Members of communities that hold the traditional rights to perform Theyyam rituals in the north Malabar region are not happy with the government’s plan to start a certified course in Theyyam performance at the Theyyam museum under construction at Panappuzha. For, they fear that the course, open to people from all communities, will deprive them of their livelihood and underrate the importance of the ritual.
Peeved by the proposed plan, they said it was against their belief and rituals and that such steps were taken to commercialise Theyyam. Theyyam, they said, was not a cultural spectacle but a religious system of worship.
Members of the communities staged a protest in front of the Collectorate here on Friday and threatened to intensify their protest if the government refused to revoke the plan.
P. Krishnan, chairman of the Uthara Kerala Theyyam Anushtana Samrakshana Samithi, said there was a covert effort to destroy the livelihood of people from the communities who had been keeping the Theyyam tradition alive for centuries and performing it in temples, tharavad (ancestral family) and kavu (sacred groves) after following the proper rituals.
‘Belittling tradition’
“We have no objections to the government starting the museum, but we strongly condemn the decision to teach the ritual and sacred performance as a certified course to people of all communities,” he said. He added that unlike other art forms, people watched and adored Theyyam artistes as deities during the ritual performance. The showcasing of Theyyam before foreign tourists and as part of roadshows belittled the sacred tradition, he said.
The Theyyam rituals in the region are performed by Scheduled Caste and backward communities such as Vannan, Malaya and Pulaya. There are nine communities whose members have the traditional right to perform the Theyyam rituals.
“Each of the communities has a role and they follow them systematically,” said M.V. Praskashan, convenor of the Samithi. People from those communities who performed Theyyam were dependent on the ritual for their livelihood, he said. Teaching Theyyam to members of other communities amounted to attempts to override the beliefs and rituals. He added that the communities’ concerns should be heard by the government for safeguarding the sanctity of the Theyyam
