Maharaja's College teacher brings out unique documentary on Kuthiyottam

Every year, the age-old ritual art form of Kuthiyottam becomes quite the talk of the town in Thiruvananthapuram, where it is held at the Attukal Temple as part of the annual festival there.

- APARNA NAIR

It reminds us of how ritual art traditions of Kerala might be on the simmer now, but a closer look reveals earth's innate vibrance in them. Kuthiyottam had also been in the news as part of a controversy. But this famous ritual has a more arty element to it; a Malayalam faculty of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, has found.

Manju V Madhu's deeper researches were into the songs that are sung during the ritual, where the boys who sign up to undergo the austerities are trained to keep pace with tunes and songs sung in honour of the fiery Goddess's deeds.

The documentary based on this is arguably the first in the genre, where the touch of nature and of a life in tune with it is indelibly found in the construct of the verses and the rhythm of the songs.

"Kuthiyottam is a regular feature during festivals in some Bhadrakali temples of Kerala, especially towards the south and the central area, but the place where it is held as a social event is in Chettikulangara where it is held in homes," says Manju, who is an assistant professor of Malayalam.