Bharani

Prayers, they work differently when there is wholehearted faith involved. This one story isn’t something which would be made justice to if seen digitally over a phone or a desktop, but the story is something which has to be narrated or experienced even better. As challenging as it was for me to reach Kodungallur I think the experience after spending about 72 hours there was quite different than what I would have imagined. 

The vibrant reds, the awe-inspiring miracles, and most importantly, the people - they all converge to create an experience that transcends mortal understanding. Yes, you read that correctly - the mortal side. In a nutshell, one must journey to Kodungallur to truly grasp the essence of raw devotion; this isn't merely a place of myth. As the episodes unfolded, a myriad of questions flooded my mind, yet amidst the uncertainty, there were also moments of profound clarity. Such is the power of her presence, or perhaps my own fervent belief!

We started shooting there on the previous day of the Bharani and as perfect as the timing was, I think we were treated to some real bizarre experiences earlier in the day. There were people dancing, people in trance, the good, bad and mad possession, people slashing their heads. There was blood, and then there was me in the middle of all that absorbing all of it, and for some reason, I wasn’t really surprised. The sounds of the anklets latched on to the swords, the hips and the people into poems and claps. 

I think Kodungallur isn’t just for the mystical. It is also for the mad. Waking up at 1 AM, packing my bag and going to shoot after an insanely tiring day, I think there has to be something a few of us may call a power. I call her, my mother. I’ve had a way of writing my stories, and that is, I wouldn’t want to copy paste the history or tell you, what is what but my stories are more of my experience and maybe an attempt to share a piece of that with you. I do agree that it is very difficult to make justice to this one, but this…is Bharani.