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kalaripayattu
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ART EDUCATION Kalaripayattu
Submitted by, PARVATHY S. B. Ed. English Adm. No. 9080 (SNTC, Nedunganda)
TABLE OF CONTENTS Importance of art education……… .. 1 Cultural tradition of kerala… … … .2 KALARIPAYATTU. … … … … … … … … … ….3
IMPORTANCE OF ART EDUCATION Art is creativity…..in whatever form it is, art has been a part of the human experience since our early times, evidence of this are paintings on rocks and stones dotted across several continents, folk songs, artifacts and monuments from the ancient times. Essentially art is about creativity, it is intricately bound with the senses in a process of perception, interpretation and communication of ideas, thoughts and emotions. Although art tends to be viewed as a past time activity, studies show that proficiency and knowledge in arts develops individuals in diverse ways for the benefit of the individual and the society. Art education is vital for future students. Art allows students to learn about themselves, their culture, and their community. By taking art classes, students will begin to visualize the world differently. The creativity and imagination of students will be pushed through the development of art. As a future art educator, it is necessary to cultivate and guide students with quality art lessons to increase their understanding and relationship with the world. Art classes will help develop a child’s creativity, thought process, and their way of expression. The importance of art education can be understood through the habits that the students form. Students discover new things while creating art, and they are then able to adapt the new knowledge to daily life. Art education is crucial for the children’s development. Many school boards feel that art education is not a necessity and not very important in the lives of today’s students. Art classes are constantly compared to the main core classes, such as math and English. Many people feel that core classes are much more valuable to a child’s education, which is why art may be cut first from schools if there is low funding. Art classes offer children critical lessons about life that they are not exposed to in any of the other classes. Art teachers drive the creativity and the imagination of students, while allowing students to express themselves. Whatever your age or career knowledge of arts can have tremendous benefits for you.
CULTURE OF KERALA The culture of Kerala has developed over the past millennia, influences from other parts of India and abroad. It is defined by its antiquity and the organic continuity sustained by the Malayali people. Modern Kerala society took shape owing to migrations from different parts of India and abroad throughout Classical Antiquity. Kerala traces its non-prehistoric cultural genesis to its membership (around the AD 3rd century) in a vaguely defined historical region known as Thamizhagom — a land defined by a common Tamil culture and encompassing the Chera, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms. At that time, the music, dance, language (first Dravida Bhasha — "Dravidian language" — then Tamil), and Sangam (a vast corpus of Tamil literature composed between 1,500–2,000 years ago) found in Kerala were all similar to that found in the rest of Thamizhagom (today's Tamil Nadu). The culture of Kerala evolved through the Sanskritization of Dravidian ethos, revivalism of religious movements and reform movements against caste discrimination. Kerala showcases a culture unique to itself developed through accommodation, acculturation and assimilation of various faculties of civilized lifestyle. MARTIAL ARTS AND SPORTS Kerala also has its own indigenous form of martial art - Kalarippayattu, derived from the words kalari ("place", "threshing floor", or "battlefield") and payattu ("exercise" or "practice"). Influenced by both Kerala's Brahminical past and Ayurvedic medicine, kalaripayattu is attributed by oral tradition to Parasurama. After some two centuries of suppression by British colonial authorities, it is now experiencing strong comeback among Keralites while also steadily gaining worldwide attention. Other popular ritual arts include theyyam and poorakkali — these originate from northern Malabar, which is the northernmost part of Kerala. Nevertheless, these have in modern times been largely supplanted by more popular sports such as cricket, kabaddi, soccer, badminton, and others. 'Kochi Tuskers Kerala' playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is from Kerala.
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Fans supporting Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the ISL opener of 2019-20 season Kerala is currently the home of the football clubs Kerala Blasters and Gokulam Kerala FC. Viva Kerala and FC Kochin were the other two major football clubs from the state in the past. KALARIPAYATTU Kalaripayattu, also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is held in high regard by martial artists due to its long-standing history within Indian martial arts. It is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India. It is also considered to be among the oldest martial arts still in existence, with its origin in the martial arts timeline dating back to at least the 3rd century BCE. Kalaripayattu is mentioned in the Vadakkan Pattukal (northern ballads) written about the Chekavar from the Malabar region of Kerala. The Dutch author Arnaud Van Der Veere confers the origin of martial arts to India (the roots of which are thought to be in Kalaripayattu), to which he refers to Kalaripayattu as "The Mother of All Martial Arts”. Kalaripayattu is a martial art designed for the ancient battlefield (the word "Kalari" meaning "battlefield"), with weapons and combative techniques that are unique to India. Kalaripayattu has rituals based on Hinduism, and its therapeutical treatments are based on Ayurveda. Practitioners of Kalaripayattu possess intricate knowledge of pressure points on the human body and healing techniques that incorporate the knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga. Students are taught the martial art as a way of life, with a sense of compassion, discipline, and respect toward the master, fellow-students, parents and the community. Particular emphasis is placed on avoiding confrontational situations and using the martial art only as a means of protection, when no other alternative is available. Unlike other parts of India, warriors in Kerala belonged to all castes. Women in Keralite society also underwent training in Kalaripayattu, and still do so to this day. Keralite
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women such as Unniyarcha are mentioned in a collection of ballads from Kerala called the Vadakkan Pattukal, and are praised for their martial prowess.
HISTORY The word Kalaripayattu is a combination of two Malayalam words—kalari (gym) and payattu (exercises practiced), which is roughly translated as “as exercises practiced in a gym.” The name “Kalaripayattu,” is also said to be derived from the name of Hindu deity Khaloorika Bhagavathy. The word Kalari is also found in Sangam literature. The Akananuru and Purananuru describe the use of spears, swords, shields, bows and silambam in the Sangam era. The word kalari also appears in the Puram (verses 225, 237, 245, 356) and Akam (verses 34, 231, 293) to describe both a battlefield and combat arena. The word kalari tatt denoted a martial feat, while kalari kozhai meant a coward in war. Each warrior in the Sangam era received regular military training[13] in target practice, horse and elephant riding. In that period and during later periods, the word used for military and military service was chevam. The warriors or soldiers in military service were called Chekavar. They specialized in one or more of the important weapons of the period including the spear (vel), sword (val), shield (kedaham), and bow and arrow (vil ambu). The combat techniques of the Sangam period were the earliest precursors to Kalaripayattu. References to "Silappadikkaram" in Sangam literature date back to the 2nd century. This referred to the silambam staff which was in great demand with foreign visitors. Other sources state that the word Kalari is derived from first three letters of Sri Vidhya Mantra. Elements from the yoga tradition as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were incorporated into the fighting arts. A number of South Asian fighting styles remain closely connected to yoga, dance and performing arts. Some of the choreographed sparring in Kalaripayattu can be applied to dance and Kathakali dancers who knew Kalaripayattu were believed to be markedly better than other performers. Until recently, only martial artists performed the Chhau dance. Some traditional Indian classical dance schools still incorporate martial arts as part of their exercise regimen. Dancers in Kerala who had experience with Kalaripayattu were noted to be markedly better than the other performers. Some traditional Indian dance schools still incorporate Kalaripayattu as part of their training regimen. According to legend, Parashurama is believed to have created the art shortly after bringing Kerala up from the ocean floor. Other theories postulate that certain tribal
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groups inhabiting ancient Kerala founded Kalaripayattu in order to defend themselves against threats from similar groups, such as the Thiyyar of the Malabar region of Kerala. During the medieval period, modern-day Kerala was divided into a number of principalities. Feuds and duels were common at the time, and Kalaripayattu was widely used for warfare and settling disputes. The accounts of that period are described in the Vadakkan Pattukal, a collection of ballads from Kerala. Kalaripayattu is said to have peaked during the days of the Vaddakan Pattukal, with a great deal of respect being attributed to experts in the martial art. Kalaripayattu began losing prominence beginning with the European invasions of Kerala.O nce European colonization began, the usage of firearms began to surpass the usage of traditional weaponry such as swords, and spears. The resurgence of public interest in Kalaripayattu began in the 1920s in Thalassery, as part of a wave of rediscovery of the traditional arts throughout southern India and continued through the 1970s surge of general worldwide interest in martial arts. Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods. Regional variants are classified according to geographical location in Kerala; these are the Northern style from the Malabar region in northern Kerala, and the Southern style from southern Kerala. Northern Kalaripayattu, or "Vadakkan Kalari" is based on elegant and flexible movements, evasions, jumps and weapons training, while the southern "Thekkan Kalari" style specializes in hard, impact based techniques with priority on hand-to-hand combat and pressure point strikes. Both systems make use of internal and external concepts. Warriors trained in Kalaripayattu would use very light, and basic body armor, as it was difficult to maintain flexibility and mobility while in heavy armor. Some of the methods used to enhance flexibility in Kalaripayattu are also utilized in Keralite dance forms such as Kathakali.
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Marmashastram and massage
Chavittithirumal massage It is claimed that experienced Kalari warriors could disable or kill their opponents by merely striking the correct marmam (vital point) on their opponent’s body. This technique is taught only to the most promising and level-headed students so as to discourage misuse of the technique. Marmashastram stresses on the knowledge of marmam and is also used for marma treatment (marmachikitsa). This system of marma treatment originated from Ayurveda, as well as Siddha medicine. Critics of Kalaripayattu have pointed out that the application of marmam techniques against neutral outsiders has not always produced verifiable results.
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The earliest mention of marmam is found in the Rig Veda, where Indra is said to have defeated Vritra by attacking his marmam with a vajra. References to marmam are also found in the Atharva Veda.With numerous other scattered references to vital points in Vedic and epic sources, it is certain that India’s early martial artists knew about and practiced attacking or defending vital points. Sushruta (c. 6th century BC) identified and defined 107 vital points of the human body in his Sushruta Samhita. Of these 107 points, 64 were classified as being lethal if properly struck with a fist or stick. Sushruta’s work formed the basis of the medical discipline Ayurveda, which was taught alongside various Indian martial arts that had an emphasis on vital points, such as Varma kalai and Marma adi.
As a result of learning about the human body, Indian martial artists became knowledgeable in the fields of traditional medicine and massage. Kalaripayattu teachers often provide massages (uzhichil) with medicinal oils to their students in order to increase their physical flexibility or to treat muscle injuries encountered during practice. Such massages are generally termed thirumal and the unique massage given to increase flexibility is known as katcha thirumal. It is said to be as sophisticated as the uzhichil treatment of Ayurveda. Kalaripayattu has borrowed extensively from Ayurveda and equally lends to it.
NOTABLE PRACTITIONERS In 2017, Sri Meenakshi Amma, a 73 year old gurukkal from Vadakara, was awarded the Padma Sri by the Government of India for her contributions to the preservation of Kalaripayattu.
IN POPULAR CULTURE In the Indian graphic novels Odayan and Odayan II – Yuddham, the title character is a vigilante who is highly skilled in Kalaripayattu, with the story itself being set in 16th century feudal Kerala. Little Kalari Warriors, a cartoon made by Toonz Animation India for Cartoon Network, features Kalaripayattu practitioners as the principal characters. Kalaripayattu is also seen in the Indian animated film Arjun: The Warrior Prince (2012). In the Indian role-playing game Ashwathama — The Immortal, which is based on Indian mythology, the fight scenes were choreographed using Kalaripayattu, with the movements of the characters being motion captured from real Kalaripayattu masters. Kalaripayattu is used as a fighting style for the character Connie Maheswaran in the American animated television series Steven Universe. Outside of Indian video games, characters in international games also use Kalaripayattu, such as Voldo in Soul Edge,
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Asura in Death Battle, and Zafina in the Tekken series among others. The style is also used by Cyril Rahman, Ethan Stanley and Shō Kanō in the Japanese manga TV series Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple. In 2019, a character of Indian origin was introduced for the first time in the Japanese manga, Agari. It features a character named Ravi, a Kalaripayattu master, as the protagonist While numerous documentaries have been made about or referencing Kalaripayattu, one of the earliest known documentaries on the subject is a BBC documentary titled The Way of the Warrior. Kalaripayattu was also documented in Season 2 of Fight Quest.[citation needed] In film Kalaripayattu has also featured in international and Indian films such as: 1. Thacholi Othenan (film) (1964), 2. Aromalunni (1972) 3. Ondanondu Kaladalli (Kannada) (1978) 4. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989) 5. Thacholi Varghese Chekavar (1995) 6. Asoka (2001) 7. The Myth (2005) 8. The Last Legion (2007) 9. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (2009) 10. Manasara (2010) 11. Urumi (film) (2011) 12. Commando (2013) 13. Bajirao Mastani (2015) 14. Baaghi (2016) 15. Veeram (2016) 16. Padmaavat (2018) 17. Kayamkulam Kochunni (2018) 18. Junglee (2019)
Reference 1. Association (WSA), World Silambam (5 June 2019). "Indian Traditional Arts". World Silambam Association (WSA). Retrieved 5December 2020 2. "Kalaripayattu: Original Martial Art from Kerala, India". Blog. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2020.. 3. ^https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327016876_Exploring_the_Relevance _of_Cultural_Resource_Management_A_Case_Study_of_Kalaripayattu
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