“I am going to learn kalaripayattu in Kerala.”
What’s that? was the first response from most people. After explaining that it is the world’s oldest martial artform, people thought it was a cool thing to do. It is also unusual of course, but nothing new in that for me ;)
As travellers and also as humans we have a limited amount of time. And at the end of day, how much ever we may want to do, we end up doing only a few things. So how do you choose the things you actually spend time on?
Here’s why I chose to learn Kalaripayattu,
Physical Fitness
I have a self evaluation exercise that I do once or twice a year. In this way, I identified that physical fitness was something I had to work on. This was one of the reasons behind choosing long distance cycling too.
I have never been very fond of physical fitness routines. I have played games in the building compound as a child for hours but after that nothing much. I don’t really get the ‘fitness’ culture that has cropped up in the urban cities – gyms and expensive clubs. I gave it a try but never sustained. Finally, long distance cycling really clicked for me.
Now with a few years of long distance cycling, long hikes, hatha yoga and pilgrimages done, it was time to notch it up a gear. And kalaripayattu made sense.
Spirituality & Yoga
With my deep inclination to spirituality and yoga, when Sadhguru introduced kalaripayattu in Isha Yoga Center in 2007-8, I was totally excited. But I left the organisation at that time. And Mumbai didn’t really open up too many avenues to pursue it.
Recently, I got a good recommendation of the teacher for this and figured I could try this out. The spiritual leaning of this martial art form helps make it a lot more relevant for me. And since then I have been clubbing it with my yoga practices, starting with the kalari exercises before the meditation and kriya routine – I am very happy with this.
Indian Heritage & the MOTHER of all martial arts!
In Jibhi, I met a martial arts teacher from Russia. He had come down with his students for some mountain classes and rejuvenation. I saw their martial arts session once and then even I felt like learning some combat techniques. That’s when Kalaripayattu came to mind. I told him that I am planning to learn Kalaripayattu and he said, that it was probably the martial arts from which his style also originated.
And lately I have done some research, and it is true. A lot of the eastern styles of martial arts have all originated from kalari it seems. THE Bodhidharma himself was a Kalari practitioner (wow)! He then went to China to propagate Buddhism and this is where he taught them some form of Kalari which is now known as Kung fu! I have long held fascination for kung fu (and ancient Buddhist masters) and it’s amazing for me to learn the mother martial arts of it all!
Aggression & Assertion
I have been an angry young girl in many ways. And everyone has aggression which is expressed in some ways or the other. I am hoping that kalari will help me regulate this better. Apparently, it is useful for girls to build confidence and become assertive. I am looking for a way to regulate this strength.
Logistics
And of course as it happened the logistics were manageable. I am now location independent with my work, so I was free to stay in Kozhikode and work. And I spoke with the respected teacher, he said I can stay in their house, as a homestay. They were willing to provide me veg food without onion and garlic. So all was good. I would have preferred an apartment for myself nearby, but it seems the area is a little conservative about a woman staying alone. Though, next time when I plan to go I will try to scout an independent stay if possible.
Choosing A Deeper Life Experience
Since some time now, and especially since I went location independent, I have been quite keen about choosing the right travel experience for myself. After all said and done, it has to address the deeper callings of my life, otherwise going location independent and being trapped in a meaningless life make no sense! And Kalaripayattu has fit in very well. I would urge you also to dig a bit deeper for your interests in life and move in that direction how much ever possible.
Overall, I am happy with my experience with kalaripayattu so far. Albeit only 7 – 10 days of it. You can read my day to day notes here. I am looking forward to getting a better grasp on it over time. I will be practising the exercises learnt so far on my own. And also going for more time in the cooler months.
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