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Magazine
Living traditions
On the path of revival
K. KUNHIKRISHNAN
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Once confined to the temple precincts, the colourful Theyyam of Kerala has got a new lease of life, thanks partly to the boom in tourism.
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The Theyyam or Kaliyattam season is in full swing in the northern districts of Kannur and Kasaragod in Kerala. The annual season is from the 10th of the Malayalam month of Thulam and lasts till the end of Medam (mid May).
Theyyam, a corrupt form of Deivam (God), is a fascinating and colourful ritualistic performance combining dance and music, with a centuries-old tradition. It is confined to the erstwhile Kolathunadu (ruled by the Kolathiris) of northern Kerala. The performances, generally held during nights, are socio-religious ceremonies. The performers, with unique and colourful costumes, headgear and facial and body make up called Kolam, represent the deities. During the performance lasting for hours, they are supposed to be transformed into the deities in a state of trance. The Theyyam performer is the medium for the deity to come to life with divine powers, to invoke blessings and make pronouncement on worldly affairs. They are instrumental in preserving social order and justice.
Infinite variations
The performances, with lively footwork and rhythmic body movements, are held at various places of worship such as kaavu (sacred grove), Mundya, Kottam, Kazhakam, or at family houses and the entire village participates. The total number of Theyyams is more than 400, according to the local variations. The legendary Manakkadan Gurukkal of Karivellur had codified the stylisation of major Theyyams: he is described as the creator of the modern form of Theyyam, though its history dates back 1500 years. Each Theyyam, representing various mythological and local heroic figures, has its own style of performance, dance, music, costumes and ornaments of artistic appeal.
Changing fortunes
During the olden days, almost all families used to have an annual Theyyam performance. With the advent of nuclear families, the practice was virtually fading out. Recently, there has been a great revival of interest in Theyyam. Earlier, Kaliyattam was carried out only at the sacred spots. It was during the 1970s that the performances moved out beyond north Kerala and became a universal ritual folk dance. Because of its unique and larger than life image and attendant musical elements, it has now become a part of the tourism packages. In the past, when electricity was not even dreamt of, the ritualistic stylisation and the colours were devised to captivate with the lighting of coconut leaf bundles (called choottu), oil lamps and cloth dipped in oil tied round the tip of a wooden stick (pantham). With current day performances being held with the milky glow tube lights, the bright red and green colours do not have the aura of divine appeal it used to have.
The performances last from one to five or seven days and there are several hundred festive spots in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. The most important deity is performed by the same person every year. The Payyanur Municipality’s annual calendar of Theyyam festivals in and around the area lists nearly 80: Out of these 46 Kaliyattams last only for a day and a night. Nearly 15 are for two days and the rest for three to five days. There are places where the Kaliyattam is held once in 12, 14 or 21 years, and is then called Perumkaliyattam and one such place is the Karamel Muchilodu, near Payyanur. The last festival at Karamel was conducted a couple of years ago and a record 30 lakh people participated in the festival.
According to Karunakaran Nambiar, Working President of the Festival Committee, the entire expense of Rs. 30 lakhs for the festival at Karamel Muchilodu was raised by donations and offerings. Karamel is a part of the Vellur village near Payyanur in Kannur district: the village alone has nearly a dozen places where Kaliyattam is held annually. The number of the audience range from 25,000 to a lakh or more in these places and the expenses also vary from Rs.10,000 to Rs. One lakh. This is representative of almost all the villages in the area where Theyyam performances are held.
In the Koodali Thaazhathu Veedu, near Kannur, the Theyyam festival is an annual event conducted by the family trust consisting of 130 members. There are three kottams attached to the family. The Trustees are the eldest nine (six male and three female) members of the family. They meet once a month and conduct the affairs of the family. Unlike in other families, there is a common house(where the eldest member lives) and a temple. The annual festival, starting with the Kuttichchaththan Theyyam and ending with Khandakarnan, lasts for four days. The performance is conducted out of the donations of family members and from the funds of the Trust. The performers say that the prestige of performing here matters. If a performer has staged a Theyyam at Koodali, his market value elsewhere shoots up manifold, probably a vestige of the feudal system.
Adapting tradition
In the olden days, the performers and their families, after a rigorous training, eked out a living out of the income obtained during the season. They used to get paid mostly in paddy, rice and coconuts and vegetables. Out of season, they were involved in physical labour, when available. But now things have changed: it is season all through, especially with booming tourism and cultural festivals. But the question remains: Do they retain the old spiritual appeal? With changing times, such ethereal aspects are also fading out, unable to survive in the era of new technologies. The late Kannan Peruvannan of Karivellur, who had done 250 performances and was an astounding authority on Theyyam, felt that for want of talented artists, there was no future for Theyyam and that it was in moribund state. Fortunately, the younger generation has proven him wrong, as the spectacle of Theyyam is flourishing and has spread far and wide.
kkunhikrishnan@gmail.com
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