Sphoorthi Theatre

Shree Narayana Guru well known as Shree Narayana Guru Swami was a Hindu saint & a social reformer of India. Narayana Guru was born on August 20, 1856, in the village of Chempazhanthi near Thiruvananthapuram to Shri Madan Asan, a farmer, and Smt. Kutti Amma into an Ezhava family, a backward community in Kerala. Billavas of Karnataka, Irava in Tamil Nadu racially the same as of Ezhava community of Kerala.  He was fondly called Nanu. His father was also a teacher and learned scholar in Sanskrit, Astrology, and Ayurveda. As a child, he was exposed to narratives and stories from the Puranas and Itihaasas like- Ramayana and the Mahabharata- He was also initiated into the traditional formal education Ezhuthinirithal by Chempazhanthi Pillai, Sanskrit, Tamil, traditional subjects such as Siddharupam, Balaprobhodhanam, and Amarakosam and Ayurveda from his father and Uncle Sri Krishnan Vaidyan-an Ayurvedic Physician.    As a young boy, he would criticize his own people for...

I participated in a National Seminar Organised by P.S Telugu University, Hyderabad on “Indian Literature and Dalit Culture” on October 29-31, 2012. One session dealt with the Mayalaya Dalits condition and subjudication to various kinds of atrocities especially women. Can one imagine such things being imposed in a country like India which stands for rich culture, tradition, and heritage? More so with Kerala state-God’s own Land. We today oppose to various fashion shows, Miss Universe, Miss World Contests, and undervalue if girls are dressed in jeans, or short skirts with spaghetti tops and so on. One paper by Ms. Maria Kutty Joseph moved me. It was like suddenly shocking jerks I received. I had read some aspects about Kerala Culture, dress, food, status of women and so on. I never imagined the torture on women especially lower caste women would be so horrible in the19th century or prior to it. No doubt, Brahmin women also underwent the same sorts of torture within four walls....

I remembered my Keralite friend by name Bhindu Panicker, who use to describe the festivities of Kerala in detail. One such was Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Mahostavam in Kerala. The festival is all about the union of women near the Attukkal temple and cooking Pongala and offering it to the Goddess. The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Trivandrum, Kerala, celebrates the world famous Attukal Pongala every year in the Month of Kumbham-March or February. (Malayalam months are named after Hindu zodiac signs called Rasi). It is estimated that more than two million women participate in this Hindu ritual called ‘pongala.’ It is like annual gathering of women from Kerala and surrounding to offer Pongala to the Goddess. Attukal is the name of the temple. The 'Pongala' is Pongal or Pongali comprises preparing ‘prasad’ for the deity. Women cook rice and jaggery in earthen pots and they offer it to the goddess. They also cook different type of sweet dishes – called ‘mandaputtu,’ ‘appam,’ ‘ther...

The Tholpavakoothu, known as a shadow puppet theatre in the Malayalam language, is an ancient traditional art form that is still actively performed in the districts of Palakkad, Thrissur, and Malappuram in Kerala, India. It is a matter of satisfaction to note that this particular traditional art form continues to thrive and is not considered extinct, unlike in other regions of India where its performance is few, with only a few exceptions. Regrettably, it is evident that the traditional temple art in Kerala is facing the threat of extinction. This is mostly due to the limited number of families who possess the necessary expertise in this ancient art form and continue to perform it as a ritualistic and customary activity within the temple premises. I had the privilege of engaging in a personal interaction with Sri Ramachandra Pulavar, hailing from Shoranur. The individual in question is the offspring of Sri Krishnakutty Pulavar, who holds the distinction of being...