THRISSUR: The kummattikkali by Vadakkumuri Desam in Thrissur was special for two reasons. First, it was being held at a time when Kerala is celebrating Onam with full fervour. Second, it marked the first time women performed the traditional dance form.
Kizhakkumpattukkara natives Sunitha, Sabitha and Sanitha became the first women in the state to perform the traditional dance form which is staged in Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. Clad in traditional kummatti attire, complete with the mask, the women regaled people at this year’s Kizhakkumpattukkara Kummatti Utsavam, an event with a 70-year-old history.
“It was my dream to be a part of kummattikkali. We had been spectators for years. Ever since we were kids, we would paint masks and arrange grass for the costume, but never got a chance to perform. This year, when I told my husband about my dream, he agreed and even helped with all the preparations,” shared Sanitha, a teacher. Sabitha and Sunitha, who work with private firms in Thrissur, wished for the same. They said their family supported and helped them fulfill their wish.
First woman ‘puli’ lauds kummatti trio
For Sunitha, kummattikkali is a family affair. When she dons the mask to perform, her husband wears the costume made of grass and gets ready for the performance. Though women had forayed into pulikkali in previous years in Thrissur, they had never been welcomed to be a part of kummattikkali.
This changed with Onam 2022. Vinaya, who was among the first women to perform pulikkali, said she was extremely happy to see the participation of women in kummattikkali. “In 2016, we planned and practised for kummattikkali.
However, we dropped the plan due to the opposition from certain quarters and took part in pulikkali instead. However, even that was a historic event at the time as these art forms had kept women away for centuries,” she said. Young men in the region consider kummattikkali a local festival associated with Onam and most of them take a swing at it to depict different characters and dance to drum beats.
Kummattikkali performance lasts for hours as the artists move from house to house, extending Onam wishes to families. Even the people of Kizhakkumpattukkara welcomed the participation of women in the traditional art form.
Mask, grass
Kummattikkali artists wear a costume made of ‘Parppadakapullu’, a type of grass. The masks are made of wood from jackfruit trees and the like and painted using bright colours. Each kummatti depicts characters from Hindu mythology