MY TRIP TO KERALA
By-Suvrit Chopra
The nature of the physical world is limited. As impossible it is to grasp all of it and even understand even a speck of it, the world is limited. Within the boundaries of the limited our aspirations are limitless. We are all trying to accommodate our limitless aspirations under the boundaries of the limited. Now the only question is whose aspirations survive?
Just like every other life on the planet aspires to live. The sacred groves in Kerala are no different. Life manifests itself in incredible ways, and the Sacred Groves is probably one of the most beautiful and breathtaking places to prove this. Just being present in this place is enough to make you stand in awe of creation. the most wonderful thing about this forest is that there is a reason why it is called a ‘sacred Grove’. And it is not just because the people living amongst them say so. The sanctity of this forest is open for everyone to experience. Experiencing this forest, a certain way will make these groves sacred for anyone who visits them. A brief moment in the forest was enough for it to become sacred for me as well. I think most of us do not recognize or experience things as ‘sacred’ because we associate them with god or religion. Although these forests do have an incredibly rich history and stories connecting them to such concepts and ideas, it is not the reason why these forests are sacred to me. I don’t think for things to be ‘sacred’ they need to associate with god or religion. I feel that something becomes sacred when you understand the true nature of it and develop a certain level of respect towards it. Being in the forest I feel what really makes it sacred is the fact that the forest nurtures and protects every living creature in the forest indiscriminately, and has been doing so through the passage of time. That is the true nature of this forest. This is what was in my experience which made this forest sacred for me too. Every life that seeks to nurture from the forest understands the sacred nature of the forest. If one opens up to experience this, the forest can become sacred for anyone, just like it did for me.
When civilization is protected and nurtured and allowed to evolve things like art and culture are born. India is one of the wealthiest nations if not the wealthiest in terms of culture. and I believe that Kerala is one of the cultural crown jewels. It was inevitable for our ancestors who lived in such an environment to develop spectacular forms of art and culture. the lives of the people living in these forests centuries ago have manifested extremely magnificent forms of art and culture. Theyyam is one magnificent art form that has originated under the protection and grace of the sacred groves. Experiencing Theyyam personally was one of the reasons for me to travel to Kerala with Cherish Expeditions. Cherish Expeditions is a group of travelers’ who believe in meaningful and impactful journeys. The trip to Kerala was hosted by Cherish Expeditions with the purpose to awaken us, travelers, to the issues of the depletion and destruction of the sacred Groves and this magnificent art form called Theyyam, and then to strive to create some impact and spreading awareness about these issues. I was completely oblivious to Theyyam till I reached Kerala. we were all briefed and given some background about Theyyam before we went to see it for the first time. We witnessed four Theyyam on our trip. I truly cannot express and put into words my experience. each Theyyam was equally magnificent but completely distinct from each other. By the end of our trip, just like I felt a sense of awe towards the sacred groves, I was in greater awe of this art form of Theyyam. Just as how magnificent Theyyam is as an art form, it is much more profound as a ritual for the people of Kannur in Kerala. what I experienced was that there are two ways you can experience Theyyam. People who do not understand the true nature of Theyyam can enjoy and be amazed at it just as an art form. But if you are guided and introduced to the right people, you can get a glimpse of the true and extremely profound nature of Theyyam. I am very glad and grateful to the people over at Cherish Expeditions to introduce me to Theyyam in the purest and the most authentic form. It was because all of us travelers were guided and introduced to the right people, we could witness the profound nature of Theyyam, which generally would be missed by people otherwise. This is the part of Theyyam that is misunderstood by a lot of people, which is why it is extremely important to witness and experience this particular performance only with the guidance and knowledge of the right people. All of us who traveled as a part of Cherish Expeditions experienced the truest, purest, and most authentic form of Theyyam, which is why I was able to experience the deepest and most profound aspects of Theyyam. Witnessing it under such wonderful circumstances is what helped me understand why Theyyam is also considered Sacred. I try to describe the profound aspects of Theyyam which make it Sacred. But honestly, it is not possible to describe it. The relation of the sacred performance of Theyyam and the sacred Groves is not only that Theyyam originated in these forests, but also, Theyyam is originally performed only in the presence and amongst the Sacred Groves. This is why the destruction of the Sacred Groves is highly damaging this magnificent art form Theyyam. If one really wants to understand and experience Theyyam in its truest depths, the only way is to personally experience it in its purest and most authentic form through the guidance of the right people. But, one thing that I can say is, if one experiences the sacred nature of the groves and Theyyam personally, protecting it and preserving them does not become a responsibility or obligation, it becomes a personal concern and mission. It is only natural to want to protect and preserve these sacred things after such experiences. I really hope that more people are able to experience the sacredness of things more profoundly in their lives.
I asked Gokul, our trusty guide to open up about what he feels about the sacred Groves. There would be no better person to talk with about sacred groves because he has spent his whole life living and exploring its deepest secrets. Here is what he had to say. “The existence of sacred groves in India most likely dates back to an ancient pre-agrarian hunter-gathering era, and their presence has been documented since the early 1800s. Believing trees to be the abode of gods and ancestral spirits, many communities set aside sanctified areas of forest and established rules and customs to ensure their protection. These rules varied from grove to grove but often prohibited the felling of trees, the collection of any material from the forest floor, and the killing of animals…….etc. As a result of these protective restrictions, preserved over countless years, sacred groves are now important reservoirs of biodiversity.”
Here is what The Hindu had to say about the relation of Theyyam and the Sacred Groves.
“There has always been an unmistakable umbilical link between the dance form of Kerala called Theyyam and nature.
In an extraordinary play between culture and nature, the grove nurtured the dance form and the dance form was instrumental in arresting the destruction of the groves even when development and modernity came knocking. Theyyam’s accouterments have always been drawn from nature — such as garlands and decorations of ripe areca nuts, flowers, leaves, and fruits — just as the biodiversity-rich wilderness of the groves has been the home of the pantheistic deities that thrived in the Malabar region.
Spirit-worship, ancestor-worship, tree-worship, animal worship, serpent-worship, the worship of the goddesses of disease, and the worship of the Graamadevata or village god, all are part of Theyyam, which is a folk religion for millions.”
The Hindu. 2021. As Kerala’s sacred groves disappear, the Theyyam art form loses a vital link. [online] Available at <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/as-keralas-sacred-groves-disappear-the-theyyam-art-form-loses-a-vital-link/article26417293.ece> [Accessed 20 March 2021].
