Kalaripayattu gives techies a big kick now

BENGALURU: IT professional Nisha Wadhwa had dabbled in various fitness regimes. When gymming became too monotonous and yoga not challenging enough, the 29-year-old working at Allegis Services decided to switch to Kalaripayattu, a traditional martial art form.
“I noticed a gradual physical and mental improvement in myself. Not only did Kalaripayattu increase my stamina, it also made me more attentive and productive at work. It toned my body without making me look bulky or muscular," she told ET.

Wadhwa is one among the many young IT professionals who opt for kicks, leaps, crouches, cross-splits, and brandishing metal arms as a fitness regime over other modern alternatives. Kalari, possibly India's oldest martial art form from Kerala, has caught the youth's imagination largely due to increased awareness and the need to challenge oneself with a new form resembling war-play .

Krishna Pratap, director and chief instructor of the PV Kalari Academy that runs six centres in the city, told ET that IT professionals form more than 50% of students in every batch across centres. School and college-going kids and homemakers constitute the other half.

Ranjan Mullarath, who runs the Kalari Academy of Performing Arts on Brigade Road and the Kalari Gurukulam in Chikkagubbi concurred. “Almost all my students are IT professionals, other than schoolchildren," he said. Mullarath added that 60% of the students are men. “Anyone between 6 and 60 years can learn Kalari. I even have students with arthritis, who are trained depending on the extent of their trouble."

Techie Arun KR, 35, has been practicing Kalari for more than five years. He believes that social media has created more awareness about the art. “Myths about Kalari being an aggressive warrior art that can be performed only by experts are being dispelled. The graceful body movements and a mixture of various fitness styles make it popular."

Though IT professionals may not make it to all classes, given the round-the-clock nature of their work and frequent travel, basic grounding and regular practice at home helps them at many levels, Arun said.

Rama Mani, 24, a software engineer with Mindtree, had no real knowledge of the art before she enrolled for classes. “My stamina, which used to be really low, has improved a lot. I feel confident and good about myself at the end of every session."