That is Kollavarsham 1200 — a brand new century as per the Malayalam calendar. Developed in 825 CE, the Kollam period calendar was nonetheless in use till just a few many years in the past earlier than it shrank into whole obscurity. This calendar was on the centre of a current exhibition performed by life-style photographer Jinson Abraham in Kochi.
Jinson’s Kollam period calendar
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Particular Association
Everybody loves an excellent revival story. Particularly one which makes an attempt to reclaim a way of historical past and time. This and sheer love for Malayalam is what led Jinson to design the calendar, which makes use of the Malayalam numeral system and the traditional Malayalam script (vattezhuthu) in 2023 (Kollavarsham 1199). “It sparked curiosity. Whereas many have been impressed by the quaintness of it, numerous folks have been genuinely eager about possessing one thing that was as soon as part of our historical past,” says Jinson. He quickly had folks inserting orders in bulk.
Jinson Abraham’s Malayalam calendar
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Particular Association
He made the calendar once more in 2024, to mark the brand new century and determined to go giant with the exhibition. “I wished to rejoice the Malayali heritage and produce it to the mainstream,” he says.
The clock with Malayalam numerals at Moozhikkulam Sala
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Particular Association
Moozhikkulam Sala, a centre that has been selling conventional information methods and an natural lifestyle, in Ernakulam, has been bringing out a complete Malayalam calendar since 2003. It contains the njattuvela and sankranti (intervals within the agricultural and photo voltaic calendars) schedules, kitchen and eco-cultural calendars (which describe what greens are available through which season) and the Malayalam alphabet with English phonetics. “our try is to reintroduce Kerala’s wealthy conventional information methods to right this moment’s technology,” says T R Premkumar, director of Moozhikkulam Sala.
Apart from astrologers and people who work with archaic paperwork, an growing variety of folks have been shopping for the calendars for his or her previous world appeal, he provides. “This yr (the brand new yr as per Kollavarsham begins in August), we offered over 2,000 calendars.” Subsequent yr, the Sala additionally plans to incorporate rithucharya (a seasonal routine of life-style and food plan) to the calendar.
The Malayalam njattuvela calendar at Moozhikkulam Sala
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Particular Association
The Sala additionally has a clock with Malayalam numerals and is planning to introduce a watch too. “It’s a sort of going again to our roots to know the place we got here from and re-acquaint ourselves to the normal knowledge,” Premkumar provides.
Naazhika watch by TimeGraphers
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Particular Association
Olam watch by TimeGraphers
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Particular Association
Having one thing distinctive to Kerala and the Malayali heritage is why TimeGraphers, a Kerala-based watch collectors’ group, launched a limited-edition watch Naazhika that includes the Malayalam numerals in 2022. The watch was an immediate sell-out. “Even after two years, we nonetheless get enquiries about Naazhika,” says Sohan Balachandran, the founding father of TimeGraphers. The group used Malayalam numerals once more of their restricted version watch Olam in 2024, a watch impressed by the boat races of Kerala. “Although Indic language numerals have been used on watch dials earlier than, there have been none in Malayalam,” says Sohan. “It was our manner of paying tribute to our personal historic custom of time retaining and we additionally wished one thing that resonates with our tradition,” he provides.
This fascination with antiquity is as a lot about self discovery as it’s about celebrating one’s heritage, says author, scholar and retired Malayalam professor Desamangalam Ramakrishnan. “Although antiquity is just not actually essential for a language to outlive, bringing again elements of it revives a prepare of recollections. It’s about discovering who we have been, as a folks, as a tradition,” he says. Such makes an attempt additionally encourage linguistic biodiversity — infusing a language with new life and galvanizing folks to protect it, he says.
Although Malayalam has not obtained the sort of consideration different southern Indian languages obtain from their folks, efforts to rejoice the language would assist us perceive the total potential of Malayalam and its capabilities, Ramakrishnan provides.
Malayalam conjures up artist Narayana Bhattathiri in additional methods than one. As a calligrapher, he’s charmed by its “lovely” typography and the language has at all times moved him. Actually, it’s this love that drew him to Malayalam calligraphy.
Malayalam calligraphy by Narayana Bhattathiri
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Particular Association
Because the founding father of KaChaTaThaPa, one of many solely centres for calligraphy in Kerala, he says the distinctiveness of its typography has attracted non-Malayali calligraphers too to the language. The centre has been conducting a world calligraphy pageant in Kochi and Narayana conducts Malayalam calligraphy workshops in numerous components of India and outdoors. “I see it as a solution to showcase Malayalam on a bigger world stage; it’s my manner of honouring my language,” he provides.
Printed – November 15, 2024 02:07 pm IST
