MALAPPURAM: “It’s our festival and we celebrate it together.”
The words by Ramesan, a resident of Kondotty, aptly sum up the feelings that people of the town in Malappuram attach to Kondotty Nercha. Celebrated in the memory of the late Sufi saint Muhammad Shah, the first Kondotty Thangal, Kondotty Nercha is a festival in which people of all faiths take part.
The celebrations, centred around Shah’s Mughal-style tomb (Qubba), are returning after a 14-year gap caused by a family dispute over the sthananeeyan (spiritual head). For the residents, its timing could not have been better what with efforts being made from various quarters to create division in society.
For them, the Nercha is not just a ritual, but also an agricultural festival with ceremonies held in the fields after harvest, and sale of crops carried out during the week-long celebrations. Moreover, the Nercha is also a confluence of various art forms, such as pooram kali, chavittukali, cheenimuttu and the like.
“In the past, this was also a market for residents to buy household items. In our childhood, our parents would buy things like knives, mats and other items from this market,” said Abdurahman, another Kondotty resident.
The Nercha officially commences with the hoisting of a white flag in the town. Later, cannons kept in the AR camp nearby are brought to the Nercha field.
The story goes that around 200 years ago, the then local kings, with the support of the Zamorin, fought Muhammad Shah. After losing the war, the Zamorin lost the cannons. These later became part of the Nercha.
“It’s a festival of social harmony. People from every religion gather here. The cannons are cleaned and oiled by people regardless of religion. Everyone plays a role in the pettivaravu, one of the main ceremonies,” said Rafeek Thangal of the Kondotty Thangal family.
During pettivaravu, the thattan petti (Goldsmith Box), belonging to an ancient family of goldsmiths known as Swami Maths is brought in a procession. People from Scheduled Castes communities also arrive with their offerings.
Meanwhile, there are some Islamic groups that are critical of the Kondotty Nercha.
“We oppose mainly for three reasons. First, it is conducted by Shias. Second, conducting a nercha in the name of a person other than Allah is un-Islamic. Finally, the jaaram (the tomb) is also un-Islamic,” said Abdul Malik Salafi, secretary, Wisdom Islamic Organisation.