During the day, as a crime news producer at Manorama News, Vinu Mohanan Kurampala goes through countless accounts of horrific incidents. But at night, under the bright flames of torches, he becomes one among the Bhoothagana of Lord Siva, dancing to pacify Goddess Kali. And the spectacle of Padayani ensues.
Vinu is one of the few present-day exponents of Padayani, an ancient folk art form of central Kerala. “At one point, there were only a handful of people keeping this cultural treasure alive. But, today, some 28 groups across the districts of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam are actively performing, teaching and popularising Padayani,” he says during a phone interview. Gothrakala International Padayani Foundation set up by Vinu in 2014 at his native village of Kurampala, near Pandalam, is one among them.
Vinu Mohanan performing Kalankolam during Kurampala padayani
Speaking on the art form, Vinu harks back to a long lost era, much before the rise of the caste system. Padayani is rooted in the Dravidian culture and used to be centred on sacred groves that housed local deities.
“People from all walks of life came together for this event. A form of nature worship, it was performed by villagers, especially farmers, as a ritual to ward off evil and usher in prosperity. There is art, music, dance and satire in it. So it was a festival and an entertainment for the villagers. But as the groves turned into temples, Padayani was pushed out,” he says. Today, it is performed in open grounds near Bhagavathi temples in numerous villages lying near river Pamba and its tributaries.
Growing up in a place that has a rich Padayani heritage, the stunning colours of the headgears, exotic beats of the thappu, a percussion instrument, and the high drama of the art form caught his imagination at a tender age.
“Though I don’t recall much of it, I must have been four when I first watched a Padayani performance. But I do have vivid memories of the subsequent performances,” Vinu says.
Padayani meant a great deal to the people, especially to the kids, of the village. Trees and walls turned into canvases on which children drew the colourful, intricate designs of Padayani kolams — face masks along with headgears. “Many used to make kolams of their own with the things they could gather, to show off,” he recalls. The art form is staged once in five years at Kurampala. By the age of 15, Vinu was deep into Padayani territory and had started his training.
Being a complex art form comprising five parts, namely kolam ezhuthu (drawing), kolam thullal (dance), kolapattu (songs), thappumelam (percussions) and vinodam (satire), it usually takes up to four years to learn and several more to master them all.
“I do all of them. There aren’t many artistes trained in all the different stages,” says Vinu, who divides his time between reporting crime and travelling to different parts of India with his Padayani troupe, which is part of the foundation.
As magnificent as it is, Padayani is exhausting to organise and perform. If not for his hard-working troupe mates, Vinu knows it would not have been possible for him to juggle his life between the bright lights of the news floor and the flaming torches of the Padayani grounds.
The troupe recently performed at Utsavam 2018, a state-wide folk art festival organised by the Department of Tourism.
“My team reached the venue, Varkala, earlier and finished the kolams, which are made of areca palm leaf sheaths and natural colours. Although not as big as the ones made in places like Othera in Pathanamthitta district, where huge headgears are made using 1,001 sheaths, the smaller ones still take a day to craft,” he explains.
Apart from popularising and reviving Padayani culture, his foundation aims at making the art form a source of income for the performers. Youngsters are not interested in learning and performing the art form as they can’t see it bringing a livelihood. “There is also the issue of some folks taking an overtly religious approach towards it. Padayani should be primarily seen and performed as an art form. That is what we need to promote,” he says. While the journalist knows well the difficulties lying ahead, the artiste in him sees a bright future for Padayani.
Vinu Mohanan hosting his crime news show Manorama News
Tourism in Kerala, for long, has focused on art forms such as Kathakali and Koodiyattam.
With the mood shifting to cultural tourism and responsible tourism, Vinu believes that Padayani, natural and raw in every way, will steal the spotlight in the coming years.
