Therukkoothu – Capturing A Diminishing Folk Art

Koothu or Therukoothu is an ancient art, where performers play depicting scenes from primordial epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and other classical epics. Conventionally there are no dialogues, only songs, dances and music instead.

Artists sing in their own voice and in a high tone to reach the entire. The artists are dressed up with elaborate heavy costumes and have a very bright elaborated makeup. 

Therukkoothu is performed in and around villages adjoining Kanchipuram, Arni, Thiruvannamalai, Cheyyar, Cudallore, Villupuram and Pondicherry – in Tamil Nadu, India.

I have travelled to more than 15 villages and lived with the inhabitants to ensnare this beautiful art.

It is a diminishing art form which is not taken care so much by the government of Tamil Nadu.

Artists who perform this folklore art form do several small-time jobs for their livelihood, and out of passion play in the night.

Apart from epics like Mahabratha and Ramayana they also play about several zonal female Goddesses like Draupathi Amman, Mariamman etc. Epic Mahabaratha they play it as part by part every night starting from 10 pm to morning 7 am for continuously ten days. People from nearby villages gather by night to enjoy the performance laughing wailing and getting emotionally overwhelmed.

Just four or five artists perform some 10 – 15 different characters whole night, by changing make-overs swiftly over a small backstage, which has one single bulb lit low.

They sit around and apply colour powders soaked with oil and do the detailing of colours very sensibly. There will not be any make-up artists to serve them.

I love the way these Artists express themselves using minimal tools and facilities.

It’s a kind of soliloquy, relating thoughts and feelings, sharing them with the audience through a series of unspoken reflections and songs.

I adore the absurdities around this Therukoothu.

I raise funds to travel and work on these art form by doing professional wedding photography. Wedding photography helps me to put food on the table.

Currently, Prabhu Kalidas is working on an impassioned project in which he captures images on ‘Indian Culture and Aesthetics’, travelling across India. FemAsia wishes Prabhu all the very best.