Quote #13

'(I got introduced to) the late and great Mani Madhava Cakyar's King Udayana in Svapnavasavadatta. In what may have been among his last performances on the public stage I was fortunate to see Sri Cakyar, who at an advanced age, literally threw away his walking stick as he entered the stage to become a sprightly royal lover pining away for his beloved Vasavadatta. At his home in Likkadi he demonstrated the nava rasas... Sri Cakyar vividly illustrated to me that kutiyattam acting has the power to transform even the oldest person into the character he portrays' - Prof. Farley P. Richmond (Expert on Indian theatre), Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Georgia.[13]

More from Mani Madhava Chakyar

  1. 'With a few movements of the eye, he could manifest the mountains, the ocean, the rivers, the moonlit valleys, torrential rain, the gait of…
  2. 'His eyes were the unrivaled wonder of Abhinaya' - P.T. Narendra Menon (connoisseur of art)[14]
  3. 'Eyes, what an eloquent pair he has! He is able to express with them even the slightest difference in the mood' - L.S Rajagopalan (noted ar…
  4. 'Late Shri. Cakyar, was not just a skilled exponent and a capable teacher of Kutiyattam, his wisdom and depth of knowledge made him worthy …
  5. 'Mani Madhava Chakyar's forte was Satwikabhinaya. Endowed with expressive eyes; that can speak a thousand moods and a countenance that can …
  6. 'His historic talent was backed up by extraordinary erudition. Behind his wizardry with the eyes lay sustained practice undertaken with dev…
  7. 'his Netraabhinaya is simply incomparable' - Kapila Vatsyayan (leading scholar of classical Indian dance)[9]
  8. 'To Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar, Kutiyattam was more than art, it was life itself' - Mani Madhava Chakkyar: The Master at Work (film) - Kaval…

All Mani Madhava Chakyar quotes