A festival to pay tribute to artists in rural pockets of Tamil Nadu

Festivals play a significant role in the social and cultural development of people. When artists in the urban areas are not new to awards, winning an award or cash prize is a dream-come-true-moment for those who live in the rural pockets. A Chennai-based theatre group called Thinainilavaasigal recently organised a Kaatla (art festival) in Vilvarani, a remote village near Kalasapakkam in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, to pay tributes to the senior artists who belong to the sidelined and marginalized community. The one-day festival evoked tremendous response as it was a special event in the life of these senior artists.

Thinainilavaasigal has been organising Kaatla to pay tributes to the senior artists of the sidelined and marginalized community in the tribal pockets of Tamil Nadu for the last seven years. The members of the organisation visit a remote village every year and offer financial incentives and awards to senior artists there. Recently, the art wing of Thinainilavaasigal walked into Vilvarani, a village which has produced many Therukoothu and other folk artists.

In Vilvarani, the team first walked into the house of Rukku Manikkam, a 78-year-old Oppari singer, who was struggling to make ends meet due to poor health and lack of financial support. Even though Rukku was unable to walk, she sang a set of Oppari (a traditional form of lamenting popular in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry sung by women). “The song that Rukku sang made us cry,” said Bagrudeen, who is the founder of Thinainilavaasigal. “Rukku doesn’t get any visitors these days so she was happy when she saw us just in front of her tiny house in the village. When we requested her to sing some songs, she obliged. It was a touching moment and we left the house after paying her cash incentives and some gifts,” he said.

Thinainilavaasigal has been organising Kaatla to pay tributes to the senior artists of the sidelined and marginalized community in the tribal pockets of Tamil Nadu for the last seven years.

Various art forms such as street plays, stage performances, songs, Pumbai Attam (a traditional dance), and Periyamelam (a large drum performance) were presented by different art groups. The group honoured five artists including Rukku, giving them a token of appreciation. More than 100 artists (including those in the Thinainilavaasigal group) and 1000 villagers participated in the one-day festival. In 2024, the team conducted the festival in the middle of the forest on Jawadhu Hills (an extension of the Eastern Ghats located in the northern part of Tamil Nadu) in Tamil Nadu.

The artists in the remote villages don’t get any appreciation. Like many states in India, folk artists in Tamil Nadu too are having a tough time. At the same time, some established folk artists make good money through frequent foreign tours. “We do have a number of festivals in the temples around but those are just spiritual dramas. The one conducted by Thinainilavaasigal was an eye-opener for many in the village. We have a great tradition of folk artists living in the village but they are not popular outside it. Festivals like this will document the life and struggles of these unsung heroes and heroines,” said S Arumughom, a teacher in Tiruvannamalai.

Like many states in India, folk artists in Tamil Nadu too are having a tough time.

For Bagrudeen and his friends, organising a one-day festival is a challenge in itself. “In the afternoon, we will travel as a group in a vehicle to several pockets of the village and we will explain to the villagers what we are going to do. We will go to the streets and talk about the purpose of the festival without discrimination. We follow a secular route. The villagers will start coming to the venue in the evening and they sit together and watch the event,” he said.

N Meenakhi, a Therukkoothu artist, said it was her first experience in such a festival where she realised the importance of the traditional art form that she has been practicing for a decade. “I never knew Therukkoothu was popular outside my village as I never performed outside it. I am grateful to the organisers of Thinainilavaasigal for giving artists like us a chance to realise our potential. It was a great opportunity,” she said.

Tiruvannamalai district collector K Tharpagaraj attended the event and honoured the senior artists in the recently held festival. “We need such festivals to encourage the traditional as well as folk art in the rural pockets of Tamil Nadu. When we honour them, they will realise the importance of them as an artist. It is also a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent to outsiders,” he said. Advocate of the Supreme Court Prabhakaran Ramachandran, and the President of the Tamil People’s Progress Council, Visayanathan, also participated in the event.

Thinainilavaasigal for giving artists like us a chance to realise our potential.

This is the second festival organised by Thinainilavaasigal in Tiruvannamalai since the launch of the festival in 2019. Why did they organise the festival twice in Tiruvannamalai? “Many Therukoothu artists live here and that’s the reason why we chose a village in this district twice. We will be moving to other rural parts of Tamil Nadu in the coming years,” said Bagrudeen. The members of Thinainilavaasigal don’t stick to ‘acting’ alone. They bury unclaimed dead bodies after getting clearance from the concerned police station as it is part of their curriculum. The troupe has buried more than 1000 abandoned and unclaimed dead bodies in Chennai so far since it was launched in 2016.