The Hindu Business Line : Let’s celebrate, folks

For eight days this month, Chennai’s city pulse took on a rural beat as over 1,500 folk artistes from villages across Tamil Nadu showcased about 70 art forms through more than 5,000 performances staged across beaches, parks, and other public spaces. With song, dance and drama, the air reverberated with the timeless melodies of myths and legends, lore and rustic humour.

Hordes of spectators streamed into the 20-odd venues. For many, the performances at the second edition of Chennai Sangamam — an event conceptualised to revive folk art in the State — were their first glimpse into such art forms. For others, it was a trip down memory lane, reliving a culture they had grown up with before moving to the city.

For the people

“Folk is people’s music,” an elderly gentleman says thoughtfully, watching the Nayyandi Melam (a rustic version of classical melam where dancers perform to foot-tapping music from an orchestra of instruments). “There is no class or caste, it is for all.” He was also glad that such events would give urban youngsters a glimpse into village life and culture.

With the waxing moon looking on, people crowd around the open-air stage at May Day Park, one of the venues for Chennai Sangamam.

Children frolic on the grass, ride on the deer mannequins, and some are even playing in the decorative waterfall installed there. Families tuck into street food. It’s a carnival-like atmosphere.

Just outside the venue, seated inside a specially arranged bus and awaiting their turn on stage are a group of male artistes dressed in colourful saris. They are wearing huge earrings and anklets, and will perform the Raja Rani attam (King-Queen dance). It’s Pongal, the harvest festival, and some of them are chewing on sugarcane. “We don’t know when this art originated, it’s many hundred years ago, but we’ve been doing this since we were kids,” says K. Alagarsamy, his painted face creasing into a smile. “They are comic stories that centre around happenings in a family — like dowry, fights between couples, love, jealousy — told through song and dance.

It’s to make people laugh and think at the same time,” he explains. “In those days, men performed both male and female roles, and that practice has continued. Our children, girls and boys, will be trained to carry this forward.”

The beginning

The seed for Chennai Sangamam was sown during a casual conversation between Father Jegath Gasper Raj of Tamil Maiyam (a Chennai-based cultural organisation) and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi 18 months ago. “We spoke about having a nice folk-based cultural programme, something like the Bangalore Hubba. There are many carnivals internationally to celebrate folk, but none here. We wanted to create one,” says Father Gasper Raj.

Deeply rooted in the lives of people, community and the geography, folk art communicates life experiences and helps build a harmonious existence, he explains. “Chennai Sangamam is an effort in celebrating and integrating them, and bringing them closer to their community as well as to those outside their community.”

As more and more people move out of villages into cities, the art is often left behind to gradually deteriorate. In the villages itself, there is growing preference for recorded music, especially film music, over live performances.

Pride and Self-esteem

“In our village, many youngsters felt embarrassed to touch the melam, the parai, and other instruments after coming into the cities,” says Mohanraj of Magudi Kalai Kuzhu, a folk-art organisation in Thiruvannamalai district.

Fortunately, he says, over the past five years things are turning around. “The artists need a sense of identity, confidence in their art, an urge to cherish and preserve it, and that’s what we have been working for. Events like Sangamam play a big role in boosting their morale,” he says.

“Any art needs exposure to survive, needs a thriving economy to survive,” says Kanimozhi. “Many of these arts are becoming endangered, so we can’t wait for them to die out and then say ‘The old arts have died’. These need not be confined to their old context to survive, they need to move out to survive.”

Some of the artistes spoke about how it was heartening to see people from all strata of society enjoying their performances and clapping for them. “The Paraiattam, for instance, is performed by the lower-caste Dalits. Here, the response of people is a big drive for them,” says Father Gasper Raj.

Special efforts were also made to pamper the artistes during the duration of the event. Nearly 100 cooks were brought in from Virudhunagar to provide a variety of food. A team of doctors from Apollo Hospitals was on hand to provide medical aid. And to top it all, each artiste received a remuneration of Rs 800 for each performance which is nearly double what he/she gets elsewhere.

Five-star street food!

While some of the performances were found wanting in choreography styles, overall they proved to be good edutainment. Providing greater context was the traditional food from various regions, ranging from the cuisine of the Badaga community in the Nilgiris to the famous Tirunelveli halwa. And those preparing the fare were none less than the chefs of five-star hotels! This was the ‘Tamil Unavu Thiruvizha’ organised by the South India Culinary Association and the crowds truly relished the idea of eating ‘star’ food’ at pocket-friendly prices.

For the chefs from 10 different five-star hotels, it was a “different” experience, says Regi Mathew, chef and CEO of Oriental Cuisines, which supported the event. “These chefs are used to working for restricted numbers, in banquet environments. Here, they had to deal with so many people and within a short span of three hours. It was the first time they had tried something like this, and it was fun.”

…and some soul food

Topics of literary interest, poetry and debates took centre-stage at Tamil Sangam, an event supported by the Tamil Nadu Tourist Development Corporation.

The lament

While the folk artistes strive to entertain people and infuse joy into daily lives, their own livelihoods hold little cheer. “We make people laugh and think, but we don’t have a home to call our own. We are poor. Even the costumes we are wearing are hired,” says R. Alagarsamy, a member of the Koothu team. Some have taken up daily-wage work to make ends meet.

A member of the group performing the Oppari — a Tamil folk tradition in which there is grieving for the death of men through story and song — says they have no work for half the year due to lack of demand. While many homes now use recorded versions of the songs, others don’t pay enough. In an effort to augment income, this art form, performed primarily at the house of the dead, was later taken into marriage halls, temples festivals and other ceremonies.

The Chennai Sangamam hopes to change things for the better. Already the artistes have come to the notice of corporate groups and other organisations keen on hosting performances. About 15-20 groups have been invited to perform across Tamil Nadu. “There are so many different art forms in this State which I didn’t know myself,” says a lady selling flowers outside Natesan Park. “Groups in my area who organise shows are sure to invite some of them next time round,” she adds.

Chennai's own carnival

Into its second year, Chennai Sangamam still remains a sort of spectacle, says Father Gasper Raj of Tamil Maiyam. “We don’t want to assume people will come in droves next year; this time many were curious.” The organisers plan several initiatives to ensure there is sustained interest in the coming years.

To begin with, experts in folk art will be roped in to serve as nodal reference points. Trainers will also be on hand to guide artistes. “Last year, there were no costume standards, no personal grooming. In the last six months, we conducted grooming sessions for 15 groups. They were also assisted in improving choreography, and aesthetics of their art,” says Father Gasper Raj.

There are also plans to invite communities in Chennai to take ownership of various performances, to maximise participation. The Sangamam also wants to make it “an inclusive city festival, integrating other communities that have embraced Chennai as home”. This year, five folk arts from outside Tamil Nadu — including Rajasthan, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh — were presented.

The Sangamam is putting together a directory of individual artistes and groups, to be made available on the Internet and via cultural organisations. This is expected to be ready in six months.

To increase the frequency of performances, the team hopes to take the performances to Tier II cities such as Coimbatore and Madurai. Over the last three months, the team has worked with school and colleges in an effort to infuse fresh blood into the art. It has requested the State Education Department to consider taking Carnatic music, folk music, theatre and other performing arts to Corporation schools to spur interest.

For the long term, the team envisions a space for folk art similar to the Kalakshetra in Chennai for classical dance. “In 25 years, we hope the Chennai Sangaman will attain the scale and festivity of the Rio carnival,” says Father Gasper Raj.

More Stories on : Music & Dance | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Hill potato

Beyond self-limit

Discovery Atlas

Ab Mirza ko gussa nahin aata hai

Gulmarg, it’s cool!

Let’s celebrate, folks

Mystical abode

Passion on the Bosphorous