From: sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu (M. Sundaramoorthy)
Subject: Re: Kooththu-p-pattarai
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Date: 20 Aug 92 17:41:33 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <1992Aug20.030749.22120@cbfsb.cb.att.com> hazel@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (sriram) writes:
>I saw a review of kooththu-p-Pattarai's latest adaptation of the play
>"Andorra" which was staged at Max Mueller Bhavan, in The Hindu last week.
>(For those who donot know kooththu-p-pattarai is a stage production in 
>kooththu format).  I had also seen an article on their work earlier in 
>India Today. I believe they have also staged plays based on works by 
>Tendulkar and other Indian dramatists in kooththu format. It was nice to 
>see that the much maligned "kooththu" is finally getting some recognition 
>after all.
>
>However I donot have much info on the group or their productions till now
>I would appreciate if any netter has info on their earlier productions.
>
>sriram

	
	'kooththup pattaRai' was started by the writer and playwright 
	Naa. Muthuswamy, a native of Tanjore. His son Mu. Natesh is also with
	the troop and has been formally trained in koothu and other threatre
	forms.

	Kooththup pattaRai is one of many modern theatre groups ie. 
	open theatre or street theatre. Few to name are 'pariksha' headed
	by Gnani, 'Madurai Nija Nadaga Iyakkam', headed by Dr. Mu.Ramaswamy,
	a professor of Drama at Tamil University, 'sudhEsikaL', a Madurai based
	group, one from 'Sankaradas Swamigal School of Drama, Pondicheri
	headed by the faculty members Drs. Indira Parthasarathi and there are
	many other street theatre groups by Leftist organisations.

	One of the important figure in modern theatre movement is
	Prof. Ramanujam, who studied in National School of Drama, Bhopal and
	worked in Gandhi Gram University and currently is the head of the
	Department of Drama at Tamil Universiy.

	Bengali Playwright, Badal Sarkar is supposed be a pioneer of street
	theatre, though the movement was widespread during indepence struggl.
	There was a workshop conducted by him at 'Cholamandalam Art Village'
	near Mamallapuram in early 80s and many who are in the street 
	theatre movement now got training from him. Now, Prof. Ramanujam
	organises many workshops all over Tamil Nadu.

	Badal Sarkar plays have been translated in Tamil and there was a Drama
	festival in his honour in November 1989 at St.Joseph college, Trichy
	(I attended that). 'piRagoru indirajit' was staged by koothtup 
	pattaRai, 'spartacus' by Madurai Nija Nadaka Iyakkam, 'meedhi
	cariththiram' by pariksha and so on.

	kooththup pattaRai is not a real 'therukkooththu' troop, but 
	Naa. Muthuswamy is working hard to rejunuvate the 'folk art' form.
	He has written many articles on 'theruk kooththu' in literary magazines
	and are compiled into a book with the title 'anRu poottiya vaNdi',
	published by 'Annam Books'. He has taken up the mission of
	popularising the almost extinct folk art form. He collaborates with
	Purisai Kannappa Thambiran who has a kooththu troop in his village
	near, Arcot. Thambiran is the only 'kooththu artist' to get 'kalai
	mamani' award (this shows the state of folk arts in TN). 

	'theruk kooththu' is a Tamil counterpart of 'kadhak kaLi' in Kerala
	and 'yakshagana' in Kannada. While kadkakkali has been refined and
	popularised by Malayalam poet VallaththoL and Kannada writer 
	Dr. Sivarama Karanth did the same for yakshagana. Now, both Kadhakkali
	and yakshagana are as popular as carnatic music and Bharatha natyam
	and the artists get national and international recognitions. But the
	case with therukkooththu is very pathetic. Tamil Nadu is plagued
	with the cinema, which dominates in rural as well as urban
	area. Urban middle class is happy with stereotype 'sabha natagangal'
	by S.V.Sekhar, Crazy Mohan etc. and the urban upper middle class 
	cares only for carnatic music and Bharathnatyam. Now, with 
	Naa. Muthuswamy's hard work, 'theruk koothtu' is also slowly getting
	popular. He is trying to establish a 'koththu school' in Purisai
	village similar to the 'Kalamandalam' for kadhakkali in Kerala.

	We, some friends from rural area, at Indian Insitute of Science,
	arranged a 'therukkooththu' program with 'Perungattoor Ponnuswamy
	nadaka manRam' in 1988 under the banner of 'kooththu virumbi'.
	The episode played was 'Draupathi vasthrabaharanam or Panchali sabhatham
	The performance was preceded by talks on 'kooththu' by 
	Ms. Hanna De Bruine, a Kooththu researcher from Netherlands and on
	yakshagana by a Kannada writer. The program was a pleasant shock for 
	many Tamil students and staff who haven't witnessed one before, who 
	discouraged us first, becuse they assumed 'koothtu' is a vulgur one
	and the program would bring a bad image to Tamils. But the fact is 
 	`the word 'kooththu', which in fact is a
	pure Tamil word for Drama, has been vulgurised, not the art form.

	Ms. Bruine wrote an article on Kooththu in Front Line, before leaving
	for Netherlands and she acknowledged IISc's, 'koththu virumbi'.

	It is getting too long. Anyway those who are interested in patronising
	this may help Naa. Muthuswamy with financial contributions. I will try
	to get his address and post soon.

	
M. Sundaramoorthy
sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu   
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil