DANCE OF "VIRUMPI" DOLLS!

"VIRUMPI" WAS CONCEPTUALIZED AND INNOVATED FROM TRADITIONAL "VERUDDI" OR "KATHTHARIVERULI" (SCARE CROW) IN ORDER TO MAKE DOLLS BY CHILDREN,YOUTHS AND EVEN BY ELDERS IN AN EASY WAY AND WITH THE MATERIALS EASILY COLLECTED FROM THE ENVIRONMENT.
NOW!!!
THE DOLLS ARE DANCING!!!
S.NIRMALAVASAN THE MOTHER OF THE DANCING DOLLS!!!

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGES DAY : 21FEBRUARY 2012

International Mother Language day

Let we be proud of our abilities in our mother language,
we are thinking and expressing ourselves in our language,.. but
at the same time my mother language is providing me a very beautiful space to respect the languages of others and to be proud of seeing others expressing their selves in their own languages,
Let all of us celebrate our languages
and
we’ll live in a wonderful world of words and sounds of humans, birds, animals insects and all living creatures of this universe.

'SADDAM KODUTHTHAL' ceremony: a ceremony of character selection in kooththu.

STREET PERFORMANCE OF FRIENDS OF THIRDEYE ON MEN AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

FIRST DEATH ANNIVESARY OF PALAHAPODI ANNAVIYAR

PICTORIAL STORY OF NONDY KOOTHTHU- 01

FRIENDS OF THIRDEYE: MEN AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

KOOTHTHU KALARI-TRADITIONAL THEATRE STAGE OF TAMILS OF SRI LANKA

STILLS OF PULIKOOTHTHU OR PULIAATTAM

PULI KOOTHTHU OR PULI AATTAM IS A FORM OF TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE EXISTS IN THE VILLAGES OF BATTICALOA, SRI LANKA.
Puli Kooththu or Puli Aattam will be performed mostly during New Year period of the Thamils and it will be performed house to house by the performers.In return people will offer them with food items and money.

CHANGE NEEDED: DEHUMANIZED FACES OF PERIPHERAL CHARACTERS IN KOOTHTHU

Parayan (Drummer)character in Kooththu!
Kuyavan-Kuyaththi (Pot Makers) characters in kooththu!

Portrayal of peripheral characters in Kooththu is problematic and questionable. The characters are being constructed and integrated as comic elements added with vulgar and erotic performatic modes in the peformance.

Challenging and changing these issues with the participation of the performers and their communities in Kooththu is also part of the process of Reformulation of Kooththu Program.

Treating human characters with dignity in performance is a prerequisite for a society which is capable for celebrating equality.

Traditional portrayal of these characters are not bringing in the reality but its oppressive nature!

EDUCATIONAL THEATRE OF THE THAMILS OF SRI LANKA

EDUCATIONAL THEATRE IS AN IMPORTANT GENRE IN SRI LANKAN THAMIL THEATRE. ITS AN ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SPACE WHERE SCHOOL GOING OR NOT CAN DISCOVER AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES BY PLAYING COLLECTIVELY.


COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATION AND CREATIVE INTERACTION IS REPLACED OR GETTING PRIMARY STATUS IN PLAY MAKING IN EDUCATIONAL THEATRE RATHER THAN PERFORMANCE.

THE CONVENTIONAL WORKSHOP FOR THEATRE PRODUCTION IS TRANSFORMED AS A THEATRE GENRE WHICH IS THE CREATIVE GARDEN OF KIDS AND YOUTHS IN EDUCATIONAL THEATRE.

AESTHETICS OF EDUCATIONAL THEATRE IS DIFFERENT AND IT IS ACHIEVED BY PARTICIPATING IN IT.

KULANTAHI M. SHANMUHALINGAM IS THE FATHER FIGURE OF THIS GENRE WINGED BY Mr. K. SITHAMPARANATHAN AND Mr. FRANCIS JENAM BUT PERSONALITIES LIKE Mr. R.SIVANANDAN, Mr.N. SUNDARALINGAM AND MYILANKOODALOOR P. NADARAJAN HAD CREATED THE GROUND FOR THE GROWTH OF THE GENERE WHICH ALSO PRODUCES THE CONTEMPORARY GENERATION OF THEATRE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKAN THAMIL THEATRE.

ON THIRDEYE BY NOVITA DEWI

The Dynamics of People Theatre for Social Change:
A Study of Selected Cultural Movements in Sri Lanka
Novita Dewi
Graduate Program of English Language Studies
Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skills Activist Group. Called Moondravathu Kann [Third Eye] in Tamil, the man behind the group is an academic at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka Sivagnanam Jeyasankar. Himself a skilled kooththu performer, Jeyasankar has challenged the conventional, intellectual method –property of the academia– of performing arts by exploring the creative potential of the village performers.

He attempts to translate the community’s needs to flock, play and learn together, believing that such is important in today’s world where globalization continues to bulldoze the significance of communal life.

In 2002, he established the Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skills Activist Group (henceforth Thirdeye) with the aim to reformulate the traditional Tamil kooththu by engaging in participatory, applied and street theatre forms with children and youth.

It is an art medium to re-invigorate and celebrate the local knowledge, skills and traditions of villages in Batticaloa. The kooththu players together with the youth create performance pieces, facilitate children’s drama and games workshops as well as organise children’s performances.

Different group members coordinate and specialise in different activities depending upon their skills and training. Ethnic conflict and the 2004 tsunami are among topics discussed and performed by the group.

Although at this writing, Jeyasankar is completing his Doctorate in India, Thirdeye remains active in their cultural activities such as publishing poetry, and organising events and workshops pertaining to gender, violence and various awareness training.

COLLECTION OF ARTICLES IN THAMIL BY MAILANKUOODALOOR P. NADARAJAN