Kalaripayattu - Martial art of Kerala

"It's all about inner peace and fluid animal movements. Originally a traditional form of marital art that started in south India, Kalaripayattu is believed by historians to be one of the oldest exisiting martial arts in the world.

Crafted in ancient South India drawing inspiration from the raw power and sinuous strength of the majestic animal forms - Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Wild Boar, Snake, and Crocodile ........ Kalaripayattu laid down the combat code of the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas. Shrouded in deep mystery and mists of secrecy Kalaripayattu was taught by the masters in total isolation, away from prying eyes."

(From: http://www.kalaripayattu.org/)


"The Citi Never Sleeps". Citibank had this catchy slogan till a few years back. By the day, this is becoming more and more true for Bangalore. With more people going for work at night, crime rates have also been increasing. Media and chain mails are full of splashes of safety issues in Bangalore. When this became the talk of the town, my cousin and I decided that it was high time we learnt some basic self defense and joined Kalaripayattu classes. It has been about 2.5 months since we joined and it has been a great experience.

I haven't learnt any other martial art, so I have nothing to compare against! The fact that Kalari is inspired by how animals defend themselves, somehow intrigues me. It is interesting to feel as powerful as a wild boar, as immovable and sturdy as an elephant. Wouldn't it be great if someday I would be able to jump from a height, land safely without making any sound, just like a cat does! It seems the cat controls and shifts its power by controlling its breath! I am not sure how much of an expert I can become and how much of presence of mind I will be able to develop to be able to use the tricks for self-defence if a situation demands it. Right now I am learning it because it is fun, as you would expect anything novel to be!

Unrelated note:
I came across this interesting link about the phrase 'The Citi never sleeps'. http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/2005/Business-Decision-History27jun05.htm
The decision to automate the teller made by Walter Wriston (Chariman, Citibank)in 1975 has been categorised as one of the '20 business decisions that made history'. At that point, it did not seem like a very good idea to replace a person at the teller with a machine. But in 1978 when the city of NY was covered with more than a foot of snow, upsetting normal life, New Yorkers trekked through the slush to the ATMs and that was when the catch phrase 'The Citi never sleeps' was born. After this, the use of machines soared and people started accepting 'soulless machines'.