Kalari Buds Kalaripayattu Performance 2016

Kalari Gurukulam at the Nationals Championships 2016

Kalari Gurukulam wins 17 awards - three gold, seven silver, and seven bronze - at the Kalaripayattu National Championships 2016. The Bangalore organization represented Karnataka and made mark at the nationals for the second year in a row.

The Kalari Gurukulam Team for the Kalaripayattu National Championships 2016 - Ranjan Sir, Participants, and Parents at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Ernakulam

The Gurukulam students have been winning laurels since 2015 Championships. This year too was no different. Practising and preparing for the annual meet started at least a month before. The students under the eagle eyes and firm guidance of Ranjan sir practiced day in and day out, tuning their moves and forms to near perfection. They practiced along with their occupation, despite their school hours and office hours; many of the students were lucky as their school vacation had started just then. The students put in the maximum possible time and effort to perfect their training. The practising students' enthusiasm at strenuous training and practice can be simply described as inspirational and contagious. And Ranjan sir's strict, disciplined training armed them with the strength and stamina to compete with the best in the country.

Practice at its heights - Sky is the limit

By the end of May, trained rigorously for a month the participants were ready to put their best out on the stage. This year the championship venue was at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Ernakulam, Kerala. The National Kalaripayattu Championships is conducted by the Kalaripayattu Federation of India. The event was held between May 23 - 24, 2015 with more than 1000 participants across various age levels, Sub Junior, Junior, and Senior - Boys and Girls - competed with each other at more than ten categories. Having trained under the aegis of many revered teachers, the whole competition is one tough event vying with the best Kalaripayattu schools across the country.

The Inaugural Gathering of the Kalaripayattu National Championships 2016 at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Ernakulam. The event was held on May 23 - 24, 2016.

An added zest to the participating team was their accompanying parents. Moms and dads joined the team at the contesting venue and cheered each and every one of the Gurukulam students. Their support and encouragement are the essential factors that keep the kids on their toes. Cheering and rooting for their kids, parents have been a fulcrum in encouraging the kids to train and persist in the tough martial art system. Nandini Swamy, the mother of Chethana , voicing all the parents' thoughts aloud, said that their children were lucky to be trained by Ranjan sir and felt proud to say that her kid was a Gurukulam student. Teju, another participant who is a professional dancer tips his hat to Ranjan sir 'inspiring "vaaytharis"  are the main motivation for our jumps, flips, and kicks.'

Parents with Ranjan sir at the venue.

The Kalari Gurukulam award winners at Kalaripayattu National Championships 2016 were:
Under Sub-Junior Girls Section the winners were Shreeprada (Silver - Meipayattu) and Chetna (Bronze - Chuvadu).

Under Sub-Junior Boys Section Gaurav R (Bronze - Real Fight), Garv Setia (Silver and Bronze - Meipayattu and Bronze for Long Stick), and R Sriram (Bronze - Long Stick).

Under Junior Girls Section the winners were Upasana Gurjar (Gold - Meipayattu, Gold - Urumi, and Silver for Chuvadu), Shruthi Shine (Gold - Meipayattu).

Under Senior Girls Section the winners were Chethana Pritviraj (Silver for Sword and Shield, Bronze for Urumi), Shiny Ranjan (Silver - Sword and Shield, Silver - Chuvadu, and Bronze for Valvali).

Under the Senior Boys Section the winners were Ramu (Silver- Meipayattu) and Tejesh (Bronze - Chuvadu)



Some memorable actions at the Nationals from our Gurukulam students:

Meipayattu - Ease and Grace in Action

Mid air confrontation - Long Stick - Sub Junior Boys

Budding warrior in action

Seemingly featherlight - Chethana does a midair jump and turn

Another featherlight mid-air action - Teju

Perfect alignment is a Kalari prerequisite

Cartwheeling at its best

Deceptively easy?! The power lies in the muscles and the Will

Mid-air Flight - Defying gravity - Ramu

Grace in Kalari movements

Ready to Combat - Sword and Shield - Chethana and Shiny

Urumi in Action - Upasana

After the three day event, as the team returned home with bags full of awards, it is with a renewed zeal and enthusiasm to their daily Kalari practice and the next level of trainings. There are lot more achievements awaiting the students as they advance in Kalaripayattu, lot more levels to learn and master as they return to their daily learning and practice. As Ramu said, competitions and awards are opportunities to discover the rising talents in the same field more than winning awards. Awards, national or otherwise, are but small stopovers to sport with the martial art form. Becoming a Kalari warrior is in itself a lifetime reward!

The Kalari Gurukulam Winners at the Kalaripayattu National Championships 2016 - The proud moment!

Kalari Margam at Cubbon Park

The much awaited Kalari Margam took place on the 26th of February at the lush green environs of the Bangalore Cubbon Park. The renowned Band Stage at the park was the designated venue for the same. 

As the banners and posters went, Kalari Margam was the first of its kind programme initiated by the Gurukulam to promote as well as create an awareness among the people about Kalaripayattu. Set amidst serene nature, this programme encompassed demonstration of the fundamentals of Kalaripayattu through a lecture demonstration along with mesmerizing weapon combat techniques and acrobatics.

It was 6.00 AM and the performing group slowly started pouring in to Cubbon Park. They were designated guides posted at all the possible entrances to the park so that no one would miss their way. Instructions were given out over smses and phone calls. 6.30 and the group was gathered at the Band Stage. The performance started off another 15 minutes later with the announcement of the same to the early morning joggers. 

The Salutation was the first in the agenda which was followed by a short demonstration of the sword and the shield for the benefit of the onlookers. This display attracted more of an audience and we started off with the lecture demonstration. The demonstration was done both in Kannada and in English so that the linguistic needs of the crowd was taken care of. The accompaniment of the Djembe (African drums) added meat to the demonstration.This went on for an hour and then it was time for a snack break. Our Gurukkal took the pain to wrap up separate packs of the popular kerala steam cake fr each one of us and breakfast was thus a feast. Energies renewed everyone was ready to go for their weekly dose of kalari practice at the Band Stage. It was an occasion of a gathering of the entire group and the mood was festive, light and jovial. The Gurukulam Society Board Members were called in front of the group and introduced to them all. The children had a whale of a time with their friends doing cartwheels, trying out the sticks and exhibiting their martial art prowess proudly to the on lookers. The highlight of the first half of the day was the weaponery demonstration of the highly talented team from Kerala; the skilled practitioners from the famous PKB kalari in Kerala. It was a feast to the eyes and the crowd was mesmerized. The media was also in the picture and managed to grab quite a number of lovely shots for their publications.

A small break followed by lunch and the afternoon session started at three. Competitions for the kids took the next slot in the agenda. There was much enthusiasm for doing innumerable cartwheels and jumps and Lekha won the first prize among 8 participants in the same category. In the 10-18 age group it was Kiran raj who grabbed the first prize.  

The highly talented Ramu Madanan was the one who bagged the first prize in the jumps category. 9 ft was the achieved height and that was amazing! In short, there was ample display of talent and skill and there was much appreciation going around for everyone. Excluding a couple of minor injuries sustained by some the event went off without a hitch and the befitting finale to the Kalari  Margam was a continuous 10 Meypayattus by Sudarshan.

About The Writer"The image of women fighting with weapons and defending themselves inspired me to take up Kalaripayattu. It came across as difficult when I started it but with practice and focus I have really begun to enjoy it," says Asha, a language teacher who joined Ranjan's class a year back.Asha Francis, works as a training lead at Hewlett Packard in Bangalore. Writing and Kalaripayattu are her two major passions. She trains in Kalaripayattu at KAPA, Bangalore, under Ranjan Mullarat. Asha can be contacted at ashfrancis@yahoo.com

Kalari FAQ By Arpana B

1. How would you define kalaripayattu as an art form?

Kalaripayattu originally an art of combat is relevant even in today’s times. This relevance over time and space boundary is what classifies it as an art form.

2. How is it different from the other martial art forms?

There are many differences Kalaripayattu is unique in its techniques- it imitates the animals in combat. The movements are fluid, and breaks the rigidity of the body. Kalaripayattu is also unique as it has a medical aspect in it. Apart from the massage which increases the suppleness of the body, kalaripayattu also includes Marma therapy. Traditional kalari masters aer well versed in both the physical and medical aspect. Patients approach them for healing and well being.

3. Can children learning this art form?Is there an ideal age to enroll into kalaripayyattu?

Six years is an ideal age to enroll as a student. Before this, their mental and physical structure is not appropriate for rigourous training.  In our Academy, There are about 18 children who come on a regular basis.

4. How is it beneficial for children?

Owing to a variety of factors, children these days are becoming physically inactive, leading to health related disorders like obesity. Kalaripayattu offers a pleasurable way of being physically active. Children can express themselves in this art form, breaking the monotony of their school curriculum. The movements and techniques taught also increases their focus and concentration. As our motto says, kalaripayattu promises a strong body and focused mind. I have seen children becoming more alert and active after a few days of kalari practice.

5. How is it different children over adults?

Adults are more perceptive of the reasons why a particular movement is required. However, a child even if it does not understand the far fetched result, earnestly tries to perform the movement.

6. Are there any benefits both physical and mental in children ?

Surely there are both physical and mental benefits for the children. Like I mentioned earlier, they will have a stronger, athletic body and a focused and concentrative mind. This will help not only in their studies, but also their overall personal development. It also builds confidence.

7. Has Kalari gained popularity in Bangalore? How are people responding to it?

I see that the interest and popularity is increasing. After each performance of our academy, I see more and more people enrolling for the classes. It is heartwarming to see that people are interested in this ancient art form and join classes out of interest.


About The Writer
Arpana B is learning kalaripayattu from past Four years. currently working at FRLHT researching about medicinal plants. Arpana can be contacted at arpanab15@gmail.com.

A dream come true

Kalari Gurukulam Inauguration - 17th October 2010.

Click Here for the slide show

Thank you for all your support materialising the kalari gurukulam Dream.

Kalari Gurukulam

www.kalarigurukulam.com

Of worship and weapons

As a festival, Vijayadashami is celebrated in varying forms not just across India but in Nepal too. Celebrated on the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu autumn month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja, it is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual Navaratri ('nine nights') festival.

In Kerala, Vijayadasami has the added significance of being the auspicious day for starting formal education for children. The old practice of Shastra Puja has now been extended to books and tools of work. Students keep their books and workers their tools for puja on the eighth day of Navarathra (Durgashtami); these are taken back and used after puja on the tenth day (Vijayadasami). The essence behind this practice is to give the initiation of any formal course of study an auspicious beginning so that the course takes on a successful and fruitful bend. In fact this is so old that in many parts of Kerala, even non-Hindus follow this tradition. In 2004, many churches in Kerala formally adopted the same tradition of introducing young children to education on Dussehra day.

Shastra Puja goes back to the days of Kalaripayattu too, the ancient martial art form of Kerala. It was observed with a lot of piety and aplomb in those times. To take an example, the famous Kalari of the legendary Pazhassi Raja in Iritty has had special pujas conducted on this day through all the years. Unfortunately, the Kalari has not been at the pink of health after the downfall of Pazhassi Raja’s kingdom and the retreat of the British monarch from the soils of India. The building is in a dilapidated state.

The descendants of the mighty warrior king still keep the sacred Kalari under watch but the only time that the whole place comes to life is during the Navarathri festival. During this time, the special pujas conducted at the Kalari and the temple associated to it, are reminiscent of the olden days.

The kalari where Pazhashi Raja mastered the art

For those who are interested in the history and origin of this art form, there is a popular legend which goes on to say that the renowned SageParasurama, the warrior sage and  an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, created 108 Kalaris (learning grounds)  all across Kerala to help the people ward off the arrogant Kshatriyas. Parasurama himself is believed to have learnt this martial art form from Lord Siva.

The element of Godliness that is thus attached to Kalaripayattu is still retained and Gurukulam only aims at carrying the tradition forward by retaining the wealth of the olden days to the extent possible.

It would indeed be an experience to witness the  Shastra Puja at the  Gurukulam premises this October. Apart from reliving the past it would also be an opportunity to get to know more about this noble venture of passing on the valuable knowledge of the ancient and revered art form of Kalaripayattu.

About The Writer"The image of women fighting with weapons and defending themselves inspired me to take up Kalaripayattu. It came across as difficult when I started it but with practice and focus I have really begun to enjoy it," says Asha, a language teacher who joined Ranjan's class a year back.Asha Francis, works as a training lead at Hewlett Packard in Bangalore. Writing and Kalaripayattu are her two major passions. She trains in Kalaripayattu at KAPA, Bangalore, under Ranjan Mullarat. Asha can be contacted at ashfrancis@yahoo.com

Sammilan

Sammilan 09  By Ranjan Kamath

Sammilan '09 celebrated with the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Kalari Academy of Performing Arts(KAPA). 

The primary objective of each Sammilan edition is to bring the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu from the margins of the exotic and rehabilitate it within it the mainstream.

Sammilan ’09 was one more effort to entertain, educate and excite audiences by the potential of Kalaripayattu as a movement grammar and psycho-physiological training regimen that grooms mind and body for optimal use from the classroom to the board room and beyond.

The audience witnessed Kalaripayattu performed with grace, flexibility and ferocity for which the martial art form is well renowned. They were also treated to a variety of movement art performances inspired by the grammar of Kalaripayattu.

The young students of Kalari Academy aged between eight and ten commenced the evening’s programme with the Kalari Vanakkam or salutation, illustrating the process by which a practitioner attains oneness with the self, pushing the body beyond tolerance levels through sheer power of mind over body.

Maja Drobac from Croatia, transcended cultural boundaries through dance in her performance titled Vipasana. While her performance had no connection with Kalaripayattu, Maya’s performance depicted how cultures are united in the commonality of movement even though the inspiration may be diverse.

Veena Basavarajaiah, dancer and choreographer converged west and east in Musical Combat which was a study in contrast. The disciples of the PKB Kalari Sangam transformed the deadly ottakol from a weapon of war into an instrument of lyricism seduced by the accompaniment of western classical music

Thereafter, Srishti, a creation by Miss Roopa Ravindran, renewed our vows to Mother Earth, acknowledging the supremacy of her creations; the majestic animals whose grace, speed, power and beauty inspired the martial art form of Kalaripayattu

Veena Basavarajaiah’s "MAYA" attempted to portray the illusion of perception. Through MAYA Veena was able to adequately illustrate, how the ancient movement grammar of a martial art can be adapted to the abstract world of contemporary dance.

The much awaited grand finale was provided by an explosive exhibition of traditional Kalaripayattu which literally had sparks flying. To the rhythmic accompaniment of drums led by Agni Group, the celebrated practitioners of the kalaripayattu exhibited the unity of weaponry and the human body through dangerous duels brilliantly executed with grace and ferocity.

With every Sammilan, the Kalari Academy seeks to expand the versatility of Kalaripayattu in the hands of creative practitioners of the performing arts, to explore and portray the infinite ways in which the traditional can remains perpetually relevant in the inspiration of the contemporary.

About The Writer

Ranjan Kamath, writer, teacher and theatre practitioner, “Kalaripayattu is an essential way of life which is integral to the enhancement of mental and physical performance skills”

natakvalas@gmail.com

www.natakvalas.com