THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Margi Sathi, who gave the temple art form ‘nangiarkoothu’ global renown, passed away here at Regional Cancer Centre after a year-long battle with cancer. She was 51.
She was admitted to RCC a week ago, after her condition worsened. She leaves behind two children, Revathi, a teacher and a Koodiyattom artist, and Devanarayanan, an eda ka artist and BA second year Sanskrit student at Pattambi Sanskrit College. Tragedy seemed to stalk Margi Sathi through her life.
Her husband, the noted edakka artist N. Subramanian Potti, was electrocuted in 2005 in front of her eyes when she was rehearsing for her role, ‘Nottam’, Margi Sathi’s first Malayalam film.
After her husband’s death, the state government offered her a job at Kalamandalam. But tragedy struck again when Margi Sathi fell outside a film theatre in the capital city and had her leg fractured.
As a performing artist she was depressed to be confined to be in bed for several months. But last year, just as she was attempting a comeback, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had recovered.
Soon she developed second stage cancer on liver and had recently performed at Guruvayoor. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had done a documentary on Koodiyattom where Margi Sathi’s contribution to the ancient temple art form was highlighted.
A biography on Margi Sathi, ‘Ranga Sthree – Margi Sathiyude Kalayum Jeevithavum (Margi Sathi’s Art and Life) was expected to be released last month when she fell ill again.
Margi Sathi is one of the first artists to break the caste barriers in nangiarkoothu; the art form was traditionally performed only by women in the Nangiar and Nambiar clans.
She was a namboodiri. She learnt Koodiyattom under Painkulam Rama Chakyar. However, she emerged as an exciting talent under the tutelage of the legendary Ammannur Madhava Chakyar at Margi. Reason why, though she began at Kalamandalam, she preferred to christen herself as Margi Sathi.
Like any true artist, Sathi was subversive. Traditionally, nangiarkoothu dealt with Lord Krishna’s stories. Sathi, throwing convention to winds, introduced Rama’s stories through her performance. She wrote a play ‘Sreerama Nangiarkoothu’ and performed the play to widespread global recognition.
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