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Art & CultureHard

In Kathakali, which make-up type is worn by proud anti-hero characters such as Ravana?

  1. A.Pacha
  2. B.Kathi
  3. C.Minukku
  4. D.Kari

Correct answer

B. Kathi

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Kathi. The word means knife, and the make-up is marked by an upturned knife-shaped line drawn on a green base, worn by characters who are brave and powerful but arrogant, of whom Ravana and Duryodhana are the standard examples. Identifying the vesham from the description of the face is a favourite question on Kathakali.

Option A, pacha, is the plain green face of wholly noble heroes such as Rama, Krishna and Arjuna, and is the type most often shown in photographs. Option C, minukku, meaning polished, is the soft and lightly tinted make-up of gentle women, sages and brahmins. Option D, kari, meaning black, is the make-up of demonesses and forest characters. Learn the five together, since papers set them as a matching list: pacha, kathi, thadi, kari and minukku.

Read the full article: Classical Dances of India: Eight Forms, States and Gurus

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Q1.Art & CultureEasy

Bharatanatyam is the classical dance form of which Indian state?

  1. A.Kerala
  2. B.Tamil Nadu
  3. C.Karnataka
  4. D.Andhra Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Tamil Nadu

Bharatanatyam grew in the temples of Tamil Nadu, where it was performed by devadasis under the older name sadir or dasiattam, and it was brought to the concert stage in the twentieth century by E. Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale, who founded Kalakshetra at Madras in 1936.

Q2.Art & CultureEasy

Which classical dance form of Kerala is a dance-drama performed with elaborately painted faces and towering headgear?

  1. A.Mohiniyattam
  2. B.Kathakali
  3. C.Kuchipudi
  4. D.Odissi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Kathakali

The name means story-play, and the form stages episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Its characters are identified by make-up types, chiefly pacha for noble heroes, kathi for proud anti-heroes such as Ravana, thadi for fierce figures, kari for demonesses and minukku for gentle women and sages.