THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala’s traditional art forms are getting a bigger platform at this year’s Onam celebrations, with organisers bringing lesser-known rituals and folk performances to the forefront.
But practitioners say such stages alone cannot ensure the survival of traditions that are fast losing their place in contemporary society.
Unlike previous years, when the main venue of Nishagandhi at Kanakakkunnu was largely reserved for mega shows, this year’s celebrations feature dedicated daily showcases of traditional art forms.
Performances including mudiyettu, tholpavakoothu, padayani, porattu nadakam and lesser-known forms like balikkalam are being presented during the week-long festival. Over 8,000 artists are participating in events across the state as part of the celebrations.
The expanded programme has also brought troupes from different parts of Kerala to the capital, giving audiences an opportunity to encounter art forms rooted in specific regional traditions.
Among them, Balikkalam is a ritual associated historically with the Kadathanad region of Kozhikode district. According to Akhilesh T P, a practitioner who has been involved in the tradition for around four decades, the ritual was traditionally performed in ancestral-house courtyards as part of ceremonies associated with the safe delivery of women and the warding off of perceived evil influences.
The ritual involves creating a kalam using five-coloured powders, performing prayers and rituals, reciting thottam songs, and portraying five deities through ritual performance. His 10-member troupe now presents select elements of the tradition — including costumes, thottam songs and an explanation of its origins — on cultural stages.
“We get opportunities to perform because the government is trying to promote traditional art forms that are disappearing. Platforms like these are important because this tradition will otherwise stop,” Akhilesh said.
The troupe has also performed at international venues in Bahrain, Muscat and Malaysia, reflecting the growing interest in indigenous art forms when they are presented in curated cultural and tourism programmes.
Palakkad’s porattu nadakam is another traditional form receiving prominence at Kanakakkunnu. The folk theatre, rooted in the rural life, struggles and humour of agricultural communities, is being presented with contemporary additions while retaining its traditional narrative structure.
The troupe, which has performed in the capital for more than two decades, has incorporated Onam songs into this year’s performance. The form has also begun reaching audiences outside Kerala, with social media exposure helping Palakkad troupes secure invitations from neighbouring states such as Karnataka.
However, artists are demanding year-round opportunities. Suresh Kumar of Nadan Kalakshetram, Edanad, Chengannur, who received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 2015, said traditional artists continue to struggle with rising costs and stagnant government remuneration.
He said the honorarium for padayani performances remains based on rates fixed in 2015, while transportation and material costs have risen sharply. The financial constraints have forced his troupe to reduce the number of items in this year’s event.
Artists have called for traditional performances to be integrated into tourism experiences rather than being confined to annual festivals.
Suresh said he had proposed incorporating padayani, vanchipattu, thiruvathira and chendamelam into programmes for visitors at homestays and tourist destinations under responsible tourism initiatives. The artists are also demanding the revival of district-level programmes such as ‘Tourism Utsavam’, which provided multiple performance opportunities for traditional artists.
Financial restraints
Traditional artists continue to struggle with rising costs and stagnant government remuneration
Financial constraints, including transportation and material costs, have forced Suresh’s padayani troupe to reduce the number of items in this year’s event
