India's Folk Theatre in Colombo
India's renowned cultural troupe from Tamil Nadu Purisai Duraisami
Kannappa Thambiran's folk theatre 'Therukoothu', will grace the Colombo
stage on Saturday, January 31 at the Bishop's College Auditorium at 7.00
p.m. and in Galle on Sunday, February 1 at Hall de Galle at 5.00 p.m.
‘Therukoothu’ folk theatre members performing |
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The unique event is being organized by the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust,
International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Law and Society Trust and
Tiruchelvam Associates in connection with the 65th birth anniversary
celebrations of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.
'Therukoothu' literary means 'street theatre' in Tamil. It is a
dynamic form of folk theatre indigenous to Tamil Nadu and popular among
the rural population, combining spoken word, song and dance.
Its repertoire is traditionally drawn from mythologies and epics,
particularly the Mahabharata.
Actors are painted with colourful facemasks and wear special costumes
with heavy headgears and arm plates made of wood. It employs simple
musical instruments like Harmonium, Mridhangam, Mugaveenai and Cymbals
as accompaniments. 'Therukoothu' is not merely a form of theatre, it is
bound with people's emotions, values, attitudes to life which are
reflected in the many rituals that accompany this art.
The play to be staged in Colombo is titled 'The Disrobing of Princess
Draupathi' a classic story enacted from the Mahabharata where
Draupathy's husband Yudhishtra gambled and lost all of his wealth,
including his wife in a rigged game set up by the evil Duryodhana. The
troupe has performed in various festival and venues in India, France,
Sweden, Singapore and Columbia. They have been invited to perform at the
India Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26th this year.
The play is directed by P.K. Sambandan who also takes the lead role
in the play. A fifth generation artiste of the Purisai School of
Therukoothu, Sambandan has been performing since 1977 in the main roles.
He was conferred the prestigious title Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu
Government in 1995.
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