeing her and the rich presents she carries, suspects her fidility, and finally realising his folly unites with her.
The main theme of Kuravanci dance form is Vipralamba Sringara. love in separation and has two essential part. The first part upto the Kuratti telling the fortunes of the heroine and the second part, the search of the Kurava. The first is the love of highly sophisticated heroine towards the lover and the second the crude and rustic love of the Kurava male towards his wife. It is a beautiful contrast, the classical verses the folk. It provides the opportunity to make use of the classical and folk forms in poetry, in ragas (tunes) and in dance forms and in both it is the Kuratti who remains the central and most attractive figure and hence the name 'Kuravanci' to this dance form.
A study of the evolution of this dance form, shows, that the second part - viz the 'Kurava episode' was added in the recent past around 17th Cent. Prior to that, the first part viz the Kuratti telling fortune alone constituted the theme of this dance.
The origin of the dance form may be traced to the Tolkappiyam about 2000 years ago, which refers to the tradition of Kuratti, also called Ahavan mahal, for telling the fortune by what is known as Kattu and the woman who tells the future is called Kattuviaci, the Kuratti made use of paddy seeds to foretell the future following which there used to take place Veriyattu a form of folk dance. References to Kattuvaci are found in the Divya Prabandham hymns Thirumangai Alvar and also in the Thiruvaymoli of Namalvar. It also came to be called 'Kuram' or 'Kuratti Pattu'.
Many other limbs were added to the simple soothsaying of the Kuratti, in the 7th, 8th Cent. a.d. Thus in the poetic compositions known as Kalampakam, the hero coming in procession, the heroine falling in love with him, and pining for union, the season, and the full moon aggravating her love condition, the Kuratti assuring the heroine of speedy union etc. are found as part. The earliest Kalampakam so far known is Nandikkalampakam, on the Pallava ruler, Nandivarman, of 8th Cent. All these elements are found fully developed in this work. In the Kuravanci dance forms, the Vennila songs viz - the heroine ridiculing the moon, are famous which are found in the Nandi Kalampakam. Later Kalampakam include Kuram songs in their structure.
In the 16th Cent. sculptural representations, that is from the time of Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya, the Kuratti, carrying a basket and dancing is a very popular theme. The Vijayanagar Mandapa in the Varadaraja Swamy temple Kanchi, the Kuratti sculpture are represented frequently. In one illustration, the Kurava carrying a bird is also seen dancing by the side of the Kuratti. Obviously the present form of Kuravanci wih two parts, the Kuratti episode, and the Kurava episode have been integrated into one fascinating dance drama, around 15th - 16th Cent. Even since it has captured the imagination of the public and poets. So much so we have more one hundred Kuravanci, dramas composed within a short span of 200 years. It is the Kurava form that developed into Kuravanci, is seen from Gangeyam, Kuravanci, composed in the 18th Cent. in the reign of Muttu Vijayaraghunatha. This work, which carries all the constituent parts is called Makkuram.
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The other names occuring for the dance are Kuravanchi Natakam, Kuravanci Prabandham, Kuraccintee' and Kurava Candam.
The Kuravanci dance dramas are mostly localized, with the lord of te local temple as hero, coming in procession, and an imaginary heroine falling in love. This facilitated the dance being performed in the temple festival, stowing an environmental meaning and attachment. In some cases like the Saraboji Bhupala Kuravanci the local ruler also appears as a hero. Who is again depicted as a great devotee of the local temple, so that the dance is connected to the temple festival. It is this localisation that gave tremendous popularity of Kuravanci dance form inspite of the structure being the same in a monotonous way in all. Sikkil Navanuthesvaran Kuravanci, was composed in 1852, in the reign of Tanjore Maratha ruler Sivaji II the last of the Tanjore line. It may be recalled that the famous Tanjore quartets lived during this period. King Sivaji is mentioned in this and that the kingdom was ruled by the English is also referred to
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The 'Kuravanci was composed by one Chokkalingam Pillai of Thiruvarur, who served as a school master. The author refers to one Ponnaiah Pillai, among other contemporaries. It is not known whether this Ponniah pillai is one of the Tanjore Quartet.
The author introduces different languages in the composition. For example the heroine asks the Kuratti, who are you, from which country you come from?,
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The Mohini Vilasa Kuravanci on the Maratta ruler Shivaji (1700 A.D.) uses two languages Tamil and Sanskrit in the composition. The manuscript in two interestingly employs Nagari script even for Tamil songs (transliteration) obviously for the use of the Maratta ruler, Shaji (who was yet to learn Tamil).
There are Kuravancis which use four languages in composition. The Poyyamoli Iyar Kuravanci, composed in C. 1750 A.D. used the word 'Tillana' in the song
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The credit of making the Kuravanci dance in modern times not only famous but also attractively classical goes to Smt. Rukmini Devi of Kalakshetra, especially by staging the great Kuttala Kuravanci.
As the role of the Kuratti, in daily life of the people, as a fortune teller has waned in the present day, I do not think there is much scope for new inventions in the form except as a relic of the past.