Government push, court case, medallists from MP and Haryana: Kerala’s ancient martial art form on show at National Games

And the winners of this particular event hail from parts that are nearly 2000km away from where the artform was born.

Gaurav Dangi and Harshita Shukla took to kalaripayattu as soon as they were introduced to it during their schooling in Indore. Both emerged as unlikely gold medallists for Madhya Pradesh in their categories on Thursday.

Ever since the National Games was revamped after seven years with a grand edition in Gujarat in 2022, indigenous games like kalaripayattu have been given a greater push by the government in building the momentum towards their bid for the 2036 Olympics. (Express Photo by Namit Kumar)

“Akhadon mein talwarbazi, lathibaazi toh hoti hai (swordfighting and stick-fighting are already practiced in akhadas),” Harshita, a 21-year-old Masters student, says. “This only looks new, it’s easy to get used to. I was good at martial arts but I always wanted to take part in something different and traditional so this ended up being the perfect thing.”

Ever since the National Games was revamped after seven years with a grand edition in Gujarat in 2022, indigenous games like kalaripayattu have been given a greater push by the government in building the momentum towards their bid for the 2036 Olympics.

From flag football in the US, to elephant chess (xiangqi) in China, traditional domestic sports of the host nation have found themselves on the games programme of multi-sport events in the past. Similar hopes are held for these sports in India — from yoga to mallakhamb to kho-kho — as the government narrows in on the chance to host the Olympics.

Presently, though, kalaripayattu’s stakeholders feel slighted by what they see as a ‘demotion’ of their discipline from a medal event at the 2023 National Games to demonstration status this year. So much so that they even filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking to reinstate its full sports-event status, which was eventually denied by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Ostensibly, the decision seems to be taken to keep the National Games in line with international events like the Commonwealth games and Asian Games. But the athletes, who miss out on the chance to get a state level job since their event is not of full medal status, disagree.

Whether it receives national legitimacy as a sport, or indeed even an Olympic push, remains to be seen. But for now, in this non-descript corner of the hill state of Uttarakhand, the passion for this ancient, eccentric artform is burning. (Express Photo by Namit Kumar)

“Look at the number of participants and all the areas this is played in, I think it should be a medal event,” Gaurav says.

Gaurav, 19, comes from a farming family from the Jetpura village of Madhya Pradesh, but began practicing this offbeat discipline in school, where he had already been training in more traditional forms of martial arts like taekwondo.

“It’s a good mix of different disciplines. And there are wellness aspects to it, like controlled breathing and strength and conditioning,” Srijith R, who won the gold medal in the ‘unarmed fight’ category on Thursday, says.

The 28-year-old from Kottayam, whose category is basically an amateur version of kickboxing, is a kalaripayattu trainer by profession. “I’m glad to see this level of competition… the gold medals are not just going to Kerala. That shows how other places have taken to it,” he says.

If there are medals to be won anywhere, Haryana are never far behind. Devender Kumar, the 21-year-old from Rewari who was pipped by Srijith for gold, says: “Our gurukuls are already teaching the basics. All kids that are already training some sports can pick this up easily.”

His thought is interrupted by the loud thrashing of metal coming from the nearby courts where the ‘sword and shield’ event — essentially a synchronised warrior dance — is in full flow. Swordfighting is perhaps the most essential and the most well-known part of this martial art. “It’s phenomenal for self-defense,” Harshita says.

This is the ‘high kick’ event of kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art form that originated in Kerala, being contested by 20 state teams at the National Games in a small pocket of the Police Lines colony in Haridwar. (Express Photo by Namit Kumar)

Shortly before the event ends, Uttarakhand sports minister, Rekha Arya, makes an appearance. In a speech, seemingly prepared to be a rallying cry for these athletes, she says: “Keep going, and by 2036, some of you may even be Olympians.”

“I don’t think so,” Srijith says on the possibility of kalaripayattu being played at an international multi-sport event. “Yes, it’s getting popular in India and there should be a medal event at National Games, but it does not have the appeal, like yogasana, abroad.”

Whether it receives national legitimacy as a sport, or indeed even an Olympic push, remains to be seen. But for now, in this non-descript corner of the hill state of Uttarakhand, the passion for this ancient, eccentric artform is burning.