30-Day Inspiring Kalaripayattu Training In India – Part 1
If you haven’t read the first part of this article, CLICK HERE.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Kalaripayattu Treatment
Old Injury Giving A Word!!!
16th of November, the second day of kalaripayattu training. I took both in the first and in the second day an afternoon nap. So GOOOOD!!!
Speaking about pleasure, I have to mention that all this time in India we were eating three big meals a day and ice cream from time to time. I felt that my body was getting heavier. I needed to gather myself and start eating less.
Kerala Traditional Dish
Eating in Indian Restaurant
Kotuparotta with salad
Parotta with vegetable masala
In the afternoon, I had an appointment with a chief physician regarding the pain in my right hamstring that I‘ve already had since the winter in the Shaolin Kung Fu School.
I thought I could receive a Kalari massage. Unfortunately, it was impossible. That actually surprised me. According to the headmaster, I didn’t need it. When I asked if I could have it just to relax my muscles and improve my condition. The answer was – no.
It is maybe good to mention that the hospital we were living in specializes in orthopedic and neurologic cases. The treatment is based on Ayurveda and kalaripayattu.
So, in the end, what I have received was a family-made oil, which I bought in the pharmacy in the hospital. I had to apply it before the training in the painful areas.
I was skeptical. In the kung fu school, I applied many times tiger balm and a warm bottle. That was never enough to heal my contusion fully. Was it possible that some oil would fix my problem?
Hamstring Injury
Learn more about my hamstring injury during Kung Fu training in China
Kalarichikilsa Treatment
Learn how I healed my hamstring injury with a traditional Kalaripayattu treatment.
KALARIPAYATTU TRAINING DISTURBED BY UTI
We had already trained kalaripayattu for more than two weeks. I cannot say it was easy. First days the body had to get used to the new exercises – pull there, stretch there, pressure there… After six days of training, the pain during urinating returned.
Urinary Tract Infection
CLICK HERE if you want to know more about my story with UTI and how I healed it with an ancient Indian Medicine – Ayurveda.
It was Tuesday. I went to the morning class with a well-known sensation in my urethra. During the training, the pain increased. After the class, I went to the toilet and almost screamed because of the pain. I broke into tears. I felt hopeless. It was already almost 1 month that I was struggling with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).
After lunch, we met Sri Nath. I told him about my problem. Fortunately, his sister is an Ayurvedic doctor. They gave me medicine, a lot of them, and the pain was gone. Just the weird sensation in the urethra and the urge to pee stayed.
I was training again on Thursday.
REVELATION ABOUT OUR TEACHER AND THE PLACE
Kalaripayattu Training In India
Next week, in a perfect moment, Raam Kumar Ravikumar arrived. He was a person who I was speaking with before arriving at C.V.N. Sreerangom Kalari. All arrangements to train and live in this place were made with him.
It was Thursday evening, 30th of November, meaning after more than two weeks in C.V.N Sreerangom Kalari, and after 13 days of training, we had the first class with Raam Kumar. Although I cannot say anything bad about Sri Nath, the difference between their knowledge and teaching experience was noticeable.
Soon we have learned who exactly was Raam Kumar, his relation with Sri Nath, and the place we were training right now.
This traditional Kalaripayattu school turned out to be the first C.V.N. Kalari in India!!! What does it mean? Well, to understand that, we have to go back to the British rule on the Indian subcontinent, which was more than 70 years ago.
KALARIPAYATTU FAMOUS PRACTITIONERS
Kalaripayattu History
Kalaripayattu fighters were a threat to British supremacy (British Raj took place in India between 1858 and 1947). In that period, the Kalaripayattu practice was banned. It is worth mentioning that before that, Kalaripayattu was trained only among the higher cast, like Brahmins or Kshatriyas.
However, there was one person named Kottackal Kanaran Gurukkal, who (although from the lower cast) learned Kalaripayattu through observation. He kept training even during the difficult times, and he started to have many followers/students.
One of them was Chambadan Veedu Narayanan Nair. This young man turned out to be a very talented martial artist. As Kalaripayattu was on the verge of extinction, Kottakal Kanaran Gurukkal decided to teach CV Narayanan Nair all the techniques and hidden knowledge. He also taught him meditation and different treatment techniques like Uzhichil, Marma chikilsa, and herbal medicines.
During the 1930s, CV Narayanan Nair’s skills were noticed by a royal family from Kerala. Her Highness Parukutty Nethyar Amma commented on the young man’s performance “You are equal to all the heroes of our history. So from now on you will be known as Veera Shree CV Narayanan Nair“. This incident made Shree Narayanan Nair famous all over Kerala.
To bring back the Kalaripayattu technique in India, Shree CV Narayanan Nair reinvented the form, making it more of performing art. He traveled all over India and even to Sri Lanka spreading the Kalaripayattu spirit.
His son, Sri C.V.Govindan Kutty Nair, continued his father’s life wish to reestablish Kalaripayattu in India. He started the lineage of schools under the CVN initials (in honor of the memory of CV Narayanan Nair). The first CVN Kalari School was the one we were training in!!!
So now again shortly…
CV Narayanan Nair was Raam Kumar’s great grandfather. We are talking here only about 3 generations. CV Narayanan Nair was teaching Raam’s Kumar grandfather. Raam Kumar’s grandfather passed the knowledge about Kalaripayattu to his daughter (Raam’s Kumar mum), and her son – Raam Kumar, and also to Sri Nath’s grandfather – K. Gopinatha Kurup.
Sri Nath’s grandfather was a rich man who had the land. Together with Sri C.V. Govindan Kutty Nair (Raam Kumar’s grandfather), they created the first C.V.N. Kalari in India.
All the schools with these initials are based on the teachings of CV Narayanan Nair. We were at the place of origin for Kalaripayattu schools!!! How exciting it was!!!
We are honored to have an interview with Raam Kumar Ravikumar!!! Learn more about kalaripayattu traditional training, history, and why the kalaripayattu technique is suitable for WOMEN!!! Watch the video below.
WHY I LOVE TO TRAIN
Training with Raam Kumar was a new experience. His technique was impressive, and his teaching skills immediately influenced my attitude towards the training. I was motivated again! He inspired me!
After one hour of class with him, I noticed improvement. Raam Kumar immediately corrected all the exercises we have learned till now. He pointed out all the details necessary to understand the movement or the posture, and of course, he demonstrated all his teachings.
Now, I knew what I should focus on in the next training.
I HAD A GOAL, and I saw a path to achieve it!!!
I understood that this is what keeps me motivated!
MY FITNESS ADVENTURE CONTINUES - KEEP READING
After Kalaripayattu training in India and visiting my family in Poland, I come back to China and started my 2nd year of intense Shaolin Kung Fu.
For me, if we were only striving for the spiritual advancement of people, it’s very easy. I don’t even see it as a great challenge. But we want to open up the mystical dimension into human life. This needs work, a different level of commitment, focus, and dedication. To penetrate through the limitations which naturally exist for our species, to know life beyond the limitations set by nature, it needs a certain kind of people.
The time is coming when we’ll do more focused work. I want to increase the percentage of what I can leave behind before I go, because there are many, many, aspects about this fantastic machine. 99.99% of humanity goes without ever exploring even their body.
If they have a little pleasure it’s over. It’s not like that. If you explore this, this is a cosmos by itself. It can do tremendous things just sitting here. This is the way of yoga. Kalari is just a more active form of that.
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I want to learn
How to i am admission in it
Hey Nandan,
The place, where we trained was http://sreerangomayur.com/. If you want to contact our main teacher here is his Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raamkumar.r. Good Luck! 👍
How much mony required for one month training kalari
Thanks so much for kalaripayattu knowledge
Happy you found it useful 🙂
I also want to learn what to do if I am in Kerala, Kerala
🙂 Just contact the kalaripayattu school. I heard that some of these schools are even free if you are a local person. Search on google for kalaripayattu schools.
Good luck!!! Keep your Warrior Spirit awake and search till you find what you need!