Day 54, Kannur [Saturday 26th January 2008 - Republic Day]
Previous day: Day 53, Aadikadalai [Wednesday 25th January 2008]
Next day: Day 55, Kannur [Sunday 27th January 2008]
The alarm goes off at 5am, we get up and walk through the forest by torchlight. The moon is bright and insects create a shrill noise. When we arrive in the kavu — the clearing, or shrine — the deity Gulikan is already seated, having performed his theyyam already. There is a queue of people waiting to talk to him for a blessing or for advice. His mask and headpiece are huge, towering maybe 7 metres above his head. It has a wooden frame, with red material and gold metallic emblems running down the centre and the edges lined with palm fronds like stylized hair. His face is painted red, with shiny metallic inlays.
It is an astonishing and surreal sight, at 5.30am in the middle of a steamy, tropical forest lit by fluorescent strip lights, with a power generator chugging in the background.
Gulikan is seated on a chair, and has leaned the enormous headpiece against the roof of the temple. As people approach him one by one he reaches to his belt, which is festooned with flowers, plucks a leaf or some petals and places it in their hands. He continues to hold their hands while he talks.
Soon the character of Shastapam emerges from the small dressing room. Attendants hold a length of material over his face so we are unable to fully see him while they fit his headpiece. It is a wide, solid circle placed on top of his head and reaching down to his shoulders. It is designed with concentric circles of shiny metal are more red material. On his forehead is a gold-coloured plaque. Either side of his head, like two huge ears, are further pieces of red material and two large metal discs. He wears a white beard and has two silver hemispheres covering his eyes, with tiny pinholes in allowing him to see. He has metal bracelets and red material around his neck and wrists. A large, hooped skirt protrudes a foot in radius around his waist and drops to his ankles, which are decorated with bells and anklets.
When his costume is complete he is brought a mirror which is held in front of his face and lit by an oil lamp. We watch the eerie sight of a god contemplating his own reflection. He adjusts his moustache then waves the mirror away. He starts to move in a procession around the temple, sheltered by a large parasol held by his attendants, who also light the way with oil lamps. He performs his dance, directing the drummers to raise or lower the tempo as he works himself into a trance. After an elongated buildup, at a point of particular intensity, he walks in the burning embers of the fire which has been stoked all morning. He puts both feet into the fire and dances straight out again. It is brief but unmistakably hot and painful.
Following his dance Shastapam sits outside the temple to meet with people. Gulikan moves further away from the temple to accommodate him.
Finally Vishnumurthy appears, clad in a grass skirt and woolly red sleeves. He dances around the fire, swatting at it with palm fronds, is orange painted face and big black eyes looking simultaneously shocked and sternly admonishing. Then he has another grass skirt fitted, a larger one this time. But this skirt is fitted right up underneath his arms, so high that it forces his arms into an uncomfortable upright position. With his arms raised, he dances quickly and lightly around the shrine. At one point he fetches a chair an stands on it. He approaches the shrine and is presented with a sword with bells attached.
Speaking to Ranji about this we understand that this ceremonial gift giving is the exact moment at which the man assumes the identity of a god. Vishnumurthy dances around some more then he too takes his place on a seat in front of the temple. Jyothi and the children have all arrived now and there is a pleasant, social atmosphere which reminds me of the period immediately after mass on Sundays when we went church as children, when families and friends would gather in small groups to talk and say hello.
We make a donation to the temple and get a bag of prasad in return - a paper bag containing a banana and a cereal mixture of wheat and bran. We all walk back together to the house for breakfast of scrambled eggs, dal and fried puri. We spend the rest of the day reading, snoozing and playing card games with Navya and Nandana.
In the evening Jyothi shows me and Kate how to make a chicken biryani. It's amazing how she produces such good food out of such a tiny kitchen.
Jyothi's biryani recipe:
Grind to a paste and fry in ghee:
20 cloves garlicAdd to the fried paste:
8 green chillies
3 inches ginger
salt
5 small onions, choppedAdd chicken, which you have marinated in yoghurt, coriander and turmeric. Separately, fry soaked basmati rice in ghee and coconut oil, add twice volume of water and bring to boil. When cooked add chopped corainder and layer in saucepan with chicken. Add mint on top and heat on low with lid on for 5 minutes 'to set'. Serve.
2tsps turmeric
5 cardamom pods
some cloves
biryani masala powder
Next day: Day 55, Kannur [Sunday 27th January 2008]
Previous day: Day 53, Aadikadalai [Wednesday 25th January 2008]