Karnataka - Bangalore   

‘Theyyam and Bhuta rituals are two sides of a coin’

Traditional ritual: The colourful replica of a Bhuta.

Bangalore: Balan Nambiar has many talents – from sculpting to painting to photography, he seems to have not only dabbled in many art forms, but also succeeded in making them his own.

His research projects on the Theyyam art from Kerala and the Bhuta rituals of the Tulunadu region in Karnataka have found themselves being presented in various parts of the country and the world.

In a presentation, “Myth, Spirit, Ritual: Bhuta Rituals of Tulunadu” at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) in Domlur, Mr. Nambiar interspersed his lecture with slides to a packed auditorium of academics, professionals and artistes.

“My research has been going on for the past 30 years now. In the process of research and documentation, I have sat through 150 all-night programmes of Bhuta rituals,” he says.

There are over 500 Bhutas and 60 of them are still performed in village shrines or Bhutastanas. People performing the Bhuta rituals don elaborate, colourful costumes with intricately carved masks.

They get into a trance-like state and invoke divine forces, assuming the role of the Bhutas.

Mr. Nambiar who has explored the rituals of the West Coast of South India, describes Theyyam and Bhuta rituals as “two sides of a coin”. “I began studying them mainly in search of inspiration,” he says. Eventually, they began to take the shape of study and research, according to him.

Both a matter of his creative intuitions and academic interests, Mr. Nambiar presented this illustrated talk as part of the Airtel-BIC Manthan Arts and Culture Series, which attempts to promote artistic and intellectual excellence among emerging as well as accomplished artistes. Bringing to audience programmes in music, dance, theatre, visual arts, crafts and heritage, literature and film, the series hopes to challenge the artiste as well the audience through stimulating performances.

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