Therukoothu artist Palani Murugan
But, says the 50-year-old artist from Purisai, that’s all he can do as one person. Even private organisers don’t always welcome gaana artists so the opportunities for young and upcoming artists is limited in this field,” says the 30-year-old. Palani, a fifth-generation performer, adds that the younger generation is not showing interest in learning therukoothu due to lack of opportunities and financial assistance. There are few govt events and therefore very few artistes get showcased.
District organisers conduct a few programmes at their headquarters,” he says. TN is known for its art and culture, and yet artists are not celebrated,” says Dhananjayan. “Two years ago, I participated in Chennai Sangamam, my first big show, says Dharani P, a gaana artiste. “Today, artists no longer rely on govt events, preferring private dance and music organisations as they organize more cultural events,” says Sasmitta Arora, a Coimbatore-based Bharatanatyam performer and founder of Shankkaram.
T here is a lot that Palani Murugan has done over the years to elevate therukoothu, the folk art form he inherited, from village streets to global stages, even partnering with British and French theatre icons in performances as well as masterclasses. “The traditional arts need govt support. There is no govt-run art or cultural programme to provide a stage for performing artists. “But that is not enough to help folk arts grow. “At the state level, this is the only award artists receive. But it doesn’t happen regularly. Several folk artists welcomed the initiative. “Usually, as gaana artists we don’t get to perform at events like that.
Actor and theatre personality S Ve Sekar says that 20 years ago, drama troupes would perform 32 shows in 28 days; sometimes 120 in 90 days. Earlier we had 150 sabhas and 140 drama troupes, this number has come down to 25 and 20,” he says. DMK launched Chennai Sangamam in 2007, an annual open-air cultural festival held in Chennai during Pongal to celebrate Tamil folk arts, classical music, dance and cuisine.
Because trying to get a space to perform is difficult, “Today, a successful drama may get only half that. There’s corruption among private players and govt entities which is killing indie theatre. It was hosted by NGO Tamil Maiyam and the department of tourism and culture.