Thrissur rocks to the rhythm of Pulikkali
The Hindu
Thrissur rocks to the rhythm of Pulikkali
Drumbeats and exciting roars of the crowd filled the air. The mood was wild and electric.
Thrissur city on Friday turned into a sea of stripes and spots as more than 250 ‘human tigers and leopards’ pranced about the streets in a rollicking show of Pulikkali.
Leaving their dens, ‘tigers’ of five contingents from Ayyanthole, Viyyur, Sitaram Mill Lane, Sakthan and Kanattukara stormed the city to give a carnivalesque finish to the Onam celebrations.
The human tigers, who regaled thousands who thronged the Swaraj Round and its bylanes, appeared in all possible colours. They came in blue, black, fluorescent green, and even pink.
Pulikkali showcases a beautiful art of body painting. “Painting on the body for Pulikkali is not easy. Paint plugs sweat pores,” said actor-politician Suresh Gop who visited the ‘tiger dens’. “But the spirit of the event inspires them to ignore the pain,” he adds.
As usual, ‘pot-bellied tigers’ ruled the show. Pulikkali squads hunt for such performers, otherwise bullied for their huge tummies, as faces of tigers can be drawn well on big bellies.
There were some skinny tiger cubs too who cartwheeled and somersaulted to regale the audience.