Kalaripayattu is alive and kicking

Hit, block, twirl!
Kick, leap, crouch!
Guruji’s snapping commands hit the walls and echo all over the training centre, as his disciples adroitly shift from stance to stance. They wield swords, shields and spears, displaying the agile power of kalaripayattu, the world’s oldest martial art. But have the ancient tricks of this art evolved and are they put to use today?
The current fitness routines of international celebs, rehearsals of theatre groups, and behind-the-camera practices of movie actors unveil, albeit unintentionally, an impressive survival of the craft.It is a tale of how an art form has stood the test of time, and has even enjoyed a revival of sorts in recent times. Actor Vidyut Jamwal, whose Junglee has just hit the big screen, is himself a brilliant kalaripayattu expert who has used his skills to stunning effect in the film.
Eminent masters, practitioners and proponents share with us the stories of its journey, and the swag quotient it enjoys today.
Warfare technique to fitness regimen
The tales of the origins of kalaripayattu are many, but the most recognised one is related to its military history, says Sunil Gurukkal of Indian Kalaripayattu Federation. “Of course, there are mythological tales on how sage Parasuraman awarded it to Kerala for the protection of the state. History books point out that it was a military technique developed around the 4th century BC. Other martial art forms around the world originated from it and you can see the evidence, for instance, in ancient Shaolin Temple, where it is written how the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took it to China,” says Sunil, who has been a practitioner for about 45 years. Its two styles, thekkan (southern) and vadakkan (northern), differed a lot in the past, in terms of self-defence techniques, but not anymore, owing to gurus borrowing many of the best practices, Sunil adds. “Traditionally, the southern style focuses more on hits and blows, and the northern on flexibility,” he explains.
Today, for everything from self-defence to weight loss, kalaripayattu is often the answer, say gurus. Asokan Gurukkal from Thrissur, who has been in the field for about 36 years, says, “Women mostly come to learn self-defence techniques and to improve their dance moves, while for men it is more about gaining flexibility and regaining their youthfulness.”
Even artistes today liberally borrow from kalaripayattu to give an exotic and regal feel to their performances, say practitioners. Lakshmanan Gurukkal from Kozhikode, who has been running a kalari centre in Auroville for many decades, has been touring the world with kalari dance fusion performances for years. He says, “There are many Indian dance forms like chhau that have its origins in martial arts. Our own kathakali and other dances have kalaripayattu as their base. Theatre artistes and bharathanatyam, mohiniyattam and odissi dancers have been collaborating with us for long; kalaripayattu’s energetic moves seem to infuse their own craft with a fresh lease of life. It has been much explored in the recent past,” says the guru. Mollywood's State Award winner actor Sudev Nair learnt the art even before he started his career in the movies.
“It was part of our curriculum in the Pune Film Institute and I became thoroughly fascinated by it. Before starting the training, my back was injured and I had a tough time, initially. However, over time, it strengthened my back. Now, it helps me in carrying off movie stunts in a believable manner and is also one of the tools that help me with my acting.”
Meanwhile, many things about kalaripayattu still stay traditional. For instance, its animal postures and usage of weapons like swords, shields, staffs, maces, bows and sticks. Sunil says, “In the past they were used to train for warfare. One might wonder how they are relevant now. However, those movements contribute a lot to flexibility and agility and so, they are invaluable.”
The art’s complicated vaithari (action commands) also remains the same, regardless of whether the disciple understands the language or not. Sunil says, “The vaitharis are in Malayalam and Sanskrit. Just as a karate student understands Japanese instructions without knowing much of the language, kalaripayattu students can also learn the vaitharis,” he says. The first Indian-origin character in a Japanese Manga comic will soon be a kalaripayattu practitioner, Ravi, if the recent announcements in Bengaluru are anything to go by.
The only martial art form that can boast of having its own methods of medical treatment, practitioners say tourism has resurrected it much better than before. Lakshmanan Gurukkal says, “While in the past it emerged due to the absence of hospitals and the pressing need to treat the injuries faced by practitioners, today it attracts tourists owing to its ‘ayurvedic’ image. Thankfully, the discipline benefits from this.”
Asokan Gurukkal says that more than anything, kalaripayattu training has a holistic approach that helps one attain control over mind and body. “The sessions start and end with prayer and imparting respect to the weapons. There is a lot of focus on the hand – mind-weapon coordination as well and all of it helps you stay sharp in life too,” he says.
The rise outside Kerala
Thanks to the movie industry, kalaripayattu has been enjoying takers even in northern India, in the recent past. Shinto Mathew, who has been running a kalari institute in Noida for the past nine years, says, “I trained in kalaripayattu from Kozhikode and shifted to Delhi a couple of years ago. I started the institute after a couple of enthusiasts, who watched my demonstrations, were keen to learn it. Over the years, thanks to theatre artistes, film industry and others recognising its potential, many have been coming forward with genuine interest to train in kalari.”
The interest reflects even in national level competitions that have been conducted by the Indian Federation of Kalaripayattu for the past few years, says Sunil Gurukkal. “Just like in any other sport, events are conducted in the sub junior, junior and senior levels in kalaripayattu and the participation has only been increasing over years, both in the male and female categories.” The National Kalaripayattu Championship includes competitions in the various techniques, such as meyyirakkam, kettukari, cheruvadi, otta, dagger and gadha.
Women aren’t shying away, either
The legendary female kalari warrior Unniyarcha has many followers in the modern times too and their numbers are growing, say trainers.
Kalari practitioner Mereena Aswani, who recently launched a women’s only kalaripayattu training centre in Kochi on International Women’s Day, says, “My aim is to rope in more homemakers, who otherwise have no avenues for physical activities in general. As compared to how it was when I started practising the art form 30 years ago, things have radically improved. Many used to tease me for pursuing it, while today, we have many women who boldly take it up with the support from their families.” Mereena has been training women of all age groups and says kalari practice gives them strong legs and confidence. “Be it for self-defence or daily life, we need strong legs and hands; and kalaripayattu is the best for this,” says Mereena, who has been into kalari for about 30 years.