Theyyam Dance of The Gods

What is Theyyam?

It is a ritual art form, also known as dance of the Gods.

 

Gods? What does it mean?

The dancers, all male, believe that they get 'transformed' into the deities.

Do people worship these human 'deities'?

Yes. They seek Theyyam's blessings to solve their problems.

Incredible. Where is it held? When? Who performs? How long?

Browse Ghumakkad's story below to get your answers.

According to District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) Kannur, Theyyam, is a traditional ritual art form, and takes its name from the Sanskrit word "daivam," meaning God. The dance performance in representation of the deity is usually performed from December to April at various temples and shrines. Theyyams come in over 400 varieties, each with unique characteristics. Among them, the most well-known are Muchilottu Bhagavathi and Raktha Chamundi. Every Theyyam will be uniquely and meticulously crafted, with unique facial cosmetics, attire, and accessories including headdresses, bracelets, garlands, and fabrics. 

Theyyam, or Kaliyattom, is a 1,000-year-old sacred ritual dance from North Kerala, India, where performers embody deities, ancestors, and heroes. This "dance of the gods" features elaborate costumes, vibrant face painting, and intense, trance-like movements to bless the devotees. 

Ghumakkad was recently in Kannur as part of a Naval Reunion. We were all set to witness a live Theyyam ritual. But at the last moment, it had to be cancelled. However, our tourist guide had briefed us in detail about it. Alas, I could not shoot Theyyam pictures myself. Am therefore, sharing a few pictures from the net below, much to my dislike.

Readers may browse a 10-minute video excellently shot by a German photographer Dennis Schmelz here. He was almost hunted by a Theyyam!

Kathakali

Kerala has another dance form called Kathakali in which the dancers go through elaborate makeups and attires with headgear. Readers may browse our earlier story depicting Kathakali among other attractions in and around Munnar, a hill station in Kerala.

Munnar The Charm of Kerala - Feel the gentle slopes of Munnar hills and its culture through pictures.

Misty Munnar - Here is another picture story to take you to the misty hills of Munnar. Enjoy the view.

Reunion 2014

As mentioned earlier, the plan to witness the Theyyam was part of our Naval Reunion. A Reunion not of coursemates (as is generally the case) but faculty mates who were together in INS Valsura Jamnagar during mid-1970s. Called FFA, the association goes back more than 50 years now. You may browse an account of our earlier Reunion in Kerala in 2014 below

FFA Reunion in Kerala 2014 - Twelve years ago, we all looked younger. Two of our spouses have since left us. The picture story also tells us what is FFA?

FFA on a House Boat in Backwaters - Enjoying the boat cruise in the back waters. Ghumakkad the photographer was almost left behind as the boat casted off!

The FFA has since had many Reunions as listed below:

2012: Mumbai

2013: Jamnagar

2014: Kochi

2015: Udaipur

2017: Andamans

2019: Russia

2023: Bhopal

2024: Hyderabad

2026: Kannur

It is time for the 10th Reunion of FFA. Venue will be polled soon.

We end with what Eleanor Roosevelt said about true friends, 'Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints in your heart'. FFA is alll about true friends!

Thanks for browsing.

Stay connected and do leave a comment. A few words will suffice to encourage us.

   - Harsh-the-Ghuammakad/ Secunderabad/ 3rd March 2026

#reunions #navyveterans #recharginglife #friednsforeverasli #FFA #indiannavy #eleanorroosevelt #PQs #truefriends theyyam #kerala #ritualdance #trancelike #dnaceofgods #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Learning From Each Other

When a teacher teaches a student, how many are learning?

Not one but two! Because the teacher also learns.

You may have heard or read it before. But Ghumakkad has been a firm believer in above dictum. It came alive earlier this week when I was invited to launch the opening day of a 14-day residential workshop on Project Management for senior officers from Nagaland Civil Service (NCS). It was organised by MCR HRD Institute, Hyderabad under the Capacity Building Program. The participants had travelled all the way from Nagaland to attend the Workshop. It was a privilege to be the opening resource person for the Workshop. Although I had taught at the Institute on many occasions earlier, it was after many years that I was back at the sprawling Jubilee Hills campus.

Project Management

All the five stages of Project Management as listed below are well known:

1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Monitoring and Control
5. Closure and Evaluation

Experiential Learning

All the above topics were to be convered in detail in the remaining 13-days of the workshop. Therefore, what I decided was to launch the topic with real-life examples and lessons. These examples were shared not only by me but also by the participants themselves. It made the whole learning process more experiential. The real-life examples from their own State added value to our discussions. Experience sharing by the participants consolidated the underlying concepts and helped in internalisation of learning. It made the whole process interactive and worthwhile more so when I had to engage them for six hours on Day-1!

Issues Discussed

Some of the live issues concerning large government projects that were discussed are listed below:

1. Is the project really needed? Who gets benfitted and how?
2. Community buy-in of the project
3. Scope creep- how to deal with changes in project Scope
4. Measuring the Impact
5. Ensuing the quality of project execution
6. Replicability of the Project across other districts and States

Learnings for the Teacher

As I said a teacher also learns in the classroom. I had many takeaways from the interaction with the experienced officers of NCS. Some of the learnings are:

1. Development challenges in Nagaland
2. Cultural diversity across hill tribes
3. Fragile ecological system
4. Rich bio-diversity of the region
5. Excellent communication skills specially in English
6. Regional and national aspirations

Gratitude

I wish to thank all the participants from NCS for their patient listening and active participation. On completion, they surprised me by honouring me with their traditional hand-made stole brought from Nagaland. I felt deeply humbled to receive this honour.  

About the Stole

Called Konyak (or Kongnai in local Ao dialect), these stoles and shawls are iconic traditional handwoven textiles from Nagaland, characterized by their specific tribal motifs and cultural significance.These stoles are more than clothing; they represent tribal identity and ancestral roots. Historically, certain patterns were reserved for warriors or clan leaders. They typically feature bold colors like red (bravery), black (strength), and white (purity). Naga traditional shawls and stoles have received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, recognizing their unique origin and traditional production methods.

Am reminded of a quote by Calvin Coolidge who said, "No person was ever honoured for what he received. Honour has been the reward for what he gave." Once again thank you all the NCS officers for your gesture.

Other Workshops

Workshops are a great way to learn especially for working professionals. Am sharing below the links to some of the workshops conducted by me on various topics. Just click the link to browse the corresponding story.

Teaching Design Thinking Differently - When your MBA students don't want to recommend the college to others, what do you do? Think differently. Click the link.

How to Empower the Volunteers? - 3Es of volunteering by Ghumakkad

More Than A Prison - A workshop for the officers from the prison department on personality development.

Make In India and Military Systems - A workshop at IIM Indore. Have we gone beyond the rhetoric? 

Workshops if conceived well and designed for 'doing' rather than 'slide-shows', are a great way of learning. The above examples would have given you a taste and falvour. Should you need any help, do reach out to me on email hbindia@gmail.com .

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected and do leave a comment. It encourages us.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 14th Feb 2026

#workshops #learningbydoing #educatingtheprofessionals #teaching #learning #interactivity #participants #diversity #internalisation #reallife #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #scopecreep

Amsterdam In Winter

What is Amsterdam famous for?

Its picturesque canals.

What else?

Its historic gabled houses from the 17th-century Golden Age.

Any other thing which attracts tourists?

It has world-class art museums, liberal culture and vibrant nightlife.

How many tourists visit Amsterdam every year?

About 23 Million!

Wow, for a city with a population of only 1.4 million, it is huge! And what about locals using bicycles?

Oh yes, forgot to mention that. It is a city where bicycles are the primary mode of transport, with locals cycling everywhere. They just secure their cycles to a pedestrian railing and then walk!

Really?

Yes.

How about some pictures?

Sure, here we go! Sharing some recent pictures taken by Ashi, Ghumakkad's daughter. Though winter is not the best time for visiting Amsterdam, yet Ashi's stunning pictures prompted me to create this story. Enjoy.

The Icons of Amsterdam

Dam Square

Central Station

Windmills

Bicycles in Amsterdam

Museums

As we said, winter is not the best time to visit Amsterdam. No sunshine, no flowers. So one has to do with the artificial flowers as in the picture below.

Street side cafe

Night Life in Amsterdam

The Past and the Present

Some things don't change-- like feeding the pigeons in a city square!

Tourists can't do without shopping for Souvenirs

We thank Ashi for her amazing photographs from Amsterdam. Keep travelling like Ghumakkad!

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected and do leave a comment. It encourages us.

  - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Akanksha Bhargava/ Secunderabad and Amsterdam/ 11th Feb 2026

#amsterdaminwinter #Damsquare #centralstation #windmills #dutchshoes #tulipbags #bicycles #artificialflowers #europe #netherlands #museums #canals #bridges #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh