Childhood Ambition

Velichappad

As a child I wanted to become a Velichappad (Oracle-Mediator between God and devotees in a Temple, predominantly in Kerala). Velichappad is the most popular person of the village and he is adored by all.  Late Shri Gopalan Nair was the Velichappad of our nearby Kulangara Bhagawathi temple. He also comes to our Illam once in a year for “Parayeduppu”. His ceremonial dance before the deity with utmost devotion and profound passion was a treat to watch. Subsequently, I realized that my childhood hero is not only popular in the village but also at several other places in Malabar area. Despite being a great Velichappad, he did not switch over his allegiance to more popular and rich temples where he could have earned more income. But during those days, principles, ideology, devotion, dedication loyalty etc were dearer to people than money. This is in sharp contrast to today’s scenario where even multimillionaires are traded like commodities because money is sup

reme to them and human virtues are secondary.

Shri Gopalan Nair, Velichappad of Kulangara temple was a doyen of this art form. No wonder, M T Vasudevan Nair requested this legend to give training to the legendary actor P J Antony for his popular role of Velichappad in the award winning film Nirmalyam. Shri Gopalan Nair’s talent, dedication and devotion can be determined from the fact that his student won the National Award for the Best Actor for his portrayal of the lead role in the popular award winning film Nirmalyam in 1974. The film also won the National Film Award for the best feature film.

P J Antony’s performance in the film was only a fraction of his versatile Guru’s reservoir of resources.  Unfortunately, such spectacular feats were not filmed by anybody for the benefit of the future generation. Words are insufficient to narrate this fascinating story. Shri Gopalan Nair died at the age of 92 in the year 2014.

My humble tribute to the legendary Velichappad Late Shri Gopalan Nair. A big salute to Shri M T Vasudevan Nair, the celebrated Malayalam writer. It was his debut film as a Director and Nirmalyam is considered as a classic in Malayalam cinema. My humble tributes to the late P J Antony the main actor and all those who contributed immensely to make that film a grand success. Since all the locations of the film are familiar and close to my village, I have a sentimental attachment to the film. Despite having a plethora of TV Channels, we are not able to see such classical films again.

Please share your childhood ambition.