How a Koothu Performance Proved to be a Social Leveller

K. Velur Village, Arcot Taluk, RANIPET District, Recently Bustled With Youthful Energy, Kindred Spirits and Pride. The stage Near the Uthiragiri Amman Temple in the Village, with two statues dedicated to kalavai ponnusami and tamil scholar Prof. M. Varadarasan, Speaks of the Village’s long-term involvement in their heroitage of koothu and tamil.

The village hosted the Munnetram (Progress) Project of Kattaikkuttu Training Program in Three Villages in the Surroarding Area, Sharing The Shortned Versions of Their New Koothu Along with Carnatic Music (Ashwath and TEAM), BHARATANATAM (Sangeeta Isvaran and Mookambikai Trained Girls of Katradi Center in Kalavai Village) and Multiple Folk Forms (Nanbarkal Team from Chennai). The overnight Event Began at 9 PM and Lasted Till 6.30 am the project was LED by Thilagavathi Palani.

Overnight koothu performances are not new in Northern Tamil Nadu. But the presence of a young audience through the night, the performance of urban and rural groups, the mixing of classical and folk forms and the inclusive caste and the inclusive caste and gender dynamics.

Munnetram turned k. Velur Village into a stage for artistic Experiment

Thought we think that breaking the fault lines of the urban-reural divide in the performing arts in tamil nadu is a recent phenomenon, itually has its own history.

When Culture in India is decided homogenized, the home-grown artistes’ Growing desire to critically engage with their art forms is hearting. This engine has been crucial in brings about change in the contemporary context – of being rooted yeet accessible.

Village Leader Nandakumar was happy that a carnatic music concert was staged for the first time there. While The Mangalavadhyam (Nagaswaram and Thavil, Three of Each) Featured a Female Artiste, The North Chennai-Based Nanbarkal Group Led by Deepan Included School and College Students and College Students and Empolyed Peepleege; They performed Parai, Silambam, Karagam, Poikkaalkuthirai and Mayilattam.

Deeepan Shared How these Art Forms Were Livelihood Options and Skills to Entertain and Create Awareness for Members of the Group.

The three kootu performances -Pudheri Pillaivakkam (Trained by A. Kandeepan), Veliya Nallur (Taught by Arimuthu Aka Babu) And K. Velur LED by Thilagavathi herself -a tone Also highlighted the effort to erase the social divide. The stories are performed Vilvalaippu / Draupathi’s Marriage, Saindhavan garva bangam and Karna MokshamMythology was employed to establish a connect with the audience. The purpose was to make them through throwing family stories.

The culmination of a three-month long training, the first kuthu group has a total of 24 artistes in the age group of Seven to 18. The second group has a mix of professional artistes and students. Karna Moksham was performed by a mixed gender group by predominant dalit youth.

While Most of the Traineers and Musicians in All the Three Villages Studed together at P. Rajagopal’s kattaikkuttu gurukulam, many of the younger artistes han worker Kattaikkuttu kuzhu. “Thought it could be laborous, I am passionate about training youngteusiasts. Approaches, “Says thilagavathy. She has been dreaming of this project for three years. Educationist Prema Rangachari of Bhuvana Foundation Helped Crystallise It.

Way back in the 1980s, the madras craft foundation initiated the introduction of Folk Forms in Chennai Schools. Scholar and writer vr devika worked on it for almost a decade. In 1990, Rajagopal and his wife Hanne De Bruin Started The Residential Koothu Training Gurukulam at Punjarasanthangal. They admitted boys and girls from different caste groups. In fact, thilagavathi is one the first graduates of the gurukulam. However, the suspension of the school is doing Increasing

Thilagavathi, Who Broke New Grounds as a woman koothu artiste, has been brought out to women and encouraging them to use the art form to better their lives. In this journey, she is often joined by trained bharatanatyam dancer Sangeetha Eswan, Whoose NGO Katradi Works on Bringing About Social and Cultural Interventions Throughs Arts.

Art Can Change How Communities Are Percented. In that sense, Munnetram was more than a performative event, it removed the Barriers to Progress.

The writer is a a theater director and translator.