The Nila theatre on Saturday witnessed a rare get-together, the coming together of three of the key players behind the 1972 classic Swayamvaram. Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan and actors Madhu and Sarada shared the stage for the first time, 42 years after the release of the landmark film, which fetched four national awards.

The get-together happened during the inaugural function of the 4th Female Film Festival organised by the Kerala Sthree Padana Kendram. On the occasion, Ms. Sarada was presented with the P.K. Rosy award, in memory of the first female actor in Malayalam cinema, who starred in Vigathakumaran.

Road to award

Mr. Gopalakrishnan, in his inaugural address, reminisced about the making of Swayamvaram and its journey to the national awards. “I was fortunate to have two of the biggest stars in the industry for my first film. But once the film released, a lobby started working to deny it all the awards. We sent a long letter to the National jury requesting them to watch the film. Fortunately, a print of the film which was sent to the Moscow film festival had arrived back in Delhi at that time and the jury happened to see it. The fact that the film had less dialogues also probably worked in its favour. The experience tells that if you do your work sincerely, the awards will follow. These days, there is too much lobbying for awards.”

Ms. Sarada said she was fortunate to have received the maiden award in the name of P.K. Rosy.

Mr. Madhu said that few women from Kerala are coming forward to act in films, which has led to those from outside taking their place in many films.

Fourteen films will be screened at the festival in four days. Seminars and debates are arranged as part of the festival at the Gandhi Park at 5 p.m. on all four days.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S.R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – September 28th, 2014

Palakkad :

The Palakkad chapter of Swaralaya will organise a programme titled ‘Oru Chempaneer Poove Pole’ to mark 33 years of singing by Unni Menon here on Saturday and Sunday.

Former Nagaland Governor K Shankaranarayanan will inaugurate the function at Lions School auditorium at 10 am. In the afternoon, there will be a seminar on ‘Malayalam film songs – Yesterday and today’ which will be inaugurated by music director M Jayachandran.

On Sunday there will be a seminar on ‘Contributions and achievements of Unni Menon’ at the Lions School Auditorium. Music director Shyam will inaugurate the programme.  Critic Ravi Menon and film director V K Prakash will deliver the keynote address.

At 3 pm, there will be a seminar on ‘Music and Palakkad’ which will be inaugurated by carnatic vocalist K Omanakutty.

K J Yesudas will inaugurate the valedictory function at the Indira Gandhi Municipal stadium at 6 pm. The keynote address will be delivered by CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will inaugurate the programme ‘Oru Chembaneer Poove pole’. Young singer award will be presented on the occasion.

At 6.30 pm there will be Samarpana Ganamela and visualisation of songs. Singers K J Yesudas, S P Balasubramaniam, Susheela, Vani Jayaram, K S Chithra, Mano, Vijay Yesudas, Madhu Balakrishnan, Sudeep Kumar, Krishnachandran, Gayathri, Najim Arshad, Siddique, Manoj K Jayan, Dinesh, Kallara Gopan, Franco, Devanand, Nishad, Minmini will take part.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / September 26th, 2014

Vellore :

A 86 year-old self-styled godman took  bath in water mixed with over 30 kilos of chilli powder, in a bid to ward off the hardships and suffering of others. The news spread like wildfire and attracted a huge crowd to where the godman was performing his special ablution in a narrow street of Vavusi Nagar in Sathuvachari.

Around 100 people in and around Sathuvachari, Vellore and Gudiyattam poured the water mixed with chilli powder over the godman, who calls himself as “Alukku (Dirt) Samiyar.”

At 10.15 am, the godman sat inside a 25 litre cooking vessel, while his devotees poured the chilli-powder-water over him, one after another, for half-an-hour. “Around 10 persons purchased the chilli powder. We mixed it in water and we poured it over him using a small bucket . He did not show any sign of discomfort. We recorded the entire happening,” said Pandian, a realtor, who arranged  the special pooja.

“I observe the torment and miseries of the persons who pour the chilli-powder-water over me. With the holiness vested in me, I will relieve them from all their sufferings,” the godman claimed. He said, a couple of years ago, he performed a similar pooja in Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.

“It (chilli powder water) will not harm me,” said the godman, who is a native of Kerala and was brought up in an ashram in Vadakara (Kerala).

Before coming to Vellore four months ago, he was in Red Hills and Tiruvallur. “We want to set up an ashram in Sathuvachari hills during his stay here. He does not ask for anything from persons seeking his blessing, but accepts whatever they offer,” said Pandian.

However, some residents stated that  few persons were trying to make money in the name of faith. The police warned the organisers of the pooja that action would be initiated if something happened to the godman.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Shanmuga Sundaram / September 24th, 2014

Thiruvananthapuram  :

‘Sarpam Thullal’, a unique form of mystical ritual for propitiating snake Gods,is slowly losing its sheen owing to the lack of patronage from the public and authorities concerned apart from the paucity of artists to perform and preserve the centuries-old art.‘Sarpam Thullal’ is conducted during the traditional festivals like ‘Aayilya Maholsvam’, a ritual performed on ‘Ayilyam’ star of the local almanac every year in sacred groves and temples dedicated for snake gods. Though the ritual is still prevalent in temples like Sree Pambumkavu Sree Nagaraja Temple, Parappur Ngathankovil, Pambu Mekkattu, Mala, and Pathirakunnathu Mana at Cherppulasherry and other temples and scared groves in parts of the state, it don’t get enough patronage and trained artists to sustain.“Earlier, the artists used to draw around 30 types of ‘sarppakalams’ (a pictorial drawing depicting the images of gods on the floor) and a total of 240 different other ‘kalams’. Now it is has been shrunken to only handful of Kalams,” former Kerala Lalithakala Akademi secretary T A Sathyapalan, who penned a book titled ‘Kalamezhuthu – a ritual art practice of Kerala’, said.

“In 2008, I made an attempt to document the primitive art by organising 45-day-long camp for these traditional artists and they had drawn around 140 ‘kalams’ which have been documented as part of an attempt to hands down the knowledge on various designs of Kalams to next generation. “But of late, it has been found that the artists are not even drawing the documented ‘kalams’ as well,” he said. “In recent times, many of communities like Mannan, Velan, Kuruppan, who were practising the art form,  were forced to take up other jobs to sustain their lives,” Suresh Koothuparamba, vice-chairman of the Kerala Folklore Academy, said.

However, some artistes and communities are still striving to keep the tradition alive, he said.

In ‘sarpam thullal’, girls perform a ritual dance and crawl like snakes on a decorated floor unbinding their hair to the tunes of the songs and music instruments played generally by Pulluva clan members. The girls would be exhausted and faint down one after another on the decorated floor.

Serpent worships have a long tradition in the state and these rituals had been drawing huge crowd in the past since it is believed that the spirits inhabiting the ‘kavu’ would bless the devotees at the end of the ritual, said Karappan of Kunnamkulam, a Pulluva clan member who sings ‘Sarappam Pattu’.

“These rituals and rites performed in the sacred groves would be varied in some regions in accordance with the precedence of region and the patron deity worshipped at the sacred groves,” he added.

source:m http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Dhinesh Kallungal / September 23rd, 2014