Treasured tradition from Kadambari Gladding on Vimeo.
http://onerupee.tumblr.com/
I went back to Batticaloa in Sri Lanka this July, where a group of theatre performers were testimony to some of the ways in which Tamil youth are embracing the prospects that become available post-war.
Parai Mela Koothu, is a traditional form of Tamil folk theatre. Loud, colourful and long-drawn, the mythological stories enacted by the troupe keep audiences captive late into the night. Under the guidance of Fine Arts lecturer, Dr Jeyasanakar, these young theatre artists studying in Eastern University, are part of a fantastic arts revival taking place in the vibrant Tamil eastern region.
Owing to years of war and displacement, many fractured Tamil communites were all but unable to come together to celebrate their stories through Koothu. Now, 3 years since the war ended, things are on the turn for this ancient art-form, despite competition from the pervasiveness of Tamil commercial film culture and music.
Enthusiasts like Dr Jayasankar have been instrumental in getting young actors in Tamil communities interested in Koothu. Accompanied by senior Koothu masters who’ve been performing for decades, Dr Jayasankar’s troupe performed for 3 long days, under the shade of a Banyan tree as part of the ten-day Mamaangam Kovil festival.
I spent a few days meeting a few local Koothu enthusiasts amid the ruckus of roosting crows, the tolling of mammoth brass bells and the low hum of prayers from thousands of deeply devout. All the while, just like most in the audience, I too became captive of the perfect dynamic between mythology, art, music and faith.
http://onerupee.tumblr.com/
I went back to Batticaloa in Sri Lanka this July, where a group of theatre performers were testimony to some of the ways in which Tamil youth are embracing the prospects that become available post-war.
Parai Mela Koothu, is a traditional form of Tamil folk theatre. Loud, colourful and long-drawn, the mythological stories enacted by the troupe keep audiences captive late into the night. Under the guidance of Fine Arts lecturer, Dr Jeyasanakar, these young theatre artists studying in Eastern University, are part of a fantastic arts revival taking place in the vibrant Tamil eastern region.
Owing to years of war and displacement, many fractured Tamil communites were all but unable to come together to celebrate their stories through Koothu. Now, 3 years since the war ended, things are on the turn for this ancient art-form, despite competition from the pervasiveness of Tamil commercial film culture and music.
Enthusiasts like Dr Jayasankar have been instrumental in getting young actors in Tamil communities interested in Koothu. Accompanied by senior Koothu masters who’ve been performing for decades, Dr Jayasankar’s troupe performed for 3 long days, under the shade of a Banyan tree as part of the ten-day Mamaangam Kovil festival.
I spent a few days meeting a few local Koothu enthusiasts amid the ruckus of roosting crows, the tolling of mammoth brass bells and the low hum of prayers from thousands of deeply devout. All the while, just like most in the audience, I too became captive of the perfect dynamic between mythology, art, music and faith.
