VILLUPURAM: Pongal is all about everything sweet, right from the sarkarai pongal made at dawn, to all the karumbu-munching that follows. For the people of Villupuram, however, there is something more, something added to the yearly festivities, an added joy to look forward to – Marutham, the colourful folk arts festival, organised by A Ravikarthikeyan, a social worker.
A young adulthood tied to revolutionary Tamil movements in the 80s that stood in solidarity with the people of Tamil Eelam who were subjected to genocide in Sri Lanka, followed by enthusiastic involvement in the Dravidian establishment that spearheaded reformist politics in Tamil Nadu; the cognisance and affinity towards Tamil culture and art – more importantly, artists – stemmed from these early influences, says Ravikarthikeyan. In the thick of this expanding awareness, in 2009, he decided to hold a two-day event titled ‘Marutham Folk Art Festival’ to recognise and honour Tamil folk traditions and the artists carrying them.
“When we were young, celebrations surrounding Pongal were markedly social, family and friends coming together, roaming around the village, and so on. The situation has atrophied in recent years, reduced to sitting in front of a television. We organise ‘Marutham’ for the younger generation, for them to get acquainted with the art forms and artists of the land. But, for the most part, the immediate motivations behind ‘Marutham’ keep changing. Before, it was to counter the temple-run folk showcases, and then it was to counter the addicting influence of television. Now though, Marutham is about countering an era where social media has taken over all entertainment and celebration,” he says.
This year’s edition of ‘Marutham’ featured stalls with archaeological artefacts, a philately room featuring a collection of rare currency from across the globe, a book stall, and a handicrafts room. Held on January 15 – 16 as usual, ‘Marutham’ is always sure to feature writers from the south Arcot region as well. “It is only proper that ‘Marutham’ – a Tamil ethnic term denoting agricultural landscapes – is the title for an event that celebrates art and artists of this soil. We feature Karakaattam, Poikkaal Kuthirai, Parai, Therukkooththu, and other such traditional forms, performed by artists from across the state. We also honour social workers and activists from the region,” Ravikarthikeyan says.
M Bhuvaneswari, a traditional Karakaattam performer from Tanjore, tells TNIE, “Our family has a long lineage of folk artists. My husband and father-in-law were Parai performers. They passed away two years ago. My mother is a Poikkaal Kuthirai dancer. I am training my daughters to play Parai, to keep up with the lineage. Although, these days, we are not invited to perform as often as before, events like ‘Marutham’ shine a light on us. So many people – writers and media persons – cover the festival and mention our company. People must support folk artistry and artists, like us, who have made a living out of it.”
The two-day event includes an award ceremony, where distinguished persons and organisations are given awards for their services to the Tamil language, society, culture, and art. In 2020, the lifetime award for service to Tamil language, was given to S Veeraraghavan, an archeological researcher; the lifetime award for service to art was given to Kathavarayan, a therukkooththu artist and founder of Kathavarayan Therukkooththu company in Villupuram; an environmental forum named Go Green (Pasumai Payanam) was given the ‘Marutham’ award for social welfare activities.
Arivazhagan, a performer in the Kathavarayan Therukkooththu Company, says, “I am a mechanic by profession, and I perform out of passion. There is no steady income from performing, because folk arts seemingly does not interest people any more. We need them to look away from cinema, YouTube, other digital media, and towards us, encouraging traditional arts. I am ostracised by my family for playing a woman during my theatre performances, but I will continue to do so, because art heals the pain in society and self.”
Ravikarthikeyan reiterates, for a young person to understand the inner workings of a particular social environment, it is imperative to get acquainted with the art forms emergent there. This will augment one’s ability to stand their ground against injustice, he says. “Without fork artistry, one can never fully understand the people of the land. Fork artists carry for generations, the history of the soil through their art, and to see it all fade away is quite tragic. We are trying our best to help the artists sustain their practice, even if it is only for two short days,” he adds.