Friday was just another hectic T hulam day for prominent Theyyam artiste P.V. Sasidharan as the season of God-incarnates has advanced to an intensive phase.
It’s daunting, physically and otherwise, for Theyyam artistes of Malabar at the peak of the season to live their own lives during the day and get into the skin of ethnic gods after sundown.
Curiously, for Sasidharan, there’s a third role these days: that of a candidate in the local bodies’ election for which counting of votes will take place on Saturday.
The Congress candidate for ward no. 12 of Kannur’s Kadannappally-Panappuzha grama panchayat, Sasidharan travelled with a 10-member team of make-up, costume artists and assistants to perform Muthappan Theyyam at a private residence at Elamakkara, near here, on the eve of the counting day.
“There’s a belief in Malabar that Muthappan Theyyam be brought to a newly-built house to consecrate it,” said a member of his team.
The family in whose newly-built house he performed on Friday hails from northern Kerala.
“Only the performance inhabits my thoughts now. But I have to rush back tonight itself to be at the polling station in time for counting of votes,” Sasidharan, who slips into the khaki uniform of an autodriver in the off-season, told The Hindu.
The elections, however, have never been a pleasant experience for him.
In the last panchayat election, he contested from a different ward, but failed to make the cut.
He doesn’t appear to be elated about the polling this time around either.
“But I’ve to be there tomorrow. In view of the counting, there’s no performance scheduled for tomorrow evening.
“I will perform next as Muthappan at Thalipparamba on Sunday.”
Life, both physical and metaphysical, will go on irrespective of the local body election outcome, he knows for sure.
