Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

They practise a folk art for generations together

M. Balaganessin

"There are 72 types of dance performances and over the years, half of them have become extinct"

FASCINATING: `Thevarattam' performance.

TIRUCHI : Folk arts stand for the ancient culture of a specific region of our country. That way, it is not just an art but also serves as a mirror of lifestyle of a particular sect of a society, or as a window of the tradition of the region.

In the absence of any `trainer-trainee' environment, they have been, over the centuries, handed down from one generation to another. Preservation of these art forms is done for the propagation of them to other areas.

One such a folk art of a hoary past is `Thevarattam', which is practised for generations together by family members of a cluster of villages in Dindigul district. The fascinating fact is this group art is practised only by male members of these villages. The dancers are attired in the traditional `dhoti', white full sleeve shirt with a little yellow turban around the head.

More importantly, each of them possesses a couple of handkerchiefs, one in each hand. The group sets out to offer a performance, seconds after a percussionist plays on the `Urumi'. Each performance lasts for just 10 minutes; but it is carefully scheduled throughout. The initial 20 seconds mark movements in slow motion.

Soon, an artiste in the middle, even while dancing, sends out a whistle, signalling that the performance will literally gain momentum. It is from this crucial time that the performance is at the thick of its glory. A voracious performance follows for a while, with the percussionist beating the `urumi' in full vigour and the dancers, undeterred by sweat, act in a swift manner, waving the handkerchief in tune with the steps. The artistes who formed part of hundreds of villagers on a padayatra from Dindigul district to Samayapuram Sri Mariamman Temple, offered the performance, generating a spiritual fervour at a marriage hall in Tiruchi city recently.

"There are 72 types of dance performances and over the years, half of them have become extinct. We practise only 30 to 35 forms", says K. Mani of Pazhaya Karattupatti village near Vedachandur in Dindigul district. The villagers, who belong to the Rajakambalathar sect, have been practising this art.

"We are familiar with the women dancers at temples. I wanted to popularise the art practised only by male members", says Jayam Kannan, a leader of the All India Democratic Women's Association, who organised a special programme in Tiruchi city as part of her endeavour to encourage the artistes.

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