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!