CHENNAI: In the sweltering month of Chitirai, the streets of Madurai are once again strung up in lights, punctuated by clamorous music and calls of traders selling trinkets. Welcome to the Chithirai Thiruvizha, a carnival of colours and culture. In the backdrop of the Vaigai River, children in their best clothes dance to drumbeats, and solemn devotees pray by the waters.
Year after year, the Chithirai festival of crowds, chariots, and reverence is a peek into the temple town’s harmonious celebrations across communities. Ahead of the month-long fete starting on April 14, Puratchipadai Productions will transform the stage at IDAM — The Art & Cultural Space into a Madurai’s bonanza, on Saturday.
Their Tamil play Oor Koodi Ther Izhu spanning one hour and 15 minutes will explore the history of the festival and folklore. “The folklore gives us lessons relevant to today. This vizha’s specialty is that everyone participates irrespective of religion. It is one of the most happening festivals in south India. Our street play looks at the origin and stories of this festival,” explains director and actor Nandhakumar.
Inspired by author and researcher Thol Paramasivan‘s works, Nandhakumar and his team conducted field visits over five months in Madurai. With strands of oral narratives and people’s stories, the three-member cast — Felix Antony Sahana, and Nandhakumar — will explore dimensions of harmony, and secularism, and capture society in moments of revelry and celebration.
According to Nandhakumar, “We want to recall the concept of festivals and why it was created. There are a few aspects which we can take away, it’s had a history of secular celebration, it’s not a single person’s festival and it’s why festivals were created...We are a society that grew with epics, whether it was the Quran, Bible, or Mahabharata.” Paraphrasing a line from Paramasivan’s philosophy, the director adds, “If we have to cover a long distance in the sun, we take breaks. As people, if we move into a challenging and busy life, we can’t sprint. Festivals were created to take a break, relax, and enjoy.”
With four episodes, the play delves into stories of Alagar or Lord Visnu entering the Vaigai River and Meenakshi Amman, popularly deemed the first female ruler of Madurai. It also depicts the protector deity of Karuppasamy, and ruler Thirumala Nayaka who created the Chithirai festival by merging two existing fetes.
Artforms like theatre play a big role in protests, capturing history and expanding the boundaries of existing art. As for Oor Koodi Ther Izhu, it aims to inspire communal harmony; Utilising puppetry, the production will be accessible and understood by younger audiences. “Puppetry is a powerful art form to convey complex stories and details. It is also an essential part of festival culture and theatre as an art form grew with festivals. Festivals were the backbone to fuel the tradition of theatre; there are still troupes that cross states and perform during festivals and we want to give a tribute to them,” underlines Nandhakumar. The director adds festivals assemble people and are meant for all. “Overall, this festival conveys a single line for society: if you are together, there will be harmony. We prefer to live in harmony, with a community of people around us. A ther will move only if people pull together,” he signs off.
'Oor Koodi Ther Izhu' will be conducted at IDAM - The Art & Cultural Space in Kodambakkam on 30 March.
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