KOCHI: On the banks of Bharathapuzha, in the last throes of their existence is a culture rich with a multitude of ethnic art forms. Culture bursts in all its grandeur here.The vibrancy and magnificence of the folklore heritage of the land ll set to enthral the international audience as a short ‘video greeting’ strung together with elements of art and culture by a few artists from this small hamlet is making its presence felt in the International Folk Music Film Festival.
Set to the notes of an entire bamboo orchestra, the short is an ode to the many ethnic art forms and artists of the land. It chronicles how we used to celebrate Onam in the yesteryears. Conceptualised as an ‘Onam Video Greeting’, the tale weaves around how a young girl in the hamlet celebrates Onam.
One gets to experience the charm of the myriad ethnic art forms of the land and watch the unique and traditional games the people of the region indulge themselves induring Onam. Conceptualised by the group of artists of Vayali Folklore Group, the video brings to the screen the charm of the land, replete with the lilting notes of the bamboo orchestra. Created by Vayali Folklore Group under the banner of Vayali Initiative for Media (ViMA), the video showcases many of the art forms that are under threat of being lost to the ages.
“The effort is to ensure that these art forms are preserved. We are in the process of documenting them,” says Bhagyanath M, the director of the video. Shot in the idyllic village ‘Arangottukara’ near Bharathapuzha, the video has earned a spot among the sole two entries in the non-competition category of the 8th edition of the International Folk Music Film Festival to be held in Nepal.
“The video was crafted last year during Onam. Although we had sent that last year, it couldn’t be showcased. This year, they are set to screen it,” says Bhagyanath. Art forms such as ‘Poothan Thira’, ‘Darika and Kali (Darika Vadham)’, ‘Kinnam Kali’, ‘Chavittu Kali’ are showcased in the video along with the traditional Onam games of the land.
“As such Nila has been exploited, the art forms are also under the threat of being destroyed. It was Vayali Folklore Group that pioneered a move to preserve the art forms as early as the 2000s. The effort is still continuing and the Responsible Tourism has launched an initiative to preserve the art forms thriving in the banks of the Nila. This video is also an effort towards that,” says Bhagyanath, a native of Arangottukara who is presently employed at Invis Multimedia in the city.
“The Onam as we know it is highly market-oriented and commercialised. With this video greeting, we tried to bring to the screen the true essence of Onam,” says Bhagyanath. “The folklore heritage of Nila is highly vast. Ours is an effort to aid in its protection and bring it to the mainstream. With this, we get to showcase the art forms of Nila to an international audience,” he adds.