PALAKKAD : Coinciding with the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, conducted with immense fanfare, on Monday was the beginning of an effort to revive a dying tribal art form down south, in the tribal heartland of Attappadi.
It was the inauguration of a docu-fiction on ‘Ramar koothu’, an art form that once entertained the tribal population at festival venues. The pooja was performed at the Mariamman temple in Agali.
“Only a few old-timers know about ‘Ramar koothu’. I contacted them and they promised to provide inputs for the docu-fiction, which helped me develop the storyline,” said Vijeesh Mani, the producer.
Having a runtime of 45 minutes, the docu-fiction will be about Sri Rama Charitham, which is usually performed over seven nights as part of ‘Ramar koothu’ in tribal settlements, he said.
“The director is Maruthan, one of my assistants who worked in the film ‘Kokkaal’, named after a flute like instrument used by tribals,” Vijeesh said.
Maruthan hails from the Irular tribe of Vattuluki tribal settlement. The dialogues will be in Irula language.
National award winning singer Nanjamma, and Vadukkiamma sang the Sri Rama Charitham to mark the beginning of the shoot.
Those present at the pooja included Thamiamma, 100, a former ‘Ramar koothu’ performer and a consultant on the project, and present ‘Ramar koothu’ artistes Ponnan, Karamada, Easwaran, Vellankiri , Lakshmanan, Vinod, Rakesh Babu, K Shivani and K Archana.
Salt, a special offering, was offered at the temple, said Vijeesh whose film ‘Mmmm’ (2021) in Kurumba language won the best film award at the Paris Film Festival and was short-listed for the Oscars.
Maruthan said he discussed with experts the fact that ‘Ramar koothu’ was slowly fading from public memory and needed to be introduced to the new generation.
“The tribal artform can be performed in international theatre festivals if promoted well,” he said. Talking about the docu-fiction, he said artistes in it were drawn from tribal settlements of Attappadi as only they know Irular.
As many as 21 artists will perform ‘Ramar koothu’ for the docu-fiction. They are doing so after observing a fast .
“Thamiamma, a ‘Ramar koothu’ veteran is the consultant on the docu-fiction,” said Vijeesh, who has already made three films based in Attappadi – ‘Nethaji’ on the influence of Subash Chandra Bose’s life in the forests on Irula, ‘Mmmm’ in Kurumba language and the upcoming ‘Aadhivasi’. Aadhivasi’, which will be in Muduga language, is about Madhu, the tribal youth who was lynched by a mob in 2018 in Attappadi. It will be released in theatres on February 22. I has already bagged awards at the screening in the Bengaluru and Rajasthan film festivals.
Docu-fiction
Having a runtime of 45 minutes, the docu-fiction will be about Sri Rama Charitham, which is usually performed over seven nights as part of ‘Ramar koothu’ in tribal settlements. National award winning singer Nanjamma, and Vadukkiamma sang the Sri Rama Charitham to mark the beginning of the shoot.