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| VAMSAM,
VALARI AND PANDIRAJ! |
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What are the martial arts that the young
in Tamil Nadu are learning these days?
Every day, if you observe, you might be
able to come across many posters and pamphlets
by the roadside which offer training in
martial arts. Most or all of them deal
with karate, judo or tae-kwondo. The posters
very often proclaim Sensei ‘X’
-6th Dan – Black Belt. Whatever
that means, (most of us have no clue)
there are flocks of children who go to
learn such martial arts. While there is
nothing wrong (in fact it is much better
than being couch potatoes) in learning
karate or any other martial art, the fact
remains that some of the best martial
art forms remain in oblivion.
Have you heard about the ‘Valari’
(not ‘kalari’ – the
martial arts form of Kerala)? Or the ‘Surulpatta’,
the ‘Kandakotari’ or the ‘Lesam’.
Now, if you are not above 30, have not
studied a great amount of Tamil literature
and do not have a great interest in traditional
Tami practices (which includes most of
us), these words might look like possible
titles of Tamil movies. But no, these
are in fact martial art forms and weapons
that were once widely used all over Tamil
Nadu. We have all heard about the different
dynasties that ruled parts of Tamil Nadu
from time to time. Well, each dynasty
had their own specialized instrument and
form of defense at |
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which
they were masters. Detailing, or even naming all those
weapons and forms might amount to taking an entire
history lecture (so amazing is the variety and range).
So we will leave you to explore more on that, if you
have been interested by this article.
What we are looking at here is a very praiseworthy
attempt at bringing back these traditions. Violence
in any form is detestable, true! But, these martial
arts are first a form of maintaining health and fitness,
while also making one disciplined and more focused.
The foundation of all famous martial arts and practices
is this; like the Kalaripayattu (which lays enormous
stress on flexibility), Tai Chi (which is all about
regulating energy flow through the body) or Malkhamb
(an ancient Indian form said to have been invented
by Hanuman himself which is all about fitness).
So, how can these forms be popularized? The answer
is simple. How did art forms like karate and kung
fu become so popular world over? No doubt, they are
immensely powerful forms of defense. But, do you think
karate and kung fu would have been as popular in India
as it is now if there had not been men like Bruce
Lee and Jackie Chan? Yes, movies which focused and
showcased these forms in great light played a big
role in the huge popularity that they enjoy. Tamil
cinema, for most parts, has been obsessed with choreographed
fights, stylish kicks and punches, which ultimately
helped only the hero gain fans. The only art form
that ever seems to have caught the attention of Tamil
cinema is ‘Silambum’ or the ‘Kambu’,
which has been used stylishly as well as effectively,
from MGR to Sathyaraj (in a few movies).
1Now, we hear that director Pandiraj has made a first
of its kind attention to effectively portray many
of the traditional Tamil martial arts through his
second film Vamsam which will be released this Friday.
It is the same Pandiraj who made Pasanga (in case
you were wondering). Yes, he has gone in for a diametric
shift in genre for his second movie. The only thing
that will remain common will be the uniqueness of
concept or content with which he impressed us so much
in his debut. Vamsam will have a lot of action which
will make use of many of weapons which most of us
may not have even heard of. We don’t know for
sure, but there may even be the ‘valari’
which is a boomerang kind of weapon which is said
to have a range of more than 300 feet (more than some
modern automatic weapons) when used by skilled (an
extinct species these days) person. An English officer
Colonel Wells is said to have written in his memoirs
that the Indian warrior Chinna Marudu was the one
who taught him how to use the ‘Valari’.
Let’s wait and watch what Pandiraj shows us
about Tamil martial arts through Vamsam. |
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| Tags
: Vamsam,
Arulnidhi,
Sunaina,
Pandiraj,
Taj
Noor, M
K Thamizharasu, Ganja
Karuppu |
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