The growing popularity of Kalaripayattu has triggered hopes that the sport form could find a berth in the Olympics sooner than later.
The martial art form, widely practised in Kerala, has quietly grown into a popular sports form among enthusiasts, said V.A. Shiad, national secretary of the Indian Kalaripayattu Federation.
He said that around 1,000 participants from 24 States had arrived in Kochi for the fourth national championship beginning at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the city. The competitions are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Monday.
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The national championships got under way in 2013 as a small affair but have grown in popularity. Ranjan Mullaratt, who is the Kalari guru for the 19-member team from Karnataka, said that Kalaripayattu was getting popular in centres like Bangalore. He said that young people were keen to take up the martial art form and it was gaining ground fast.
The popularity of the sports form has spread internationally too. There are registered Kalaripyattu federations in 32 countries now. Once the number of countries with registered federations goes up to 40, the Kalaripayattu can vie for space in the Olympics competitions.
The national championships are conducted under age categories and there are separate sections of competitions such as Meypayattu, Chuvadu, Urumi, Vaalpayattu, freehand fight and Vadipayattu.
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