Poothan and Thira

In the mid summer heat,
The 'chenda's they sing.
Like the spring among seasons,
With a convivial tone.

I stand at the gate,
With effervescent joy,
The procession of lights,
For it to arrive.

I know they rhythm.
And emotions overwhelm-
Of fear, and anxiety;
'Poothan and Thira'- arriving!

Hide behind mom,
And I peep from a side,
But the poothan sees me,
The pace of his dance- growing!

War of the good,
Against the evil,
They dance to the rhythm,
So does my feet.

Memories flood,
Like tides to the sea shore,
Hearing the 'chenda'
'Pooram' is here yet again.

Sitting in a wheel chair,
Pushed by my mother,
This time when 'Poothan' comes,
Only my mind will dance!!

--
17/o6/2oo8


Tail Note:
Pooram is a festival in Kerala. It is an annual festival associated with temples. There will be a pooram for the most important temple of a region. That used to be the biggest festival for the natives of that specific region, who worship the God of that temple. The most famous one is Thrissur Pooram.

The way Pooram is celeberated varies. There is always elephants and a musical instument called Chenda, a form of drum. People can never feel nothing when they hear the rhythm of a Chenda.

Poothan and Thira is an art form, part of Pooram in the central part of Kerala, much like a minor version of Kathakali. It is a type of dance form, which travels across to each house in the specific region. Poothan has a scary dressing and tries to scare children around him with his sword and all. Thira is another dance form, but much less scary. The word Poothan comes, supposedly from Bhootam, the Malayalam word for Bhoot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pooram

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenda

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poothan_and_Thira