Hey Maveli, oru selfie please?

Come Chingam and Sabari has no time to do anything else but ‘stand and stare’, and perhaps click a few selfies and wave to wide-eyed passers-by. Being a much sought-after Maveli, this 37-year-old from Kottayam goes to various corners of the State during the Onam season dressed up as the asura king, to take part in processions, attract customers to shopping complexes and even pose for pictures with them! While for the rest of the year he is an electrician, during Onam, he enjoys a ‘royal life!’ As the mythical Mahabali starts his ascent from Paathalam, Kochi Times chats up his ‘avatars’ here on Earth to find out how they ‘live up to his name’ in his absence.
Growing a pot belly to play the ‘Thampuran’
P G Vijayan, a bank employee in Kochi, is an avid footballer and an actor. But during Onam season, he stops everything else and focuses his attention on growing a paunch. “I also take special permission from my bank and grow a komban meesa (handlebar moustache). Once, when I played Maveli for an outdoor event, I had a bad experience of my fake whiskers coming off when the wind blew. So, I grow an original moustache now,” says Vijayan, who had most recently acted in the film 'Kammattipaadam'.
Sreejith S, college student in Kottayam, is also busy growing a pot belly to take up his seasonal part-time job – playing Maveli at events. “A good round tummy is imperative to playing Maveli. I often have kids and parents coming up to me and saying, ‘Thampuran, we want to hug your tummy. Do you mind?’ or ‘My little boy wants to touch your pot belly’ and the like. They also want to know how I balloon my tummy thus,” he says.
Whatever the ‘praja’ wants
For the past 12 years, Mohanan Radhakrishnan, who works in an accounting firm, has been taking up the ‘royal duty’ during the Onam season. According to him, a belly, moustache, olakkuda and makeup alone won’t do.
“You have to be a good entertainer with patience, to pull it off for your ‘praja’ (subjects). In the past, it was all about just waving at people with a friendly smile and rubbing your tummy. But now, people want to click selfies too! Once, I was even asked to dance to a dappankuthu song!”
And there’s more! He adds, “It’s a lot of fun when kids are around, for many of them think I am Maveli, for real. Some little pranksters can give you a tough time too. Kids often want to touch my whiskers, punch my belly, hold the olakkuda, and what not! Once, a little girl asked me to lift her up. Once comfortably ‘seated’, she wanted my ‘kadukkan’ (big ear-rings) and started pulling them. I managed to somehow distract her to save the costume and myself.”
It is not easy to maintain a pleasant, ‘fun’ face, wear the make-up, and be with people for hours together, Sabari says. “So, I keep myself hydrated, eat well and also stay away from alcohol this season. It’s like a penance for my body,” he says.
When some ‘praja’ try to be ‘vaamanan’
While it’s understandable that kids want to play with Maveli, the tough part is when adults try to dampen your spirits by passing nasty comments, say the Mavelis.
“De Nokkeda Maveli mobile il samsaarikkunnu (Hey guys check it out, Maveli is using mobile!)
“Ayyo Maveli bottle water kudikkunnu” (Oh Maveli is drinking bottled water)
“Being in front of shops, in the costume for hours together is no joke and I take a break in between to drink water or rest. At such instances, comments often pour in and you feel insulted,” says Chandramohan, a part-time Maveli from Kollam.
Sabari recalls, “Some people get you food and drinks out of love and if you don’t take it, they feel bad. Once at a procession in Kochi, too many kids offered me sweets which I couldn’t refuse, and by the time the programme was over, I almost started choking.”
Not all their memories as Maveli are good, but they try to live up to the king’s name in all possible ways, say these men. Chandramohan says, “Once, a group of drunk youngsters confronted me when I was about to wrap up the days’ work of welcoming customers into a shop. They demanded that I do a few dance steps with them and sing songs. Finally, I obliged. After all, Maveli wants his ‘praja’ to be happy and is even willing to sacrifice his life for them.”