From: bs@wucs1.wustl.edu (Bala SWAMINATHAN)
Subject: Re: Kooththu-p-pattarai
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 23:53:47 GMT

In article <2A93D94D.8149@orion.oac.uci.edu> sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu (M. Sundaramoorthy) writes:

[[ Since the article was interesting and informative, I am including it
in full. It's a second chance to read it!! ]]

>In article <1992Aug20.030749.22120@cbfsb.cb.att.com> hazel@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (sriram) writes:
>	
>	'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   


BTW: I have a question. People like Manohar who has been to so many
villages performing his "kooththu" and has set a very different level
of providing entertainment on stages... where will they be classified.
I guess not only rich people but every one appreciates his performance.

I am not sure who will be his follower/heir in the "kooththu ulagam".
I remember that at least 4 truck (lorry !) loads of material being brought
to the Madurai area when he staged "manOharin ilangEsvaran". Quite
advanced.

And M. R. Radha.. He was having fun with his "keemAyaNam". Does any one
if this kooththu is available in Video?

S_Bala