A village named Alukkal near Areekode witnessed a unique sporting event that brought curtains down on the Onam celebrations of the region. The event named Chalikkalam 2022 beckoned the holiday crowds to witness several unique games conducted in mud.
The newly opened Perunkadavu bridge at Kuniyil brought the villagers of Areekode and Keezhuparamba panchayats to witness some of the hilarious games over the weekend. The spectators laughed their heads off as the contestants slipped and fell in the mud, smearing themselves in mud.
Among the games that evoked maximum cheer from the crowds were blind-folded duck catching in the mud, pillow fighting in the mud, running in the mud, and tug of war in the mud. None of those games was unfamiliar to the crowd, but it was their first experience in the mud.
“Even for us the organisers, the games evoked much laughter. It was great fun and memorable,” said Fazil V.C., vice president of the Young Men’s Sports and Arts (YMSA) Club, which conducted the event.
The YMSA Club has been functional for about 40 years. “But this was our first experience in mud for Onam,” said Mr. Fazil.
Abhinav, a polytechnic student from Alukkal, won the first prize in the duck catching competition. Blind-folded, Mr. Abhinav took more than five minutes to catch the duck placed in an enclosure in the mud. Spectators laughed as the contestants went after a lone duck in the muddy water. The winner got the duck as a gift.
The pillow fight by sitting on a slippery pole erected in the mud provided a funny and memorable experience both for the participants and the spectators. Rashad from Alukkal emerged the winner by beating all other contestants with his pillow.
Another individual contest that evoked much laughter was a 50-metre race through the mud after being made to go round a stool many times. Contestants appeared disoriented after rotating and they fell invariably in the mud.
The tug of war conducted in the mud stole the show as several village teams vied for the first prize. Unlike the usual tug of war performed on terra firma, none was in control as they pulled each other in mud. “In mud, getting a firm grip or stand is nearly impossible,” said Mr. Fazil.
YMSA Club officials said that they were planning to conduct the Chalikkalam event in a larger fashion in the next season.
