Kerala - Kollam   

Neeravil's accent on tradition

Ignatius Pereira

AGE NO BAR: A coir spinning competition organised as part of Onam celebrations in Neeravil village near Kollam.

Kollam: The Neeravil Kayika-Kala Samithy's efforts to make this year's Onam celebrations special paid off. Not only were the celebrations truly traditional, but the entire Neeravil village also took part in them. There were events for people of all age groups to participate in.

For the elderly people, it was a walk down memory lane and for the younger generation, a peep into traditions they had only heard of, never seen.

The celebrations began with the haystack erection competition. It provided an opportunity for the younger generation to learn how to make a haystack.

Then there was the competition involving manual beating of coconut husks for fibre extraction. It evoked a sense of nostalgia for such scenes are rare these days. The coir industry is in a crisis and fibre extraction has been mechanised.

Plaiting of coconut palm fronds was yet another contest. The bulk of the competitors were elderly women. But young women evinced an interest in learning the skill, if only to compete in the event next year.

The coir spinning contest attracted women from all age groups. But the winners again were the veterans. The competition for pounding rice grains had few takers. But those who competed proved their prowess in it. A folk song competition and the popular `karadikali' dance of yesteryear were also held.

The youngsters made their presence felt in events such as swimming, eating, athletics, including a marathon race, and indoor games.

The competitions are the samithy's contribution to keeping alive rural traditions, said samithy secretary S. Nasser.

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