Heart in Kalari, even at 93 for this Kerala gentleman
THRISSUR: The Vallabhatta Kalari in Chavakkad currently has 90 trainees. Lucky ones, for they have the opportunity to train under Unni Gurukkal, the most senior among the living members of the Mudavangattil family that runs the kalari. The family holds the legacy of having led the army of the king of Vettathu Nadu in Malabar.
Even at the age of 93, Unni Gurukkal — Sankaranarayana Menon — is at the martial arts training centre at 6am. Every day. He supervises the training there till 8.30am before having breakfast, leaving his children in charge. A disciplined lifestyle has been the hallmark of his longevity as a kalaripayattu exponent. He wakes up at 5.30am, eats at the right time and goes to bed at 10pm. Unless there is an emergency, there has seldom been a break to that routine over the years.
These days, he mostly restricts himself to delivering the vaaythaari (oral commands) to the trainees, and instructing his sons Krishnadas Gurukkal, Rajeev Gurukkal and Dineshan Gurukkal, and daughter Nirmala Gurukkal, who help him with the training sessions. “Our family served as commanders of the army of Vettathu Raja. It is an honour Mudavangattil family received from the king,” says Gurukkal.
The Vallabhatta style of kalaripayattu was used in Vettathu Nadu. “The basics of all kalari styles, including Kadathanadan and Thulunadan, are the same. But Vallabhatta has slight differences in some chaithu (actions),” he says. Unni Gurukkal started learning the martial art when he was six, from his father Sankunni Panicker. He says every one including women learn it.
Unni Gurukkal and his family played a significant role in popularising kalaripayattu in the modern world. The Mudavangattil members came to Chavakkad from Niramaruthur near Tirur (Vettathu Nadu comprised the areas currently coming under Tirur taluk) in 1955 to teach Kalaripayattu on the invitation of Meleppura Raman (a resident of Chavakkad). In 1957, the family established the Vallabhatta Kalari and started training more people.
Unni Gurukkal and his children have travelled extensively overseas to promote kalaripayattu, starting new Vallabhatta centres in countries like the UK, US, France, Belgium and Sri Lanka. As of now, Vallabhatta Kalari trains more than 5,000 people in 17 branches across the world. “I’m happy to see more people practice kalaripayattu through our branches. It was my dream,” he says.
He was born to Chundayil Kalyanikutti Amma and Mudavangattil Sankunni Panicker on February 15, 1929. At 33, he married Saudamini. Unni Gurukkal has won several awards including the Kerala Folklore Akademi award for his contributions to kalaripayattu. Kalamandalam too honoured him at the age of 60.
His elder brothers, Ravunnikutty, Sreedhara and Viswanatha Menon also played their roles in promoting kalaripayattu by working alongside their father.
Now, his sons help shoot kalaripayattu scenes in movies. “We worked in the Mammooty-starrer Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Mohanlal’s Aaraam Thampuran. Currently, we are training actor Lakshmi Manchu to shoot kalaripayattu scenes for Mohanlal’s upcoming movie Monster,” says Krishnadas Gurukkal, who is also the president of the Kerala Kalaripayattu Association.
Vallabhatta Kalari has won several awards participating in state and national kalaripayattu competitions. Its headquarters in Chavakkad also offers kalari therapies like kettu chikilsa and uzhichil.