Time Travel…

Sacred groves of northern kerala have woken up from  the monsoon hibernation and it’s sleepless nights for the villagers from now on.

Dancing to the drum beats and fighting with fire, gods have descended to bless the land and drive away the demons from the villages and from our minds. 

It’s Theyyam time, one of the most intense the ritualistic art form of Kerala. 

In the image, a Theyyam group is crossing the river from one sacred grove to another marking the beginning of the season.

Welcome to Northern Kerala …

Silent Sunday: Lives Disrupted …

Wordless Wednesday: Fire, Engulf Me, Purify the Ones Around…

The Story Behind: Vishnumurthy Thottam

I have countless posts on Theyyams here, but none on the ‘Thottam Pattu’…

Each Theyyam performance is preceded by it’s Thottam, where the theyyam artist, with minimal make up, recites the story of theyyam.

Vishnumurthy theyyam is one of the most important and common theyyam performed as it’s based on lord Vishnu’s fourth avatar (incarnation), Narasimha.

The performance is so intense that, we get the true intensity of violence as the story unfolds.

The story is enacted on the following day without any recitation but with the rhythmic drum beats manipulating each step of the theyyam …

The story behind: Theyyam Makeup

Welcome to the ‘Mystic North Kerala’…

We are in the middle of yet another Theyyam season, vibrant days and nights… filled to the brim with drum beats and saturated colors.

Sleepless nights are well compensated by the divine dance of the Theyyams …

Theyyam make up is always interesting as it’s very much part of the transformation process, in which meager mortals become immortals, though, for a few hours.

Let me share a few images which I captured last week, while organizing a festival tour for our wonderful guests from Germany, Hans and Lilo.

 

You are Blessed …

It has been a long time since my last post here in this great forum…

The year passed by was, one of the most challenging both personally and career wise.

Though I tried to make a come back from the long hiatus many a times, I couldn’t.

Finally I broke free, took some bold decisions and feels at peace and confident.

This is the place, from which I get all the support and encouragements and I can’t wait any longer.

Now I feel that, finally I am back, where I truly belong to and eagerly waiting to be in touch with my friends and all the wonderful people here 🙂

Note on the image: I have posted many an images of Theyyam, the ritualistic folk art form of Northern most Kerala earlier. Being from the hearland of Theyyam (Kannur), and in the middle of Theyyam season, I can’t imagine of better image than this for my come back.

You can get lot of information with a google search for ‘Theyyam’, so I am not duplicating it here.

Thank you all for stopping by 🙂

Wordless Wednesday: Let me join…