Theyyam

- a colloquial word for 'Daivam' or God - it is a ritual performed in temples of north Malabar districts of  Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad and Kozhikkode from october to may every year. It is a living slice of the ancient culture of malabar, thet has been practices for more than 2000 years. It embraces almost all the strata of the hindu society of the region.

Every village of Malabarwas bound to the 'sacred gardens' (kavu) with a sacred tree and a presiding diety.Theyyams are performed before these Kavus. The sacred dance performed amidst an enthusiastic crowd is believed to bring prosperity for the village. For the people of Malabar, Theyyams are visible Gods. 

Theyyam

Costumes of the Theyyam performers are designed by cutting and painting coconut sheaths in Red, Black, and White patterns. The Hood, headdress, face paint, bracelets, garlands, attire are unique for each theyyam and is crafted using coconut & palm leaves, dyes, twigs, threads, mirrors and embroidery, over long hours prior to the performance. 

Theyyam

There are almost 400 types of  theyyam, which includes female deities too. Some of the popular deities are Mutthappan, Pottan, Vishnumoorthy, Pulikandan, Thee Chamundi, Chembilot Bhagawathy, Muchilottu Bhagawathy, Gulikan, Bhadrakali etc. 

Village

പ്രപഞ്ചമേ, നീ പല ദുഃഖജാലം
നിറഞ്ഞതാണെങ്കിലുമിത്രമാത്രം
ചേതോഹരക്കാഴ്ചകള്‍ നിങ്കലുള്ള
കാലത്തു നിന്‍ പേരിലെവന്‍ വെറുക്കും?
-- വള്ളത്തോള്

Indian Village

Poppies - Mohn blumen

“Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare, and left the flushed print in a poppy there.” 

Francis Thompson

Mohn 

From the poppies blumed in the spring of 1915, on the battlefields of Belgium, France, and Gallipolli this vivid red flower became the symbol of great loss of life in war. 

Canadian surgeon  John Mccrae in his poem 'In Flanders fields', realised Poppy as a lasting memorial symbol to the fallen.

“But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, it's bloom is shed;
Or, like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever.” 
Robert Burns

Setting sun

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” -- Tagore  

Sun set

One of the incredible sunsets seen from the pristine beaches of Kerala 

"He saw all these forms and faces in a thousand relationships… become newly born. Each one was mortal, a passionate, painful example of all that is transitory. Yet none of them died, they only changed, were always reborn, continually had a new face: only time stood between one face and another."  Herman Hesse 

എനിയ്ക്കു രസമീ നിമ്നോന്നതമാംവഴിയ്ക്കു തേരുരുള്‍ പായിക്കല്‍;ഇതേതിരുള്‍ക്കുഴിമേലുരുളട്ടേ,വിടില്ല ഞാനീ രശ്മികളെ. -- ഇടശ്ശേരി ഗോവിന്ദന്‍ നായര്‍

Song of the Village

 

VILLAGE SONG by Sarojini Naidu

Full are my pitchers and far to carry,

Lone is the way and long,

Why, O why was I tempted to tarry

Lured by the boatmen’s song?

Swiftly the shadows of night are falling,

Hear, O hear, is the white crane calling,

Is it the wild owl’s cry?

There are no tender moonbeams to light me,

If in the darkness a serpent should bite me,

Or if an evil spirit should smite me,

Ram Re Ram! I shall die.

My brother will murmur, ‘Why doth she linger?’

My mother will wait and weep,

Saying, ‘O safe may the great gods bring her,

The Jamuna’s waters are deep…’

The Jamuna’s waters rush by so quickly,

The shadows of evening gather so thickly,

Like black birds in the sky…

O! if the storm breaks, what will betide me?

Safe from the lightning where shall I hide me?

Unless Thou succor my footsteps and guide me,

Ram Re Ram! I shall die.

in to the Blue....

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. Blue gives a feeling of distance. Artists use it to to show perspective. The earliest known blue dyes were made from plants – woad in Europe, indigo in Asia and Africa, while blue pigments were made from minerals, usually either lapis lazuli or azurite.

“I don't want a rainbow... Rainbows have too many colors and none of them receive the appreciation they deserve... I'd prefer a fading red or a striking golden, a shimmery silver or a sober blue... Ruling the sunset sky alone!” -- Debalina Haldar

“It's the colors that will make you stray. They sing to you, the not-blue and the searing light, and no matter how tightly you tie yourself to the inbetween, eventually you will break free.No one swims only in the shallow water.” -- Betsy Cornwell

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”    -- Haruki Murakami 

Pink Turns Blue

Pink Turns Blue

If Two Worlds Kiss
Lost somewhere in paradise
A lonesome king feels cold at night
A dreamy shadow memory
A wild desire I'm loving you
The hate I felt was never true
Impulses I can't understand
Lighted by your true blue eyes
I always knew I's telling lies
Waiting always everywhere
Love is changing all my life
Destined to make me laugh and cry
Despair has settled over me
If two worlds kiss
A kind of change is going on
The Gods have fallen, my safety's gone
Who gains the world I lost my soul
Restless eyes some pleasant smiles
I'm burdened for the rest of life
Enough to tell the definite truth
If two worlds kiss

© 1987 Fun Factory! Musikverlag
Music & Words: Mic Jogwer