12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The resurgence of Kerala's ritual arts
As twilight fills the air, the light from torches arranged at sacred groves spreads an aura of mystery. It is in this ancient setting that art once became ritual, and emotions turned into prayer.
Here, art had a pattern: rustic yet esoteric; practised by a community of veterans; and inclusive, encompassing creativity both varied and unique.
Travel anywhere in Kerala — especially during the seasons when ritual arts are staged — and the scene remains familiar. Time may have waned their appeal, but the paraphernalia still harks back, perhaps, to the Sangam era, when Kerala and Tamil Nadu were a cultural whole, and such art forms were rooted in the soil and soul of the people.
According to the Kerala Folklore Academy, the state may have once been home to over 3,000 such ritual art forms. Yet most were invisible, lingering in various phases of obscurity. 'Till three years ago, our list had just 145 art forms,' says O S Unnikrishnan, chairman of the academy.
It was three years ago that the academy ramped up efforts to rediscover these vanishing expressions. 'We organised folk art melas even in remote areas and worked closely with artists. We have since chronicled 1,004 art forms still being practised in obscurity,' says Unnikrishnan. 'Our next aim is to document them in detail and provide a platform for academic engagement.'
