Unlike vibrant, elaborate readings of Phad by Bhopas, singer-priests of Rajasthan, which is accompanied by song, dance and music, the reading of Blaveli (often transposed to Bdaveli and Mdaveli) popular in Central Kerala, is simple and relatively quiet. Like most folk and ritual art forms, there are only a few artistes still practising this storytelling tradition, who carry every beat of the age in which they were sprung, trying hard to preserve each imprint of the socio-cultural milieu in which they were created.
Sixty-four-year old K.K. Haridas, is a ‘serious’ practitioner of the dying art of Blaveli reading. He is the only one in his family who still pursues this art, which used to be a hereditary practice of the Veerashaiva community. Haridas is not sure about the origins of this form. He only knows that his ancestors came from Karnataka, but is not sure whether this art exists in that State. He believes that they are descendants of Basaveshwara, the 12th century social reformer from northern Karnataka.
What he knows is that as a young boy of 15 he had travelled with his uncles from house to house, during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam, reading the Blaveli. “From the time I can remember we have been staying at Pattimattam in Ernakulam district. We have been engaged in various odd jobs, including the family tradition of making pappadams,” says Haridas, even as he open a small bag and pulls out two scrolls and a stick.
What Haridas does not realise is that this reading involves both ritual and art. Even as he strives to keep the ritual alive, the art, especially the scroll painting that is rich in local motifs, is neglected. Unlike the Pattachitra or Cheriyal scroll paintings that stand independently as works of art, those on the Blaveli have moved on to the grotesque. Haridas opens the scrolls and you are appalled to find that he has used plastic sheets to have the images painted on them. One of them is in pale yellow with uncomplicated images, while the other has ridiculous use of contemporary images to match the traditional.
Scroll used in the traditional folk art of Blaveli.
“Earlier the ‘chart’ used to be made of cotton cloth, which was mixed with maida, to make it stiff. This was then dyed yellow, using turmeric powder, on which the figures and shapes were drawn, using ink. This was more intricate and attractive than what I use today. The expert artists are no longer there and I make them on my own. The one with contemporary images was made by a young friend who used to work in one of those places where these plastic flex sheets are printed. I use them only before a crowd of children.” The process of making the scrolls and the art of hand-painting have been lost. “I know it needs to be revived but I don’t have the resources to do so as it is a bit expensive.”
For Haridas, reading the Blaveli is not a profession. It expresses, quite vaguely, his dreams, hopes, joys, grief, beliefs and aspirations. “Frankly, this art form has transformed me as a person. It has made me a better human being. Till today I have not used it to earn a living. I have a shop attached to my house, where I sell pappadam. My wife works in a company nearby and my son is in the Army. When I leave home every morning during the month of Karkidakam with the scrolls, I also carry a few packs of pappadam with me.”
Reading of the Blaveli is performed at houses of Hindu families throughout the year, but is popular during the month of Karkidakam. Haridas simply knocks at the door, tells them of Blaveli and is invited inside for the reading. Once the members of the family are gathered at a place, he unfolds the chart and hangs it wherever convenient. On the yellow-coloured chart are crudely painted human and animal figures, various shapes. The figures look a bit abstract, while some remind you of tribal paintings. He then uses a stick to point at specific figures at different points in the course of his narration.
The story, Haridas says, is from an ancient Telugu book, Sharithundan . The main story is of a pious, rich childless landlord and how the man of his word is tested by the divine. “Lord Shiva visits his house in the guise of a ‘paradeshi’. He asks the landlord if he would be willing to sacrifice his child when he turns five years old. The landlord agrees and soon a baby boy is born. Every year, the birthday of the boy is celebrated with great fanfare. The fifth year, strangely, no one turns up, not even a bird or an animal. Then the paradeshi arrives and demands the sacrifice of the boy. According to the story, the child is sacrificed as per the paradeshi ’ s demand. When a feast is ready and set to be served, the paradeshi complains that he cannot have anything from a house without life, bereft of the laughter and mischief of children. When the landlord and his wife rue their predicament, the paradeshi asks them to call for their son and miraculously the boy appears. The parents are elated, the servant announces that the pots are now filled with steaming vegetables and the paradeshi vanishes.”
This main track is interspersed with sayings and words of wisdom. Haridas recites it in a monotone, mechanically moving across the images on the scroll, starting from below. “Listening to this narration is believed to bring happiness and prosperity to the household. Even today there are families that make a Blaveli offering, almost like giving away rice, clothes and so on for blessings received. Some also offer to pay for the making of a new chart or the Blaveli. The handing over of the new chart is a formal and traditional ceremony.”
Haridas remembers how people used to queue up before his uncles at the Aluva manappuram (sand) on Sivarathri nights. “For me it was not just about learning the art; it was also an opportunity to explore the huge world beyond my village of Pattimattom. Then when I began to do it on my own, I used to go around for almost the whole year. When most of the earning members of my community got only a pittance after a day's hard labour, I was able to make some substantial savings, in cash and in kind. Ever since I decided to take up this art, my family and I have never gone through poverty. I feel that it brings prosperity to the person listening and also to the man who reads it. Very often people are not sure what they have to shell out to listen to this reading. We are not supposed to demand anything and hope for nothing more than one square meal.”
New-found patrons and many organisations engaged in the promotion of traditional and folk arts have evinced interest in the reading of Blaveli. And Haridas is quite proud that there are live recordings of his readings and that the art has new takers. “A television crew from abroad had come down to my house and very elaborately recorded the reading, not forgetting to pay me handsomely. Other media have also documented the art form. I was asked to speak at a seminar on traditional and folk art forms in Fort Kochi and there was one at the Kerala Museum of History at Edappally. I have been getting a lot of requests from other districts and also had a couple of people learn from me.”
Haridas has created new sub-tales outside the traditional, which he feels has made him more ‘educated.’ “I now read a lot on the history and art of scroll paintings, story-telling.... I try to fuse contemporary issues, which I feel will go well with the images on my chart and also keep the audience interested.”
Like the many rich ritual and traditional art forms, reading of the Blaveli needs to be cherished and preserved, especially the art of scroll painting involved in the ritualistic art. Rapid changes in society and breakdown of joint families have resulted in a loss of promotion and patronage. It has certainly put this very ancient art form into the endangered list.
Nowadays, Haridas spends hardly two months every year, roaming around and reading the Blaveli. He says that very few homes invite him to demonstrate his art. He knocks at many and leaves without complaint, his chart and umbrella in tow. What one does not realise is that this man carries with him a unique art form, which would very soon be obsolete.
