Backwaters and Martial Arts in South India

Posted by Dhala Campbell 12th February 2015
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Having picked us up from our rather grand two storey houseboat, our canoe man Joy whisked us up river and across to the other side. Having abruptly cut the engine of the outboard, he picked up a pole and steered us into a side channel. It was artfully concealed by overhanging branches and a thick carpet of water hyacinths – they look pretty with their lilac coloured flowers, but are actually a complete pest as they clog up waterways and rapidly take over, unless they can be contained. Ducking under the branches we were soon a world away from the main thoroughfare of the big channel we had been on earlier in our houseboat. 

The narrow channel was only about 6-8ft across and was edged with palm trees, banana trees and shrubs with colourful flowers, making it a mecca for birdspotting. Beyond the the narrow path that straddled each side of the channel, paddy fields spread out into the distance, where women were bent over busily weeding. We passed the odd tiny cottage where the locals were going about their day. The ladies were standing on steps, beating their laundry vigorously with a baton; the thwack of the baton against the rock echoed around. The men were sitting mending nets or standing waist high in the water having a morning scrub. For the next couple of hours we explored a series of channels, people and bird spotting before our circuit brought us back out onto the wide channel and deposited us back on our houseboat in time for lunch.

Later that day we sat on the top of our houseboat in the centre of a small lake. With cold beers and gin and tonics in hand we watched the sun slowly sink down; like the end of a theatre performance when the curtains drop down we were soon engulfed in darkness.

The next day was an early start. Having been dropped off at the pier we met up with our driver, Shaile, and headed north towards Calicut, stopping off at a school where local dance and and music was taught. With over 500 students it was far removed from the quiet of the backwaters. From every classroom the teachers were beating out the rhythm on their wooden benches whilst students drummed along or stamped their feet on the concrete floors as they practised a dance move or musical recital over and over again. This is the equivalent of RADA, where only 20 students are accepted each year from the age of 12. Classes start at 4.30am for a couple of hours followed by a break, and then take place again from 9 – 12. There is then another break for lunch and normal school takes place in the afternoon. It's a tough regime and, although the teachers looked rather fierce, the students all looked happy and eager to learn.

This morning we visited the Kalari, a type of martial arts that's being going for a thousand years or so and is now enjoying a revival. The students start at the age of 7, learning a discipline of exercises before being allowed to learn with swords and batons of various sizes. There are no competitions, only demonstrations as we were told as it would be too easy to kill someone. Every move is therefore carefully choreographed.

We are heading up to Wayanand later today to spend a couple days in the hills before heading to Mysore.

Dhala Campbell

Dhala Campbell

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