“She is our daughter for the next two hours.” — He said and smiled at me.
It was the third day of my trip to Payyanur,Kerala. I wanted to attend the Theyyam festival (known as Perumkaliyattam)which was being conducted after 717 years in Kalliot Devi temple of Kasargod district.
Brief about Theyyam
Theyyam is a dance form performed by artistes with years of experience. The performer uses his expressions and wears elaborate costume to narrate the folk lore and offers worships to the great ancestors and heroes that once walked the land. The dancer is considered as the God or you can call him this Majestic hero who elates the crowd with his magical performance.
There are a total of 400 different types of Theyyams in existence each with its own unique style and music. The choreography and the art of story telling is different for each of the forms and that’s what makes it stand out.
The unfolding of the Theyyam experience
I took the speed bus from Payannur and reached Kasargod. I didn’t know how to get to the Kalliot devi temple. I stopped by a local stationary shop and enquired. He pointed me to a distant bus stand and there I boarded the bus for Kalliot Devi temple…
I just got down the bus and walked for a couple of minutes and there you go… I could see the arena… It was huge.
There was a long procession of drummers that surrounded the arena. The constant thumping of the drums indicated that the God has arrived.
The God with his grand attire and his massive headgear — The image and the aura exuded was something beyond Human….
He sat on a chair and added colours to his face and ensured he looked the part. He glanced over the mirror for one last time and that was it…
He started to move. The elaborate eyes, the gestures of his hands, the footwork… Everything came together as a symphony and narrated the story.
That was my lucky day. The arena was guarded by bamboo poles throughout. I somehow sneaked inside and captured the glimpses of the God. With all his might he moved and expressed his emotions to us — the mere mortals!
He blessed the Humans who came to seek his blessings…
I went along and received the turmeric powder wrapped inside a fragment of banana leaf.
I was mesmerized by the ambience of the place. The amalgamation of colour,sound and movements created this surreal effect.
After capturing the moments I wanted to sit for some time and went towards the sitting area. A lady came up to me and pointed towards a vacant chair.
I went ahead and grabbed the chair… I was little exhausted running all over the ground to capture the God. There was a gentleman sitting beside me towards my right and to the other side there was a lady. They seemed to be somewhere in late forties.. It was evident that they were a couple.
The gentleman asked how did I come to know about the festival. I explained to them. He asked further if I had any companion. I stated that I am travelling solo. That got them intrigued….
I saw the lady was carrying a pamphlet of the event. The writings were in Malayalam. I asked her “Can you tell me what’s written in the pamphlet?”
She explained and I listened. After sometime the gentleman said “Barsha I want to give you something.” He took out a card and presented — “That’s my wife’s contact number. You can reach out to her.”
I saw the card and got to know that the lady was an IAS officer and she used to be the collector of the region where the festival was held.
They asked me about my schedule for the day and then we started discussing about Theyyam..
The gentleman said “Barsha let’s have lunch together in the temple premise”. I agreed. I wanted to try the local cuisine and here I got the opportunity to experience the temple food.
Then he pointed me towards the right and said “Do you see the queue out there?” I glanced and saw hundreds of people marching towards the other side of the arena. He further added , “Thousands of people are fed and it’s known as Annadanum. To have the temple food you need to stand in the queue and wait for your turn!”
I informed him that it wouldn’t be feasible for me to wait for a couple of hours and have the food as my day’s schedule will get delayed.
He replied back “Fine! Let’s see what can be done. Let’s wait for 10 more minutes and then we will go for lunch.”
I was a little confused. In my mind I was like “Are we going to bypass the queue? Is he going to wave a magic wand and the hours of wait time will be reduced?”
While entering the arena I had opened my slippers and kept at a corner of the sitting area. I informed them that I need to get my slippers and will be back in few minutes..
The Hunt Begins —
There were thousands of people out there. I moved across and started searching for my slippers. It was already late when I realized my mistake. My slippers were gone…
Now I thought to myself “Barsha we have no clue as to where we can purchase a pair of new slippers. It’s a remote area and it’s pretty hot out here. The last thing that we want are blisters!”
I decided to steal. I know it’s not ethical but for me at that point of time survival was the key! I went around looking for a pair of slippers. Somewhere in a corner I found an old pair of shoes. It seemed to be of my size. I went towards it and BANG ON! Exactly the size of my feet.
I wore the slippers and went off. As I entered the gentleman looked at my feet and said “ The slippers seemed to be pretty old, isn’t ?”
I replied “Yes it is! My slippers are gone so had to get an alternative!”
He looked at me and smiled “Let’s go for the lunch.”
I went along with them and instantly noticed people are coming towards us and greeting the lady. The respect that she commanded — that was something to watch for. The organizers of the event came by and greeted the lady. One of the people asked whether I was their daughter. The gentleman replied, “Yes she is. For the next two hours she is our daughter and then she will depart on her journey!”
I just looked at him. In my wildest of imaginations I never thought that I would experience something like this. I have just met them a couple of hours back… The love and care which I received from them was priceless… That was a magical moment :)
We entered a sheltered area where the temple food was being served. The organizers took us to an entrance and there we go — Within five minutes we were inside the dining hall seated and the Sadhya(temple food) being served.
The lady explained to me the significance of Sadhya and the contents of it. It just felt like a mother explaining her child. In the distant land where I didn’t know anyone , I was all by myself and then you come across such amazing people — Felt insane. I was humbled by the experience :)
After we finished our lunch, the gentleman as well as the lady invited me to their Farm where they grow rubber trees, chilies and various other trees… Just loved it.
On the way to the farm I asked the lady “ Since you are in a administrative position what are the challenges you face in your day to day work life and how do you maintain balance .Did you always had the dream to become an IAS officer?”
The lady said “Barsha I wanted to be in the administrative services but it was my husband who encouraged me to pursue my dream and helped me prepare for the exams. I had my two daughters by my side who were also my source of inspiration. Work is challenging out here. There are conflicting situations but yes you need to put down your foot when required!”
I just looked at her. The sheer brilliance that she exhibited… The love and gratitude she had for her Man and her children — It’s rare!
We reached the farm. They took me around and I captured every single moment with them.
And guess what happened post that? The gentleman took me to his ancestral home and I met his brother’s family. He showed me the place where he was born and raised. The ground where he and his siblings played.
It felt like I was reliving the moments he experienced during his childhood days through his narration. That’s the power of storytelling. It transports you to a timeline which you were not part of.
While I was munching over some cashews which were provided by his elder brother, he said “Barsha I will take you to the central university. My daughter is a medical student and I want you to meet her!”
In the next few minutes we got inside the car and off we went. We reached the campus and it was huge… The pathways were covered by trees just like canopies. We took a stroll of the campus and finally we parked the car near a building. We entered and went inside a room. From a distance I could see a lady in salwar wearing a lab coat over it. She smiled. The lady introduced me to her daughter. We spoke for sometime.
As I recollect and pen my memories I feel that probably it doesn’t matter what you say .People might forget what you did but one thing stays. The way you make them feel. It will stay forever :)
After few minutes we left. It was 3pm. I realized that I need to make a call to my friend. He will be coming down to the Bekal fort(largest fort in Kerala which dates back to 1650 AD). I spoke with them about by plans.
The gentleman seemed to be concerned. He asked whether I know him well. I said that I will be meeting him for the first time and he is my friend’s friend.
I called my friend and we decided to meet at 5pm near Bekal Fort. The gentleman said “Since we have time , we will make a short visit to Anandashram. We will drop you near the bus stand where you can board the bus to Bekal fort.”
After few minutes we reached the ashram. Away from all the hustle, it felt good. They took me around on a stroll. We reached the cattle shed. There we fed the cattle… There were some big buffaloes.. Honestly I was little scared when I went near to feed it. But they were by my side at every point of time.
I was thinking to myself how my day started and how I lived every moment and cherished the experience that unfolded. I felt connected to them. In a span of few hours they gave me an experience of a lifetime :)
Before departing the gentleman said “Barsha be alert and careful. Since you are on your own you need to be extra cautious!”
I smiled and replied “Yes I will.” They dropped me near the bus stand and I bid them farewell and continued with my journey….
I saw the car depart. I said to myself “ You both just didn’t say that I was your daughter for the next two hours…. You made me feel that I was part of you.”
My first solo journey to the God’s own country gave me the glimpse of his presence in his very own creations.
Friends feel free to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you :)
