THRISSUR: A sleepy village situated on the borders of Thrissur district, Mathilakam is considered to be the spot where Chilappathikaram, one of the five great epics of Tamil literature, was composed by Ilango Adigal. Preparations for Chilappathikaram 2015, a cultural festival to celebrate the great epic, is in its final stages and the festival will commence on May 15.
“Plurality in thought and belief is the magic word for us, the organisers of this festival. We will be laying great emphasis on woman empowerment and the need for a peaceful co existence with nature,” said painter, poet, art researcher and curator Kavitha Balakrishnan.
Interestingly, the organisers have decided to display the installations by foregoing a gallery. The paintings will be displayed in the homes of local villagers, in front of small tea shops and other public locations, in effect converting the entire village into a gallery for an art enthusiast. “The residents have helped us a lot in this venture. Not many people would allow their homes to be opened for the public in this manner,” the organisers said.
According to Kavitha Balakrishnan, the festival upheld the motto that art should unite people and the instalments, though varied in its genre and scope of work, shared a common goal of artistic accessibility to the public and rural motifs. One of the works notable in this regard is that of well known photographer Abul Kalam Azad, whose solo work Black Mother, compiled over a period of 16 years, sought to showcase the changes that have occurred in that area over the period of time, while making use of Chilappathikaram heroine Kannaki as a motif. “When compared with the situation that existed decades ago, several changes have occurred in the cultural and religious fabric of this village. It is likely that Ilango Adigal based the character Kannaki on a housewife from this very village. I have displayed women from myriad cultural and economic backgrounds as Kannaki, all the while providing a stark comparison with my collection of pictures representing paganistic rituals that were held in this part some years before. I seek to highlight the changes that have happened in the area over the years,” he said.
Dibin Thilakan’s ‘His story her story’ is another such installation, a brutally frank depiction of the growing peeping tom mentality of the people of the state.