KOCHI:A folk art form once thought to be dying out due to lack of interest livened up proceedings at the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The hour-long performance ‘Payyunur Charadukuthi Kolkali’, a traditional form native to Payyanur in Kannur, held at Aspinwall House had no dearth of audience.
The kolkali (or ‘stick dance’), which is said to have be referenced in Sangam literature, had performers swivel, twirl and strike their batons while circling around a pole with a mesh of thread fabric. Moving in tandem with the live rendition of shlokas, the dancers would change steps mid-routine upon the instructions of the gurukal (master) and asan(teacher).
“Usually for each kali (dance), there are 60 different variants of the movements. It takes a lot longer and this makes it more demanding. For the first time, we curtailed each movement to showcase the intricacy of the entire form without losing its core essence” said Prabhakaran Tharangini, the gurukal of the troupe
‘Mahadevadesai Vayanasala Kolkali Sangham’.
In another first for the art form traditionally performed as a temple ritual by men, the troupe included kalis by women in their show. With not a beat missed, the nearly 40-member group of dancers from ages seven to 70 moved to the tune, clacking batons to the chanting.
Kept alive by the townspeople of Payyannur, but for whom the nuances of this art form passed down through oral traditions over generations would have been lost, the kolkali is derived from the traditional martial art kalaripayattu. The two share movements and steps.
“Payyannur kolkali is also similar to Thiruvathirakali, but it is more closely related to Poorakkali in its steps, expressions and music. It is both a temple ritual as well as an art form. The chanting in particular invokes the presiding deity of the Payyannur Subramanya Swamy temple,” said K. Shivakumar, the asan.
Though a part and parcel of life in the district, the Payyunur Kolkali is lesser known beyond its borders than the Mappila Kolkali, a cultural marker readily identifiable with the North Malabar region.