A 3,000-year-old martial art from Kerala taught me how to stop fighting myself
While Kalarippayattu was once practised by warrior clans to settle blood feuds and resolve disputes on behalf of landlords, it is all about slowness On one of the rainiest mornings in Thiruvananthapuram, I find myself inside a small makeshift shed, its roof patched together with tarpaulin, an oil lamp flickering quietly in the far corner. I’m here after an unusual notice came along with our daily Malayala Manorama newspaper that read: The District Kalaripayattu Association proudly presents Marma Kalari training. I’m here purely out of stupid, impulsive recklessness. I binge-watched Altered Carbon (2018-2020), a sci-fi series on Netflix, and got completely hooked on Quellcrist Falconer, the spunky rebel leader I couldn’t take my eyes off. In one scene, she wields a sword with one hand while shooting a gun with the other. I guess you could say I’m here because there’s always been a part of me that wondered what holding a sword would feel like. Everything I know about Kalari comes from a ...