Theru Koothu School

We’re over here at Thamz Tower in West Nadakkavu, right in the heart of Kozhikode. Theru Koothu School isn't a typical school like the ones you see with uniforms and big buses. We focus more on the traditional stuff, which keeps things interesting for us. The space we have is simple—just enough room for people to gather and practice. It’s usually pretty lively when there’s a session going on. You can hear the music and the footsteps from down the hall sometimes. We spend a lot of our time organizing the different times people can come in. It’s just a small group of us running the place, so we end up doing everything from sweeping the floors to answering the phone. We don't have any big corporate backing or anything. It’s more of a local effort to keep these traditions going in our part of Kerala. The weather here can be pretty humid, so we keep the windows open to catch whatever breeze we can. Most of the people who come here are from around the neighborhood. We’ve been in this building for a while and the neighbors are used to us by now. It’s not always easy keeping everything on track, but we manage. We just take it day by day and try to make sure everyone who walks through the door feels okay about being here. Sometimes the classes run a bit late, but nobody seems to mind much. We just clear up the space once everyone is finished for the night.