ERUDITE Scholar-in-Residence lecture series by Indology scholar from Tubingen University

Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University for Art and Culture, Cheruthuruthy organized a series of lecture on Kutiyattam and Indology by Prof. Dr. Heike Oberlin, Tubingen University, Germany from 1 to 10 Jan 2018. The lectures were conducted as part of the Erudite Scholar- in-Residence lecture series sponsored by Kerala State Higher Education Council, Government of Kerala. 

During the ten days of programme, Oberlin delivered lectures at different campuses across Kerala- Nila Campus and Vallathol Campus of Kerala Kalamandalam, Thunchathu Ezhuthachan Malayalam University at Tirur, Regional Centre of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Tirur and its main campus in Kaladi. Apart from this, she also delivered lecture at Kerala Varma College, Thrissur and MES College Mampad.

Kerala State Higher Education Council's 'ERUDITE Scholar-in-Residence' envisages bringing scholars and researchers from worldwide for lectures, academic interactions and workshops, thereby getting an exposure to the students and teachers of the Universities and colleges in Kerala. 

Dr. Oberlin, who had her training in Kutiyattam, the traditional Sanskrit theatre of Kerala from Kerala Kalamandalam 20 years before, is presently working as Professor at the department of Indian studies and comparative Religion which is part of the Institute of Asian and Oriental studies at the University of Tubingen. She also teaches the language Malayalam at the University in association with Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Tirur, Kerala. 

Prof C  M Neelakandan, the Academic Director at Kerala Kalamandalam says, any art form can be learned perfectly only by knowing the local language and the culture where it exists.  It is true for Dr. Heike that while she studied Kutiyattam of Kerala, she learned the language Malayalam and immersed herself in the culture of Kerala.  She had extensively travelled for meeting the practicing Chakyar families of Kutiyattam in that period, collected archival texts and references wherever possible and videographed many interviews and performances of the masters, which helped her in the research. 

Since four years Dr. Heike Oberlin is doing research along with David Shulman of Hebrew University, on different Acts in Kutiyattam, especially Anguleeyangam and Manthrangam.