Kuravan Kurathi dance ban: Killing an art form to salvage a community's pride

There has been much angst in Tamil Nadu over the state government’s ban on the traditional Kuravan Kurathi Aattam (dance) in any cultural programme. The government order (GO), dated March 10 and issued by the Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department, said the order was based on a January 11 Madras High Court verdict. 

The joint action committee of the Tamil Nadu Kuravan, Malaikuravan and Kuravar Sangankal had also appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to ban Kuravan Kurathi Aattam, which has been increasingly accused of obscenity. The Kuravars are an ethnic community said to hail from the Kurinji mountain region on the Western Ghats.  

The ban has, however, caused a lot of concern among folk artistes in the state. There are calls to reconsider it, as some artistes are anxious about losing their livelihoods, while some others are concerned about the disappearance of a beautiful traditional art form that goes back several centuries. 

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It has become a question of whether it is important to save a valuable art form or salvage the pride of the Kuravar tribal community.

Lose some, lose all

In an interview with The Federal, Madurai Kovindaraj, an acclaimed folk artiste, expressed anxiety over the future of the art form. “Even though I am sorry for allowing this art form to deteriorate to such a low level (which has led to its ban), I am worried about what will happen to the status of the art,” he said.

“The Kuravan Kurathi dance is part of the traditional Karakattam (dancing with a pot on the head), which beautifully combines social messages in a song-and-dance performance. The Kutrala Kuravanji is enacted in Bharatanatyam, too,” he said. “But, of late, some members from the Kuruvar tribal community have been offended by such performances, and this has led to the ban.”

A recipient of the Tamil Nadu government’s highest civilian award, Kalaimamani, Kovindaraj claims many artistes continue to perform the Kuravan Kurathi dance in its purest form as well.

“But there are some who succumb to the pull and pressure of cinema and consumerist culture and end up performing the dance in an ‘obscene’ manner. But this is a blanket ban covering even  those who stick to the pure form without indulging in any indecent moves. That’s the sad part,” he pointed out.

Out of welfare board list

The issue has been simmering for quite some time now. Muthu Murugan, general secretary of the Vanavengaigal Peravai, which represents the Kuravar community, filed a case against Kuravan Kurathi Aattam. He alleged that it demeaned the tribal community to which he belonged.

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Two months after the court banned it, the Tamil Nadu government issued the GO, removing Kuravan Kurathi Aattam from the welfare board list of 100 registered folk art forms of the state.  The government also said that if Kuravan Kurathi Aattam is performed on stage, even as part of Karakattam, the artistes will be prosecuted.

A folk art of yore

The folk art of Kuravan Kurathi has been part of village festivals for centuries, but it is more than that. In many regions, especially in the Usilampatti belt of Madurai district, it is performed during auspicious occasions like childbirth, or at funerals.

Kuravan Kurathi Aattam has always had an erotic narrative style. The performance typically has an ensemble of five people, including husband and wife characters, and assorted relatives and friends. More often than not, there would a transgender in the mix. There would be friendly, flirtatious banter that could occasionally border on the risque.

But, the local community ensured it was viewed only by adult men, said J Joseph Antony Raj, Head, Department of Folklore, St Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai. This presented a kind of filter that made sure women and children were not part of the audience. 

“Festivals used to begin with Karakattam around late evening,” said Antony Raj. “By midnight, the Kuravan Kurathi dance form would take over. If the artistes spotted women and children in the audience, they would gently ask them to leave and the crowd would oblige.” A men-only audience enjoying a mildly erotic show may not seem very palatable in the 21st century (why not the women?), but it did work in the previous ones. 

“The folk art form was Tamil society’s unique answer to provide  entertainment to rural people,” he added. “Unlike cinema, where you can find many case studies showing people committed crimes inspired by a movie, the village art form creates a platform for adults to vent their emotions in a positive way.”

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Folk artistes are the first to admit that the Kuravan Kurathi Aattam form has changed form over the decades. Instead of after midnight, it is presented much earlier, which means children hang around to watch. The three hours of Karakattam is often reduced to just 10 perfunctory minutes, in keeping with ‘audience demand’. The female dancers have been going for skimpier wear. 

Regulation rather than ban

“Nowadays, I could see young children among the audience sitting in the front row of Kuravan Kurathi dance performances,” said Yuga Bharathi, a follower of folk art forms who hails from Madurai. “Yet, I still admire the art form. It should have been regulated instead of the state government imposing a blanket ban.”

It’s not just about vulgarity. There has also been concern over associating a performance art with a particular community (in this case, Kuravars). The Madras High Court directed the state government to ensure that no dance performance is identified using a caste/tribal community’s name that would insult or degrade people belonging to such a community.

The court also observed that initially, the dance performances were related to social problems and politics. However, in recent times, they have been incorporating obscene steps. 

Calls for relook

There are calls now to reconsider the ban, especially since it would affect the livelihood of hundreds of folk artistes. “Obviously, the artistes can’t get paid if they don’t perform what the audience wants. This issue has to be studied from the audience’s perspective,” said Antony Raj.

“Unless it is completely untenable, cultural practices should be allowed to self-correct themselves. People will reject what they don’t want or don’t need,” he added. “It is better left to the stakeholders to take a call, instead of a top-down approach.” 

The artistes are going to be badly hit by the ban. Cinema has already cut into their audience, glory and revenue. Many temples today conduct film song-centred aadal padal (dance and song) performances instead of folk arts.

As it is, the folk artistes don’t get more than six months of work in a year, as Hindu festivals are restricted to some months. Given their financial situation, they would have to look for ways to overcome this latest challenge, rued Kovindaraj.

“The Madras High Court has observed that the dance should not be performed in the name of Kuravan Kurathi and it should not have any reference to them (they are considered tribals today). So, now, they may not call it Kuravan Kurathi dance but continue to perform it,” he observed.

Also, Kovindaraj pointed out, many transgenders depend on this performance for livelihood. Earning ₹3,000-5,000 for a performance is not a small amount and they may try to protect it at any cost. But, the fate of the traditional folk art form hangs in balance.