Alappuzha schools switch to Vanchipattu

Alappuzha: One of the highlights of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race to be held in Punnamada lake on the second Saturday in August will be the Vanchipattu which will be sung by school children to egg on the oarsmen participating in the races.

The school kids of Alappuzha are being trained by teachers with the help of traditional masters of Vanchipattu.

Mr Alexander K. Varghese, headmaster of  St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, which won the Vanchipattu contest last year, said that  Vanchipattu is culturally ingrained in them.  

“Every year, at least 14 schools take part in the contest. The students are  taught in different styles, including that of Aranmula and Kuttanad. Some main contestants are Champ-akulam St. Mary’s HSS, SNDP HSS, Kuttamangalam, and NSS HSS Kavalam,” he said.

Vanchippattu is based on folklore. Ramapurathu Varrier, who lived in the 18th century, developed it into a different branch of Malayalam literature. He wrote the famous Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu which has high literary quality. Though the complex lines are difficult to pronounce, majority of Kuttanadans can sing them with ease.   

“The Kuttanad students can recite the rhymes that tell the story of how the people of Kuttanad lived for centuries,” said P.S. Nayana, a Vanchipattu trainer.

“We have grown up seeing the  haul of paddles and we are proud of making students part of such an event. I learnt the lines from my parents who were boat race fans. The students will retain such rituals for the next generation and so we train them  with utmost seriousness,” she said.