MADURAI: The enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the Chithirai festival season has dealt a severe blow to thousands of folk artistes in Madurai, with temple festival bookings -- their primary source of income -- witnessing a sharp decline.
The overlap with the elections this year and the restrictions imposed, especially those related to timings of public gatherings and the limit on carrying cash, have discouraged temple festival organisers from holding large-scale events this festival season, which the artistes and musicians solely rely on to survive the off-season months.
Traditionally, the performance calendar for folk artistes begins in the Tamil month of Panguni (March), peaks during Chithirai (April-May), and concludes around Navratri in October. Nearly 5,000 folk artistes in Madurai are engaged in festival events during these months, besides the hundreds of instrumentalists who depend on the temple festivals organised across the southern districts for their livelihood.
'Kalaimamani' Madurai D Govindaraj, a veteran folk artiste, told TNIE, "On an average, a troupe of around 20 artistes earns between Rs 60,000 and Rs 75,000 per temple festival. But this year, bookings have either been cancelled or drastically reduced due to uncertainties surrounding the MCC restrictions." Highlighting the extent of losses, Govindaraj added, "I have lost nearly 20 confirmed temple bookings this season."
Even those who managed to secure limited opportunities in political campaign events said the income is far from sufficient. 'Kalaimudhunani' Dakshinamurthy, a senior folk artiste and organiser, said, "We are getting around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per programme, which comes down to barely Rs 500 per artiste per day. It does not compensate for the losses."
Besides, several artistes also raised concerns regarding delayed and incomplete payments. "Even after performing at campaign events, we are not paid the money as promised. We are forced to repeatedly follow up to receive our dues," said an artiste, seeking anonymity.
With the Chithirai festival set to conclude before the vote counting (May 4), artistes fear missing out on their most lucrative period. "Usually, this time of the year is packed with back-to-back performances. But, with barely a week left for the festival to begin, many of us still have no bookings," said Govindaraj.
The financial uncertainty has pushed several artistes to the brink, with some already seeking alternative sources of income. "We depend entirely on the temple festival season to survive the following six months. With most opportunities gone, we are staring at a very difficult period ahead," Dakshinamurthy added.
Seeking relief, several artistes have urged the state government to extend financial assistance, similar to that provided for fishermen during annual fishing bans. Folk artistes too need structured support during such disruptions, they said.