CHENNAI: Kumar*, a Katte mollom artiste from North Chennai, was at the peak of his career when live gigs came to a halt last year. With a family to feed and a newborn in his arms, he was compelled to give up his artistic dreams. Forced to work at a crematorium to make ends meet, he now watches the bodies burn into ashes, night after night. Sekar*, a gaana singer from Basin Bridge, has not held a mic for a year.
He’s juggling jobs for the family’s livelihood and to attend to his paralysed brother. This isn’t the plight of just Kumar and Sekar, the lives of many such marginalised folk artistes has been affected by the pandemic. Deprived of opportunities, unstable income, loss of dear ones and no support system to fall back on, these cultural torchbearers have been left stranded since the first lockdown in 2020. Not to forget the implications it had on their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
A helping hand
Over the months, while a few good Samaritans from the industry have been helping the community, there’s been no assurance for the long run. Here’s where Tenma, artiste and music producer; Gana Muthu, singer and YouTuber, and Shreya Nagarajan Singh, arts development consultant have stepped up to make a difference and stand by as allies. In their fundraiser campaign, Fund for Folk, the trio intends to provide constant support and immediate relief materials to the artistes.
“As artistes, producers and, most importantly, individuals with a keen understanding of the folk artiste community, we want to provide them with immediate and urgent relief. It took a while for us to assess the situation and collect data about them. It’s been only a few days but the work is going on in full swi n g , ” a s s e r t s Tenma. This fundraiser goes beyond the bounds of providing materialistic help and expands itself to ably provide artistes with holistic support structures that attend to their overall well-being.
The trio, with a team of volunteers, has spoken directly to the artistes, allowed them to voice their requirements, compiled and audited their needs, and thoughtfully put together a Care Relief Package exclusively for them. The package provides groceries (wet and dry, inclusive of oil, wheat, dal, vegetables, rice, etc), hygiene products (masks, soaps, sanitisers) and sanitary products (for female hygiene).
“We are not working merely for the artistes, but we are working with them. Alongside these care packages, need-based allowances will be set aside for the health and well-being of the artistes. Within 4-6 weeks of the Care Relief Package distribution, we plan to check with the artistes to see if their needs have been met, and support them in any way we can,” assures Shreya.
Seeking support
Phase one of the Care Relief Package distribution aims to equip over 400 artistes in North Chennai with the required support. “We found so many struggling artistes in Otteri, Vyasarpadi , Pul i anthope and Kasimedu. They haven’t earned in a year. They do not even have money to bury the bodies of the dead. It’s so painful to see their plight. We are having some challenges with distributions because of lockdown restrictions. We are mulling over it and with the support of Corporation and some coordination, we hope to reach as many as possible,” says Gana Muthu.
The team plans to expand its reach to folk artistes, who have been identified from neighbouring districts starting with Madurai and Kanchipuram. In addition, they have also gathered artistes who are in need from Karnataka and Telangana. “With the inflow of funds, we hope to expand our relief work and reach out to as many marginalised artistes, in a humble attempt to save lives and empower these talented individuals. We hope to support up to 2,000 artistes in south India in the next month.
Artistes perform for the happiness of the audience, so all we have is the audience to rely on in dire needs. Now’s the time to stand in solidarity,” says Tenma. Even as everything is falling apart with each passing day of the pandemic and new lockdowns, it’s the hope for a better tomorrow and revived performance opportunities that keep them going.
*Names changed on request. To contribute, visit: https:// milaap.org/fundraisers/ support-folk-artists-from-southindia, or call: 7358777797