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Chronicler of farming tradition of Palakkad

K. Viswam

Palakkad, the `rice bowl' of Kerala, is loosing its paddy fields and along with it the glorious agriculture tradition and art forms that had developed along with it.

The local language of different communities, their art and cultural forms developed along with the farming tradition in this agriculture-dominated district.

K. Viswam, a researcher of the agricultural tradition, has taken pains to study the culture and art that developed over the years.

Most of these art forms were developed by the marginalised and peripheral population, which had deep insight into the traditions. Most of them are not codified and scientifically arranged.

But if you were to delve deep into them, you would be enamoured by the amazing variety and the richness of the art attached to the farming community.

Viswam was born into an agriculture family in Thathamangalam, close to Tamil Nadu and part of the Chittur taluk. After his formal education at Government College, Chittur, he pursued his family way of living in his farms and was attracted study the art forms that were developed by the farming community.

He has written five books - `Porattukali,' `Panaporattu,' `Nedumpurayurinte Nattarangu,' `Malayalamannil Marunattu Pazhama' and `Paithrika Smrithikal.'

His latest book `Paithrika Smrithikal' is a well-researched study on the jargons attached to land relations, traditional seeds, the system of lease in Kerala and the agricultural adages. Most of these terms made clear in the book are commonly used but the meanings rarely known to people. In Palakkad, there is also high influence of Tamil that has produced variety of folk dramas and dances such as `Nallathangal,' `Aryamala,' `Kovalan-Kannaki,' etc.

Some of these still exist in the far-flung villages of Palakkad and are performed during festivals.

Viswam writes that through ages many changes have been made to suit the requirements of time.

His special area of interest is the studies connecting Tamil and Malayalam oral, ritual, musical and theoretical traditions. His study on `Kongan Pada,' also called a war festival, an annual festival of Chittur, refutes some of the early inferences.

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