Kalaripayattu: The rule of Three

Abstract

Kalaripayattu: The Rule of Three is a project that is the culmination of almost 11 months of research into the field of the Indian martial tradition called Kalaripayattu, which originates from the region known as Tamilakam during the Sangam age from the 4th century BC to 2nd century AD. Kalaripayattu literally translates to an arena where one practices multiple types of body exercises. This 'arena' has taken multiple shapes and has been used by society through the millennia for multiple reasons. The story of Kalaripayattu is quite vast and dense with multiple levels of information that need to be recalled in order to fully understand all the aspects that shaped it till today. Kalaripayattu is very much alive today, but is highly misunderstood. The information that is readily available for a curious bystander on this martial art is limited, unless one takes the effort to learn the art in the state of its origin. Due the history behind it, the knowledge has been shrouded in mystery for a long period of time, and it's only in the past 60 years, that it has been regarded as a competitive martial art form. It is quite clear that Kalaripayattu is package for transformation of three things, the body mind and soul. This evolution of being can only be understood, when one understands how the art has transformed over the years. It a holistic learning approach that is highly complex in nature, this project, dwells into its complexities that define it, and gives an outcome that could possibly used as precursor for self transformation by giving adequate information.