The main thoroughfare in Thrissur, Kerala's cultural capital came alive on Wednesday evening as hundreds of artists masquerading as tigers danced to percussion instruments to mark the grand finale of Onam 2024.
Pulikali (tiger dance) is the iconic art form of Thrissur and it matches the splendor of Thrissur Pooram, the biggest cultural extravaganza of the State held in the month of May every year. If it is elephants that enthrall the Pooram, Pulikali, a visual treat makes Onam in Thrissur unique.There are many Pulikali Sanghams in Thrissur and suburbs. What made the Tiger Dance 2024 unique is the participation of women dressed up as tigresses, described as the first such incident in the 300 year old history of Pulikali.
R Bindu, Kerala minister for higher education and spouse of A Vijayaraghavan, polit bureau member of the ruling CPI(M) claims it was she who played a major role in elevating Pulikali to the global arena. Bindu herself is known as the CPI(M) tigress of Thrissur who is feared by the RSS activists.
Though it was announced by the Kerala Government that there would not be any State sponsored tourism festival and celebrations this time on account of the Wayanad natura disaster, by the time Onam festivities began the government's decision vanished into thin air. The tigers who started their make- up by 7 am showed no signs of exhaustion and tiredness when they hit the roads accompanied by percussionists. "Pulikali has nothing to do with Onam. It is an art form imported into Thrissur by Islamic soldiers of the British army.
The region's residents assimilated the same as their own. Now you cannot visualize a Thrissur sans Pulikali," said Nandakishor, film artist, stand-up humorist and the local historian.
The artists paint their bodies like tigers with stripes of yellow, red and black and dance to the rhythm of traditional percussion instruments such as thakil, udukku and chenda.
Raju Raphel, media person who is a movie maker says it is Pulikali which makes Thrissur distinct from other places in the State.
By 8 pm, the tigers retreated to their dens, only to reappear for next year's Onam.
