As Govardhan and Karunanidhi helped each other tie the bright red waist-band and checked on the ‘cheruvadi'— a wooden stick three palm spans long — their excitement was palpable. For these student trainers of Kalarippayattu, this was a special day. They, along with their trainers and guru, were taking a leap to showcase the ancient martial art form to their schoolmates.
A district-level demonstration of the art form under the project ‘Health and Self-Confidence through Kalarippayattu' by the Travancore School of Kalarippayattu was launched at SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram city on November 9.
The pilot project, sanctioned by the Public Education Department, will be implemented in the district by a 12-member team of the Travancore school. Every school will have a demonstration of the art form in an academic year.
According to G. Radhakrishnan, the secretary and group leader of the martial art school, the aim of the project was to create awareness among students about the need for self-defence and provide them an opportunity to to learn Kerala's own martial art form. The Travancore school would bear the expenses and classes would be scheduled without disturbing the academic sessions, he said.
The martial art team showed the basic techniques of self-defence, defence using traditional weapons such as the staff, dagger, and the sword and shield.
Karunanidhi, a Class 10 student of the SMV school, has been training in the art from for the past four years. He said the regular practice had helped him gain concentration and excel in studies.
But why choose Kalrippayattu and not any other martial art form? “This is the traditional art from of our State and I wanted to learn something that I can closely associate with,” Karunanidhi said.
“This is a welcome change in this age when sports education and fitness training for students are not given due importance and sometimes completely ignored by the parents and the government alike. To excel in studies, what one needs is a healthy body and mind,” said A. David, physical instructor at the school. Learning a martial art form would only prove to be beneficial to the students, as it would improve their health and concentration power, he added.
