CHENNAI : At a pattimandram held in a corporation school in Chennai recently, a speaker argued, “All great scholars are avid readers.” The topic for the day was, Maanavigalin munnetrathuku thevai paadanoolgala, vaazhkai thirana? (For empowerment of women students, is it important to be book-smart, or street-smart?) And just as the students, who listened in rapt attention, were convinced of the importance of classroom education, another speaker walked to the podium and asked, “Tell me, if you fall into a well, will a book come to your rescue?”
The point of the pattimandram was not to draw a conclusion or pick a side, even though a winner was declared by the moderator. And it’s been so for years now. A pattimandram is always held together by a moderator, who sits at the centre, and first introduces the topic to the audience. Then, one after the other, two to three speakers on either side offer arguments and rebuttals. While most of us grew up watching pattimandram in our schools, colleges, or on TV during Tamil New Year, Pongal, Diwali and other festivals, there are many public platforms and koil thiruvizhas in cities, towns and villages, where it’s organised for a live audience till date. “It’s all with a simple effort to make us think of the two sides to every coin,” shares Uma Maheshwari, an orator for 25 years now. “In my school days, the topics used to revolve around classical Tamil literature, and we’d speak about Kovalan’s decision, Duryodanan’s emotions, and more,” she says.
About 20 years back, the subject of pattimandram topics changed, for the first time in Madurai, to make it more relevant to society and families. Orators spoke about husband-wives’ roles in a household, joint and nuclear families, etc. “Humor also became an important aspect, as what was initially restricted only to the educated, became an engaging event for all. People started listening to anything with a deep thought and perspective,” says Durei Angusami, another pattimandram speaker with 30 years of experience.
A good pattimandram speaker does not prepare for the topic alone. They are well read, and can readily share relevant anecdotes from lived experiences. Umayavan, a speaker who grew to fame because of his pattimandram skills, shares, “The most significant thing I’ve learned, since I first started speaking in 2010, was to make my oration entertaining while ensuring there’s a hard-hitting message.” For him, a five-minute speaking time is not just to bring down an opponent’s argument, but to introduce a new idea or perspective.
Uma insists that keeping a topic relevant to our every day lives, will judge whether one is watching a pattimandram or vettimandram. Her favourite speakers are Madurai Gandhimathi Amma, Kovai Janaki Amma, and Bharathi Bhaskar. “I’ll never forget how Gandhimathi Amma once spoke about how it’s better to be in a nuclear family today because children don’t take on their father’s profession, and each child takes a different path. Her speech was rooted in reality,” says Uma.
Uma is also a poet, and she believes that the mindfulness she has developed because of pattimandram, helps her with poetry too. Durei shares that the stage taught him to build self-confidence and gain people’s trust with words. He says, “And that’s what I tell upcoming speakers too. The stage is not merely for entertainment, but an opportunity or tool to think about our own actions and lives.”
How to prepare for a pattimandram
● Read everything you find on the topic and related subjects
● Include as many relevant and funny anecdotes as possible
● Note down key points, and give your arguments a structure before going on stage
● Pay keen attention to your opponent’s points when they speak, and challenge them
● Don’t settle for the first point that comes to your mind;
think deeper
● Don’t worry about winning or losing
Popular speakers and moderators
● Solomon Papaiya
● Suki Sivam
● Dindigul Leoni
● Saraswathi
● Ramanathan
● Namasivayam
● So Sathyaseela
● Dr Jayabharathi