Higher Education Minister R. Bindu will be enacting the role of Damayanthi in Nalacharitham Kathakali on stage on the fifth day of the Koodalmanikyam temple festival on May 7.
Ms. Bindu, who has bagged Kathakali titles five times in Calicut University Youth Festival during her college days and once in school youth festival, is donning her favourite role of Damayanthi after three-and-a-half decades at the National Music, Dance and Rhythm festival in connection with Koodalmanikyam temple festival.
She will perform under the guidance of her Guru Kalanilayam Raghavan Asan. Her guru’s daughter Jayasree Gopi and Beena C.M. will play as consorts of Damayanthi. Jayanthi Devaraj will play the role of Hamsam in the one-and-a-half hours all-woman performance.
Many artists will perform at the new venue built by the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom near the temple premises. Denial of permission for the performance of a non-Hindu dancer had created controversy earlier.
