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Sunday, Jan 13, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Jan 13, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
Healthy contest: Two Silambattam artistes engaged in a duel during an exhibition of the martial art form in Karur on Saturday. KARUR: The whiz of the canes is as much enchanting as the players’ nimble footwork and deft wrist work mark this game. Excellent hand-eye coordination, to the discernible onlooker, makes Silambattam more than a mere game. It’s a pointer to the manner the ancient Tamils lived their life, full of vigour and zeal. Pained at the gradual decline of Silambam from even the rural pockets of the district, a group of silambu enthusiasts from Karur have come together to revive and foster the ancient Tamil martial art form Silambattam. Towards that end, they have promised to train schoolboys and girls in the self-defence art form free of cost. Working under the banner of Karur District Silambu Vilayattu Association, the enthusiasts claim that their association boasts of a membership of around 120. “The martial art form embodied the soul and spirit of the ancient Tamils. It pains to see the decline of the art even in rural areas as fewer youths took to it. Having enjoyed the fruits of Silambattam, we felt it was time to impart the intricacies to the younger generation willing to undergo the ordeal,’ says the Association president K. Kaliappan. “The game is not just a show of physical strength. Silambattam drives home the importance of having a healthy mind in a healthy body to achieve wholesome growth,” observes secretary K. Manivel. Modern day gameSince the art form has evolved into a modern day game, we plan to train students and help them participate in State-level and national-level competitions. We also plan to impart training in swordfight, ‘surul’ (coiled sword) duel, katteri and kedayam (axe and shield) fight, antelope horn tussle, etc. after students attain desirable perfection in silambam, he adds. The initiation begins with conditioning the body in particular the limbs (veedu kattuthal), then progresses to single and double handed use of sticks (pothu) before moving on to the duet (not duel) of matching play (kitti vilayattu). Only after being put through these paces, would the candidate graduate to the level of participating in an actual combat (paadam) involving two contestants in a silambattam. Experts say it would take easily two years for a novice to graduate through the steps to reach the competition stage. Only then comes the modern day silambam play involving points system, they add. Once past paadam, all allied duels such as swordfight are taught to them. Self-defenceSince the silambam martial form is basically for self-defence, girls would be more benefited considering the present day suitability, the experts point out. Our aim is to broad base the sport to attract more youth and retain their interest in the game. Also, we would like to dispel notions of ‘bad boys play’ once attached to the game by stressing the utility of silambam, the players and experts say in unison.
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