Terukkuttu

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Dharumar @Therukkuthu

Terukkuttu is a Tamil street theatre form practised in Tamil Nadu state of India and Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka. [1] Terukuttu is a form of entertainment, a ritual, and a medium of social instruction. [2] The terukkuttu plays various themes. One theme is from the Tamil language versions of the Hindu epic Mahabharata , focusing on the character Draupadi. [3] The terms Terukkuttu and Kattaikkuttu are often used interchangeably in the modern times; however, historically the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages, between two different kinds of performance: while Terukkuttu referred to mobile performances in a procession, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space. [4]

Contents

History

The term terukkuttu is derived from the Tamil words Teru ("street") and Kuttu ("theatre"). [5] The word "Kattaikkuttu" is derived from the name of special ornaments known as kattai (or kattai camankal).

The writer M. Shanmugam Pillai has compared terukkuttu to the Tamil epic Silappatikaram, calling Silappatikaram a proto-form of terukkuttu. The Silappatikaram story is still performed by the terukkuttu actors, the terukkuttu drama commences and ends in a manner similar to the commencement and end of each canto in the epic, and the actors sing and converse in verse interspersed with prose, the prose coming after the verse as its explanation. Both Silappatikaram and terukkuttu are centered around the chastity and moral power of women as cherished values. [2]

However, historically, the terukkuttu is not more than two to three centuries old. [2] The researcher Richard A. Frasca wrote that certain of his performer-informants believed that the terukkuttu originally emanated from the Gingee area. [6] It spread from South India to Sri Lanka, and became popular in Jaffna and Batticaloa. The early Sinhala Nadagam (open-air drama) closely followed Terukuttu plays in presentation and in style. [7] The Jesuit priests in Jaffna also presented Catholic plays from the Portuguese tradition in Terukuttu style. [8]

Many scholars note the similarity between terukkuttu and other neighbouring regional drama forms, such as Yakshagana and Kathakali. [9] However, unlike Kathakali, terukkuttu is less codified, and is generally considered a folk art rather than a classical art form. [10] In recent times, some terukkuttu groups have also started operating as professional troupes. [11]

Theme

Many terukuttu performances center around the enactment of Mahabharata story, with emphasis on the role of Draupadi. Terukkuttu plays on Ramayana are performed at Mariyamman festivals, and some of the plays also involve local deities. [9]

The terukkuttu plays form part of ritual celebrations including the twenty-one day temple festival starting in Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil calendar. [2] The terukkuttu performances begin in the middle of the festival, and continue till the morning of the penultimate day.

The core themes of the terukuttu plays include:

Style

The terukkuttu plays are a combination of song, music, dance and drama along with "clever stage tricks". [13] The actors wear colorful costumes. The musical instruments used by the terukkuttu musicians include harmonium, drums, a mukhavinai (an instrument similar to oboe), and cymbals.

An acting arena is marked at courtyard of a temple, open ground or any other convenient site and people squat on the three sides of the rectangular arena. The chorus of singers and the musicians occupy the place on the rear side of the stage, and the actors use the front side. Two persons holding a curtain enter the arena, with an actor in the guise of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god. The chorus begins an invocation to Ganesha, and prayers are also offered to many other deities. The actor playing Ganesha now moves out of the arena, and Kattiyakkaran (jester and sutradhara i.e. the narrator) appears on the stage. Kattiyakkaran relates the story of the play to be performed and introduces the characters. Sometimes, the characters introduce themselves. Kattiyakkaran links the scenes, provides context to the happenings on the stage and also jests in between the scenes. The actors sing themselves, supported by the chorus.

The text of a terukkuttu play is a series of songs related by a theme. Each song is rendered in a raga, structured in form of a classical song. It is preceded by viruttam, chanting of four-line verses in the same raga as the song. [14] After the song, an actor delivers a speech based on it.

The French theater group, Théâtre du Soleil, used elements of Terukuttu, including the two stories The Vow of Draupadi, and The defeat of Karna in their play, A Room in India. [13]

Related Research Articles

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The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors.

Bharatanatyam Major form of Indian classical dance

Bharatanatyam, also previously called Sadhir Attam, is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance traditions in India. It has been nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since the ancient era. It is one of eight forms of dance recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and it expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism.

Arjuna A protagonist of Indian epic Mahabharata; 3rd Pandava

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Draupadi The heroine of the Hindu epic Mahabharata

Draupadi, also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the heroine of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. According to the epic, she was the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. She is described to be the most beautiful woman of her time and was prophesied to bring the end of many warriors.

Vijayadashami Annual Hindu festival, celebrated at the end of Navaratri

Vijayadashami also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, the seventh month of the Hindu Luni-Solar Calendar, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October.

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Duryodhana also known as Suyodhana, is the main antagonist in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of a blind king Dhritarashtra and queen Gandhari. Being the firstborn son of the blind king, he was the crown prince of Kuru Kingdom and its capital Hastinapura along with his cousin Yudhishtra who was older than him. Karna was Duryodhana's closest friend. Notably, Duryodhana, with significant assistance from Karna, performs Vaishnava Yagna when the Pandavas are in exile. Duryodhana used his greater skill in wielding the mace to defeat opponents. He was also an extremely courageous warrior and he was said to be a good ruler. Duryodhana's greed and arrogance were the two qualities said to lead to his downfall in the Mahabharata.

Karna A warrior in the epic Mahabharata

Karna, also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the major characters of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He is the spiritual son of the Vedic deity- Surya and princess Kunti, and thus a demigod of royal birth. Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage, fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had no choice but to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges, in the hope that he finds foster parents. The basket discovered and Karna is adopted and raised by foster Suta parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra.

Koothu

Koothu or Therukoothu (jwalith)(Tamil: கூத்து), is an ancient art, where artists play songs with dance and music in storytelling the epics, performed in Tamil; it is a folk art originated from the early Tamil country. More precisely Koothu refers to either Terukuttu (Tamil:தெருக்கூத்து) or Kattaikkuttu. The terms Terukkuttu and Kattaikkuttu are often used interchangeably in modern times; however, historically, the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages, between two different kinds of performance: while Terukkuttu referred to mobile performances in a procession, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space. Koothu as a form of entertainment reached its peak hundreds of years ago in Tamil Nadu, as mentioned in the Sangam texts about the development of iyal (literature), isai (music) and natagam (drama). Going beyond just a means of entertainment, koothu educates the rural people about religion and their history.

Iravan minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata

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<i>Mahabharat</i> (1988 TV series) 1988 TV Series by B.R. Chopra based on epic Mahabharata

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Kattaikkuttu is a rural theatre form practiced in the State of Tamil Nadu in South India. The performers – by tradition only men - sing, act and dance and the musicians accompany them on the harmonium, the mridangam and the mukavinai. The terms Terukkuttu and Kattaikkuttu are often used interchangeably. However, historically the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages, between two different kinds of performance: while Terukkuttu referred to mobile performances by two actors participating in a procession for the village deity Mariamman, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space acted by an ensemble of about fifteen actors and musicians.

<i>Karnan</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by B. R. Panthulu

Karnan is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. It features Sivaji Ganesan leading an ensemble cast consisting of N. T. Rama Rao, S. A. Ashokan, R. Muthuraman, Devika, Savitri and M. V. Rajamma. The film is based on the story of Karna, a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

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<i>Venmurasu</i>

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Alfred John Hiltebeitel is Columbian Professor of Religion, History, and Human Sciences at George Washington University in Washington DC, USA. His academic specialism is in ancient Sanskrit epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, together with Indian religious tradition and folklore.

References

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  6. Frasca, Richard Armando (1984). The Terukkūttu : ritual theater of Tamilnadu (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, Berkeley. p. 140. OCLC   13876271.
  7. W. T. A. Leslie Fernando (24 December 2003). "Daily Mirror". Archived from the original on 23 March 2004. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  8. W. T. A. Leslie Fernando. "Did Sinhala drama originate in Christmas?" . Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  9. 1 2 Hiltebeitel, Alf (1988). The Cult of Draupadi: Mythologies: From Gingee to Kuruksetra. University Of Chicago Press. pp. 146–149. ISBN   978-0-226-34046-3. OCLC   18739841.
  10. Richmond, Farley P.; Darius L. Swann; Phillip B. Zarrilli (1993) [1990]. Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 309. ISBN   978-0-8248-1322-2. OCLC   20594132.
  11. "From Street Theater to Kattaikuttu". 4 November 1999. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  12. Symbol of sacrifice: Online edition of The Hindu, 17 August 2001
  13. 1 2 Green, Jesse (6 December 2017). "Review: 'A Room in India' Overflows With Astonishing Visions". The New York Times.
  14. edited by Stanley Sadie. (1980). "Introduction to Indian Music: Folk Music". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-1-56159-174-9.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)

Further reading