News in frames | Theyyams in a bind

The sacred groves of north Malabar were emptied of devotees thronging to receive the blessings of Theyyams, ritualistic embodiment of deities, in the past two years thanks to the scourge of the pandemic.

Shorn of their divine accoutrements, towering Theyyam performers took to sundry labour in the face of the prevailing uncertainty. Barring a few instances to the contrary, not many were forthcoming to wipe the tears of the hapless men, who in their Theyyam roles had offered a divine shoulder for people to cry on!

The sacred groves and shrines began to be decked for a normal Theyyam season towards the end of last year when it looked as if COVID-19 was making a slow retreat. Messengers fanned out to locate Theyyam performers who have taken to menial jobs. With the beats of the Chenda, people returned to the groves in December. The Theyyams danced in a frenzy, holding aloft their ritual swords, their outer edges lined with bells, and wearing their thick bell metal anklets. They embraced the aggrieved, offering them turmeric tilak on peepal leaf and chanting, “May there be good, may there be good, may everything be better!”

But by January, with regulations returning, grandiose Theyyam performances that drew massive crowds were called off. The Theyyam does not lend itself to be held in a restrictive environment with a sparse crowd. It doesn’t separate the devotee from the deity. In fact, the deity goes into the crowd, holds the hands of the grieving, listens to their pleas and places its calming hand on their heads.

With a new wave of the pandemic raging, Theyyam is held in a restricted manner in some places. This season, too, will pass in another four months. The only hope that drives the performers is that the restrictions will soon be lifted and the deities will soon be back in their majestic best.