Fugudo, a dance form of Kerala' Kudumbi community, practised in and around Kochi, is on the path of revival

The Hindu

23-05-2025

R Sadanandan, 62 remembers not being allowed to watch Fugudo, a traditional dance, of his Kudumbi community. The retired employee of the District Court, Ernakulam, says, 'We kids would be shooed away if we attempted to watch the Fugudo performances put up by the grown-ups. And by the time I was 'old' enough, it was not staged as often as it was back in the day. Certain songs were supposedly suggestive, laden with sexual innuendo!'
We are sitting at his house at Thundiparambu near Cherlai, Fort Kochi. His wife, Mayadevi PS, listens intently as Sadanandan unpacks his memories of Fugudo . The couple is among a handful of people attempting to keep the dance form alive, practised in the coastal areas around Kochi including Pizhala, Kadamakkudy, Varapuzha, North Paravur, Kodungallur, and Poya among others, where the Kudumbi community set down roots. While Sadanandan is part of the team that sings, Mayadevi does both.
The Sri Kurumba Konkani Kala Samskarika Vedi is working towards sustaining the culture and language of the community in the area and Fugudo is one of the important items on the agenda. 'Although I knew about it, via my husband, I had never seen it performed. My family is from Tripunithura and it wasn't done there,' says Mayadevi, an employee of the Forest Department. 'After coming to Kochi (Fort Kochi) is when I heard about it. But by then very few people were practising it, our way of life was also changing,' she says.
As the community adapted to life away from home, holding on to cultural markers of home became important and Fugudo was one such. Over time assimilation demanded marginalisation of those markers and Fugudo met the same fate. 'There are very few people who know it and those who do have aged and cannot perform. It has been an uphill task finding the songs but we are working on it,' adds Sadanandan.
Not a performative art form
Although men and women used to do the Fugudo together, the Kurumba Samskarika Vedi is mostly an only-women group with a couple of men in supporting roles as singers. It is not performative, there are no complicated steps with the dancers moving rhythmically in a circle or semi circle. 'Back in the day, it is believed people used to go into a trance-like state or were possessed when they did the Fugudo and people chewed pan to avoid that,' Mayadevi, 56 adds. The costume is the sari tied like the traditional 'gusali', back to front.
A number of Kudumbi people (also known as Kurumbi in Kerala and Kunbi in Goa) left their home in Goa, with other Konkani-speaking communities, in the period from the 16th century, to escape religious persecution at the hands of the Portuguese. They made their way to the coastal areas of the Western Ghats — Karnataka and Kerala — and set down their roots. They came to Kerala and continued their way of life here. They are believed to have brought climate-resistant Pokkali farming to Kerala, and are one of the communities that practice it. They also into prawn farming.
Fugudo showcase
In February this year, Thudippu Dance Foundation held a Fugudo showcase as part of its Friends of Thudippu initiative. Mayadevi, Sadanandan and the entire troupe put up a performance that also served as an introduction to it. Mayadevi is happy that they are able to take Fugudo out into the world via Thudippu. 'With this initiative we are trying to showcase and document/archive art forms (dance and theatre) practised by various communities in Kerala. For instance we had Chavittunatakam and Kaikottikali, Fugudo was our third such event. We hope to be able to cover as many as possible despite our limitations as a small outfit,' says Anjali Krishna, one of the founders of Thudipu.
'Fugudo is a version of Fugudi performed by the Kunbis in Goa. Obviously the move from Goa caused the disconnect; the name is a corruption of the original. Fugudo would have some steps of the original. Fugudi, today, is different — it has more Portuguese —inspired steps and Flamenco-like spins, we don't have those,' says Mayadevi. Her foray into Fugudo happened by chance when there was an enquiry about it from a film crew in 2019. Though the project was shelved, Fugudo got another chance.
Waning interest in Fugudo
'The number of people performing had shrunk, but there were old-timers around here from whom we learnt the steps and the songs. The younger lot are not interested, we hope to attract a few of them so that we can keep our tradition alive,' says Mayadevi. Kudumbis are primarily farmers, and Fugudo is significant as a dance form related to farming or harvest and their social life as well as a form of community building.
She adds, 'The dance was mainly performed on the days after Sivaratri, there is an element of devotion around it. However, it was also done as a form of relaxation after a day's hard work, I have heard. Another, very different version is performed as part of the function after a woman delivers a baby. The songs sung for functions such as this and wedding ceremonies are different from those for Fugudo.'
Referring to the sexual innuendo in the songs, she points out, 'Perhaps, because as a farming community, fertility of the soil was important, there was a certain degree of that and even descriptions of a woman's physical attributes.' The songs that they perform to today have been 'sanitised' to some extent. 'When we practice, some of the women ask to take out some lines. Sometimes the innuendo escapes me!' she adds laughing.
Today Fugudo is 'performed' as part of cultural programmes to keep it alive, 'We cannot afford to be insulated now, we need to move into performance spaces,' Mayadevi says. The troupe comprises 16-odd members, all from the Kudumbi community, mostly women, a couple of men (who provide the vocals) and a few children.
'Fugudo belongs to our community, it is part of our heritage,' Mayadevi reiterates in response to a question about other communities performing Fugudo.