In an attempt to create a world record, an eight-year old boy, Adityu Manoj, has performed the Kalan Kolam at the Padayani festival held at the ancient Bhagavathy temple of Madhathilkavu at Naranganam near Kozhencherry on Monday night.
Kalan Kolam is regarded as a complicated Padayani dance , usually performed by a master artist.
Wearing a crown-shaped colourful headgear made of areca spathes and attire made of tender palm leaves, the boy took a number of complicated strides in the Kalan Kolam performance. The spectators, most of them devotees, were amazed to witness the small boy performing the Kalan Kolam in ‘adantha’ style which requires skill, artistic awareness and experience.
The performance was based on the ‘Markandeya-charitom,’ story of sage Markandeya.
Markandeya was an ancient sage and a celebrated devotee of Lord Siva. The story reveals the legendary tale of how he was saved by Lord Siva from the clutches of death.
Master Adityu, a class-III student at a village school, is the son of Manoj-Smitha couple. He has been learning Padayani under exponents Raghavan Nair and Radhakrishnan Nair, at the Paithruka Kala Kalari at Naranganam since April, 2012.
Kalari authorities told The Hindu that they have already approached the Guinness Book officials in India for considering Master Adityu’s Kalan Kolam performace as a world record and are hopeful of its inclusion in the book.
