Cultural events held during the Independence Day celebration at the VOC Park Grounds on Saturday drew appreciation from officials and members of the public. But what drew the maximum applause was the mallakambh performance by the students of Muthusamy Gounder Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Pollachi.
The girls, dressed in blue and white track suits, showcased their skills in rope mallakambh. Hanging from a rope suspended from a metal frame, they stood upright, upside down and balanced themselves on one leg and showcased various yoga asanas.
The boys, too, took to the pole mallakambh with ease. They climbed the oiled wooden pole and stood on its top balancing themselves on one leg. A few boys also climbed the pole with their feet up.
Mallakambh trainer S. Bharanidharan said that he had been training the boys and girls for the past five years, ever since the school engaged him.
Around 100 students learnt it as part of their curriculum and also after school hours. The students would take a few months to warm up and then a few more months to learn balancing on the rope or pole. After that it would be simple exercises and then advanced ones. In short, it would take two years to attain proficiency, he said.
The school Correspondent Vijayalakshmi Manoharan said that rope and pole mallakambh were part of the school activities for students. Like yoga, mallakambh had brought a noticeable change in the students in that the students are very healthy and good in academics too.
Stating this was the second year of the school’s performance in the Independence Day celebrations, Ms. Manoharan said that the school was proud to teach students a dying art.
