Five Silambam players line up their gear for display on one of the many grounds of the Anna Stadium in Tiruchi. Ranging in age from 12 to 24, the players secure blue and red nylon ribbons to their cane staffs with rubber bands and then reverentially lay out two sabres, surul pattais (swords with flexible blades) and a pair of maru , a hand-held weapon made out of deer horn.
This is not just paraphernalia of a centuries-old martial art, but a symbol of the renewed interest in Tamil folk traditions, even if it has become modernised.
“Ready!” shouts Logesh, the instructor, as he urges the other team members to get into position. And as their display unfolds, it is easy to see why Silambam or Silambattam (stick-fighting), is considered, as Logesh says, “the mother of all martial arts.”
The moves that make up modern-day Silambam are a mixture of por kalai (combat) and alangaram (demonstrative or ceremonial). The student team that shows us their moves belongs to the L. Veerappan Silambatta Kazhagam, affiliated to the Thiyakesar Alai Higher Secondary School in Manapparai.
“Earlier, Silambam was a means of self-defence against animal attacks, especially in hilly regions,” says K. Muthukumar, physical director of the school.
Modern-day Silambam is performed during ceremonial displays and also has been reinvented as a competitive sport. “Parents today want us to teach their children silambam for physical fitness,” says Muthukumar, who started learning the art at the age of 6 in his native Somarasanpettai, from a milkman who was also the village ‘aasaan’ (master) in Silambam.
Nearly 150 boys and girls in the Manapparai school are learning Silambam this year, and many of these are also regular competitors at the state-wide competitions in the game called ‘Thodu Silambam’, which involves two players being graded for their moves to touch the opponent with their staff in a circular arena.
“Thodu silambam has been played for 10 years now. Our school kids won gold medals in the debut matches,” says Muthukumar, who has also written a booklet explaining the new game’s rules.
In the 2-minute game, the stick must not touch the head and elbows. Each contact is given a point by three referees, depending on the zone of the body touched. There is no attacking move involved. Even though the sticks may be wielded with force, the touch should be gentle.
“You must touch, then divert the opponent’s attention (known as bawla ), and then touch the opponent again to earn a point,” says Muthukumar.
The inclusion of Silambam in the school sports curriculum has increased its popularity, but also led to some dilution, says M. Victor Kulandai Raj, tournament director, Tamil Nadu Silambatta Kazhagam. “For the past two years, the 2-minute test on individual skills has been discontinued in Thodu Silambam competitions. As students are keen on scoring marks in the contests, they opt for the easier ‘alangaram’ moves over intricate combat moves,” says Kulandai Raj, who is a certified referee of Silambam matches and an expert in Kalaripayattu.
“At least 40 moves of the traditional style are no longer seen in the competitive versions of Silambam,” he adds.
Despite this, it is important to preserve Silambam, feels Kulandai Raj. “We should encourage children to practice the art after school hours. Though the traditional version takes time to learn, Silambam has many health benefits, and can actually help improve breath control and concentration among children.”
P. Vijaykumar learned Silambam from his grandfather, and was so taken up by martial art that he decided to make it his full-time career. His Annai Silambam Koodam in Tiruverumbur trains children for both traditional and sports-level competence in Silambam in biweekly classes. “We have to keep Silambam alive despite the many changes it has undergone,” says Vijaykumar, who also gives lessons to 6 schools in and around Tiruchi, besides training at least a hundred students at his institution every year.
He too vouches for the health benefits of Silambam. “It is said that doing Silambam exercises is equal to 100 hours of yoga. Most of my students say problems like wheezing and back pain were cured after they started doing Silambam,” says Vijaykumar.
He also points out an outlandish myth attached to it. “Many people continue to play Silambam only at night, thinking that it is the tradition to do so. But this was done to escape detection during the British Raj, when Silambattam was banned. Now you can play Silambam in the daytime too!” he says.
Among the Silambam traditions that have become obsolete are those related to the staff. “When we were learning Silambam, we’d season our sticks by hanging them up on the wall near the firewood stoves at home. The smoke would help to season the bamboo and make it strong. Once seasoned, the sticks would be polished with castor oil,” recalls Muthukumar.
Nowadays, with lightweight cane sticks replacing the bamboo staffs, the ritual seasoning has vanished too.
The ban on animal horns has also led to a shortage of traditional Silambam weapons.
Its close ties to the Tamil identity has found resonance in popular culture, especially among the early generation of film stars. Former Chief Minister and actor M. G. Ramachandran was known to show his Silambam prowess in his films. More recently, Aishwarya Manivannan showcased Silambam and the handwoven sari in a video to celebrate National Handloom Day on August 7 last year.
In more ways than one, Tamil Nadu continues to ‘stick to’ this tradition.
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Fact file
Silam means hill in Tamil, while Silambam refers to the sound made by swishing sticks.
Over the ages, as references in the Silappadikkaram and other works of Sangam literature show, Silambattam was practiced in southern India as far back as the 2nd century BC, as warcraft as well.
Soldiers of Kings Puli Thevar, Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Maruthu Pandiyar (1760–1799) relied mainly on their Silambam skills in their warfare against the British Army. This led to the martial art being banned by the British colonists, in favour of Western military training.
Silambam was restored in India after Independence in 1947.
