The shamanistic art of Theyyam has become a binding factor for the three major candidates contesting from the Pariyaram Medical College division (No. 12) of Kannur’s Kadannappally Panappuzha grama panchayat.
The ward, reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes, has noted Theyyam artiste and auto-driver P.V. Sasidharan seeking the people’s mandate on the Congress ticket. His paternal cousin and sought-after make-up artiste of Theyyam P.P. Baburaj opposes him as the BJP candidate, while the CPI(M) has fielded T.V. Sudhakaran, son of yesteryear iconic Theyyam artiste Kavinisseri Othena Peruvannan, in a bid to retain the seat — a traditional party stronghold.
Mr. Sudhakaran, also an auto-driver, says he and his brother chose not to follow the furrow ploughed by their late legendary father pained at the hardships he had to put up with as an artiste. Occasionally, he works as a make-up artiste for a classical dance-theatre group at Taliparamba.
Mr. Sasidharan, a third-generation Theyyam artiste, has a jam-packed schedule. After two days of campaigning for the polls from Sunday, he has a slew of Theyyam performances lined up in the coming season opening later this month (on Thulam 10 on the Malayalam calendar).
“The first of these is as Muthappan next week at Payyoli. It’s a busy season ahead,” says Mr. Sasidharan, a lead figure in the trans-ritualistic theatre.
“Theyyam and politics are about faith and I’m dabbling in both in right earnest,” says the artiste, also a poll veteran. He unsuccessfully contested the last panchayat poll from the adjoining Vilayankode ward.
In the meantime, ‘Anjoottan’ P.V. Suresh Babu, a superstar in Theyyam and a local body member for the CPI(M) for the past 10 years — first in the erstwhile Neeleswaram grama panchayat and for the last five years, as public works standing committee chairman of the Neeleswaram municipality in Kasaragod — has taken the tough call to quit electoral politics.
“My dual role is being increasingly brought under the scanner and it’s getting tougher to maintain the neutrality you are required to demonstrate as a people’s representative. But it was good while it lasted,” says Mr. Suresh Babu.
