CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Thrissur’s Pulikali on the road to extinction

Kerala’s hallmark street art form is fading due to state apathy and shortage of funds

Mini Muringatheri Pulikali is managed by The acute financial crisis Thrissur groups of youth who want to is exacerbated by the Two centuries ago, tigers preserve the dying art form. attitude of the Tourism roamed Thrissur streets on From paint and thinner to Department towards the art the Chathayam day of fibre for making the masks form, say the Pulikali teams. Chingom, in royal grandeur. and dresses, everything has While the art form should It was majesty and power become costly. Even the be flaunted as a flagship that Shakthan Thampuran payment for the artistes has cultural event, it is grossly probably intended to infuse gone up, they say. neglected by the into Kerala’s hallmark department, they say. harvest festival when he State apathy “The average expense for introduced Pulikali, the tiger Apart from aid from the city each team is around ₹15 hunt–themed street art form Corporation and the lakh. The city Corporation is that has men done up in Tourism Department, a giving ₹1.5 lakh. But it hardly tiger body art roaming the Body art: A file picture of Pulikali or the tiger hunt–themed major portion of Pulikali suffices. Though the streets in a feral dance, street art form, a recreational folk art of Kerala. fund comes from locals, the Tourism Department has accompanied by rustic drum rest from sponsors. Blame it been promising ₹1 lakh, it is beats. being ravaged mainly by Viyyur Centre Pulikali on economic slowdown or not available on time,” says Now, years later, the financial crisis. Sangam says it is a tough GST, sponsors are Sumesh. We are yet to get pomp is in place and even There are many teams time for the Pulikali teams increasingly hard to come the fund for 2017 from the the gaiety, as Pulikali teams that focus on the art form, and many well-known teams by, complain the Pulikali Tourism Department. Now get on street on Chathayam but most of them are have withdrawn from the teams. They even pawn gold it is already time for the day. But the shades of struggling to make ends scene over a period. ornaments of their kin to preparations for 2018, he draining pride are more meet, with expenses Unlike Thrissur Pooram, raise funds, but often fall says. The department than conspicuous. The art skyrocketing and funds a which is managed by into debt traps as cost should keep a separate fund form, Thrissur’s own, is trickle. T.S. Sumesh of the Devaswoms (temple trusts), exceeds the collection. for Pulikali, he adds.