For 76-year-old Pakkanar Sreedharan, Onam means much more than an occasion to bond and enjoy. For him, the festival is a stage where ‘ Pakkanarattom,’ the art he is adept at, could be showcased. Otherwise, there aren’t many stages where this art form could be performed now, a situation that has forced many like Mr. Sreedharan to live off the government’s indigent artist pension.
Mr. Sreedharan’s views are shared by many artists of traditional and folk art forms who participated in the Onam fete held by the Tourism Department here. The performances at the fete included Thottam pattu , Pakkanarattom and Tholppavakoothu, art forms, which were once regulars in temples and are now fading away from the social milieu. Even temples do not hold as many performances as they used to, says Mr. Sreedharan.
For the ecletic crowd at the fete, most of whom were presumably unfamiliar with the fare presented, the art forms brought a splash of nostalgia, a feel of naive merriment. No wonder they watched in rapt attention.
These art forms form the legacy of many families, some of which still continue to practise them despite the odds. The decline of temple arts has to do with the changes in people’s beliefs, says Sivadasan, son of acclaimed Balikkala artist C.K. Andipanikkar. Balikkala was traditionally performed at homes as a form of prayer for the sake of good health, safe child birth, and so on. With fewer people resorting to religion for such concerns, art forms like Balikkala are becoming increasingly restricted to stage performances. The upside of this development is the fact that this may bring about an interest in the art form among people who have not been exposed to it previously. Kariyam Rajan, who has been a Thottampattu Aashan for 26 years, says he has had students come to him after viewing Thottampattu on the stage.
But its not a totally bleak scene for temple or traditional art forms. Vishwanathapulavar, whose ancestors have traditionally practised Tholpaavakkoothu , has performed at international puppetry festivals.
