KOCHI: Kerala’s cultural weave is rich with varied traditional ritualistic art forms. However, the Covid pandemic has pushed many such art forms and artists to a corner. Most of these traditional folk art forms survived around temples and festivals, and with all of them remaining shut, there is little scope for their revival. But Kannur-native Sarath Chandran M is on a mission to help North Malabar’s pride, Theyyam, resurface.
Theyyam has always intrigued Sarath. The legendary characters at his family temple in bright red costumes, heavily decorated headgears, and elaborate make-up enthralled him as a child. All the mesmerising figures are etched in his memory — Muchilottu Bhagavathy, Puliyur Kannan, Vattamudi Gulikan, Muthappan, Vayanattu Kulavan and many others. Now, he recreates these characters into realistic, handmade miniature figures.
Sarath started making mini Theyyam figures when he was a school student. “I was in Class VI then. I saw Theyyam being performed at our temple. My family wanted to keep a figure in our house. Unfortunately, the man who used to make them couldn’t do it. After a year, I gave it a shot, and it turned out quite well,” explains Sarath, who is also an Aerobridge Technician at Kannur Airport.
The imagery of Theyyam is embedded in his mind and these form the basic references of his miniatures. His memory even holds the meticulous details that are poured into the recreation. He occasionally uses reference pictures, to get the markings on the face and body correctly.
The making
Differently-sized dolls form the base of the Theyyam figure. First, a rod is inserted to keep the doll steady. Later, cement is added to make it strong and to ensure it doesn’t collapse when all the heavy materials are added to it. “Whatever the Theyyam artist wears, I will recreate it in its miniature form. Golden colour beads, sequences, cloth for ‘aada’, and other embellishments on the headgear,” explains Sarath. Acquiring materials that are similar to the original is the toughest part, says Sarath.
The lockdown helped him invest more time in this hobby. “Time varies depending on the type of figure. Muthappan took around three weeks to finish, and Muchilottu Bhagavathy, the most catchy figure that presents itself in an ornamented gaudy costume, took around two months,” says Sarath.
The Theyyam enthusiast doesn’t wish to limit his creativity to just steady miniatures. With Vayanattu Kulavan, his favourite form, Sarath intends to create a moving version soon. “Vayanattu Kulavan holds a wooden torch, I am planning to make his hands move so that the torch also waves accordingly,” concludes Sarath.