Chances are, you haven't heard much about the sensational performance-ritual that is Theyyam if you are not a Keralite. If you have lived all your life in the US of A, you almost certainly have never seen it live.
With 'Gods, Goddesses and Ancestors: Masked Rituals of Kerala, India', Theyyam had its American introduction just last week, in California.
This Sunday, it comes to New York.
Photographs: Pepita Seth
Reportage: Arun Venugopal