Kaikottikali gets a contemporary touch

In 2009, when the youngsters of AKG Library in Kochi visited a local Kaikottikali group to book a programme for an event, they got brusque reply from them.
“We are really busy. Book our date paying Rs 30,000 and we will try to come,” said the team, leaving the library group distraught. “Why not form our own small team and perform?” opined a few among them and soon the group that comprised members from students to daily wage labourers, turned performers.
The all-men’s team named Chakkarakoottam, which consists of 22 members, isn’t a regular set of Kaikottikali performers. The motley crew dances to the songs penned by their own members, inspired by various current affairs and thoughts. The arrival of Kochi Metro, the need for religious harmony, Maveli’s yearly visit to a skyscraper-filled Kerala… there is no limit to the topics that inspire their shows, says the team’s trainer P V Rameshan.
“In the past, when art forms like Kaikottikali were performed, people understood the meanings of the songs and the contexts that might have inspired them because they were familiar with our mythology and history. Times have changed and hardly anyone understands them these days. That is when we thought, why not dance to songs that would make a lot more sense to the current generation,” says Rameshan, who has been into dance training for more than two decades.
Their song Arabikkadalinte Ranikkaniyuvan is about Kochi Metro. Another, Manassinte Naakkilengane, is about Onam. Rising instances of rape cases, pushing elderly family members into old-age homes, alcoholism, neglect faced by small scale industries are some of the other topics they have chosen for the four-minute performances.
Harikrishnan V R, one of the dancers, is a second year B Com student. “We generally meet up around 7 pm at night and practise for at least four hours. It’s no easy task to do it after a busy day, but we all come together as it lifts our mood. Moreover, it feels good to connect with the audience through a common problem, innovatively,” he says.
The team is already busy performing for the Onam season at various venues, this year.
What would be their next performance about? “We are planning one based on the Blue Whale Challenge. The song is still in the discussion stages, but we hope we bring it out soon and make an impact,” Harikrishnan says.