It is almost impossible to capture in words the art of Theyyam. It is said that Theyyam is where life interacts with the universal spirit. When you witness a Theyyam, you find yourself diminishing to the size of an ant on the ground you stand upon, so large and compelling is the metaphysical spirit that it invokes. It is not an art form that is easily understood.
Some stalwart writers have written about it though and it is now KK Gopalakrishnan’s turn to put forth his own intimate understanding of it, having grown up surrounded by this reality and exposed to its rituals and customs from an early age.
The cover of the book is absolutely stunning, as are many of the pictures inside this heavily illustrated volume. Brought out by Niyogi Books, it is a wonderful addition to our meagre knowledge of this folk ritual theatre. Theyyam is performance plus. A mystical power envelops it like no other. The ballads of Kolathunat include in themselves Fire, Water and the Wind. The deities themselves are of the Earth. Normal people who became superhuman over the passage of time in the common man’s memory. ‘It is a way of life, coded into our DNA,’ the author remarks nonchalantly.