The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Folk artists showcase their talent at ‘Season of Love’

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Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Folk artists showcase their talent at ‘Season of Love’

Staff Reporter

Around 150 folk artists will perform at the event
Artists aspire for a spot in Chennai Sangamam

CHENNAI: Great big knives, dance and drums, all dedicated to the deity Veerapathira Samy. The troupe from Thirupattur, Vellore, was here to perform Sevaiattam in the city for the first time at the ‘Season of Love’ festival here on Wednesday.

D. Lingam, an old timer, said the art form had been practised for generations in his village, “Maybe thousands of years, I don’t know, it was just handed down from father to son,” he said. Their dream, just like the other troupe that had gathered at the St. George’s Anglo Indian School, was to perform at the Chennai Sangamam.

“We want to be able to show everyone our art,” said Siva Paramasivam, another member of the troupe.

Another aspirant Koddukai Loganathan and his troupe of children from the Thiruvalluvar Gurukulam Middle School, Saidapet, were also there to show that they deserved a place in the Chennai Sangamam.

“The children perform everything from Oyilattam, Thappattam to Karagattam. We want to show not just the importance of these folk arts and the need to preserve them but also that there are many families which depend on them,” he said.

R. Pathi, a member of the Chennai Sangamam folk art organising committee and the Tamil Nadu Folk Artistes Welfare Board, said there were about 150 folk artists performing at the ‘Season of Love’ with the hope of being chosen to perform at Chennai Sangamam.

“We have also been training school children across Tamil Nadu in the folk arts so that they may pass down to our future generations. They will also participate at a contest on January 11 and be selected to perform.”

For the troupe from Vellore, it was back to the road back home to Vellore after the performance, “We hope we get selected. It will provide fresh drive for our art,” said Mr. Siva.

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