KANNUR: The video and photos of a 14-year-old, who took on the role of theechamundi theyyam — also known as ottakkolam — exhausted from his performance, in which he had to jump into a bonfire and serve holy ash with his right hand, and resting his head on the bamboo poles of a makeshift shelter, have gone viral — and divided society and the online space.
On the second day of the Chirakkal Chamundi Kottam perumkaliyattam, Abhiram, son of Murali Panickar, a well-known local theyyam performer, had thrown himself into the bonfire, known as meleri, 101 times, leaving the devotees thronging the venue in a state of disbelief. Though he would be dragged out of the bonfire by two persons in charge of assisting the theyyam, the act had visibly exhausted the boy. Usually, theechamundi is performed by senior members of the Malaya community, who hold the right to perform the theyyam.
“Nobody forced us into it. This is a tradition in our community. God chooses the person to perform the theyyam. This has been practised for years and we have no complaints following the system, which is our karma,” said Murali Panicker. “My son did not suffer any injuries or burns from the performance,” he said. But the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights thought otherwise and registered a suo motu case against Murali and C K Suresh Varma, general convenor of the perumkaliyattam. “This is not the first time that a boy has performed theyyam. It has courted controversy since the perumkaliyattam here has been getting all the media attention,” said Suresh. “We have not forced anybody to perform the theyyam. It is for the community to take the decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, social media is abuzz with netizens split in their opinion of the act and of the practice of making children victims of tradition. “Such practices should be stopped at any cost. We are living in a progressive society and such barbarous rituals should be stopped or innocent children will be harmed,” said Nisanth Pariyaram. “Why don’t we see any upper caste boys testing their skill, stamina and devotion by plunging themselves into bonfires?
This is merely for the entertainment of the upper castes, and lower castes like the Malaya community are being made the victims,” he said.“The boy was seen happily participating in setting the stage for a theyyakkolam the very next day, here. He did not suffer burns or injuries,” said Dr Sanjeevan Azhikode, a theyyam researcher and one of the members of the organising committee.