‘Madai’: Festival of Traditional Arts and Celebration of Traditional Artists

&

Celebration of the Arts of the Heart and the Roots!

Performances! Displays!! Interactions!!!

25, 26 and27nth October 2013

09.00am to 10.30pm

Sivanandha Thabovanam

Uppuveli Road,

Trincomalle

A program of Dept. of Hindu Cultural Affairs

Performances, Displays & interactions of the peripherals will parallels with the conventional traditional art forms!

mahidi kooththu, kooththu, kaman kooththu, thappu, udukku, parai,karaham/kumbham, polladi, kafringea, vaasaappu,  performances of veddhas, folk songs and dances, burgher music, kaaththavarayan kooththu, ponnar sankar, silambam and more and more of its kind!

Plus

‘kalari’-Traditional Theatre Construction, ‘Madaalayam’-traditional ritual architectural construction and Thoranam - traditional decorative construction!!

And

Two hundred traditional artists from all over Sri Lanka will illuminate this festival with their energy of mastery in their arts!!!

‘Madai’ is an offering of the communities for the communities!!!

Madai’: Festival of Traditional Arts and Celebration of Traditional Artists

It’s a space of interaction for artists from different places, generations, socio-cultural backgrounds and art forms!

It’s a space for sharing and performing the expertise and experiences of traditional artists!

It’s a space for engaging in dialogue on the importance and challenges of Traditional Arts in the Globalized era!

It’s a space for questioning and raising critical issues such as gender and caste in Traditional Arts!

It’s a space with performances and exhibits in order to excite and enlighten!

FOLKLORE IS THE MUSEUM OF IDEAS." Antonio Gramsci

Madai is a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 4657) from the verb root Madu, (Maduththal), meaning to take food, drink or to feed. (Also Ma'ndu > Madu)

Madai, Madaiyan (cook), Madaip-pa'l'li are derivatives.

Madai in the sense of food and food offering to God, has been used in the Changkam literature itself:

"Pal vea'ru uruvin chil avizh madai" (Ku'runthokai, 362:3)

Madaik-ka'l (toddy to drink): Natti'nai 59:5

Food offer after animal sacrifice: "Vidai veezhththu choodu kizhippa madai" (Pu'ra:naanoo'ru 366:17)

Milk rice as offering to a folk deity: "Paal madai koduththu" (Chilappathikaaram 15:117)

Food offering to Kottavai along with blood sacrifice: " Ni'ram padu kuruthi pu'rampadin allathu madai ethir ko'l'laa ...kadavu'l ayirai (Pathittuppaththu 79:16-18)

There were also references to Madai-nool (text on the art of cooking, Ma'nimeakalai 2:22)

TRINCO FOLK FESTIVAL -2013

CHECK MATE: A SHORT FILM BY GOVARTHANAN

CHECK MATE IS THE SECOND SHORT FILM OF PROMISING YOUNGSTER GOVARTHANAN.

"ME TOO A MOTHER"(Tamil) is his first short film which showcases the brilliance of this young filmmaker.

The release of the second of his short film will be held at YMCA hall on 11nth Sunday 04.00pm.

BUNCH OF BELLS TAGGED IN LEATHER: AN INSTRUMENTAL ORNAMENT IN KOOTHTHU AND SYMBOL OF CULTURE AND ECONOMY OF LOCAL TRADITIONS!!!

'MAHIDI' A GREAT THEATRE TRADITION OF TAMILS OF SRI LANKA

                  'MAHIDI'  PERFORMANCE AT SNATHIVELI, BATTICALO, SRI LANKA-2013

                             'MAHIDI' IS BEING PERFORMED DURING APRIL NEW YEAR

                              A GREAT THEATRE TRADITION YET TO BE EXPLORED

THIRDEYE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL ACTIVISTS GROUP AND DEPT. OF FINEARTS OF EASTERN UNIVERSITY SRI LANKA IS ENGAGED IN THIS VENTURE FROM 2011

ARTS STALL OF DEPT OF FINEARTS @ THESATHTHIN MAHUDAM' IN AMPARAI, SRI LANKA- 2013

         TOOLS USED IN LOCAL RITUAL TRADITIONS  PRODUCED BY LOCAL ARTSMITHS

BRONZE WORKS OF LOCAL TRADITION AND 'MATHTHALAM' OF 'KOOTHTHU' WITH A MODERN PAINTING WHERE LORD 'PILLAIYAR' COMES OUT OF THE TEMPLE TO PLAY 'PARAI MELA KOOTHTHU' WITH "OUTCASTE" PERFORMERS NOT PERMITTED TO ENTER THE TEMPLES OF 'AGAMIC' AND 'PATHTHASI' TRADITIONS.

BRONZE WORKS OF LOCAL TRADITION AND A MODERN SCULPTURE OF 'KOOTHTHU' DANCERS IN ROOTS OF A TREE.

DEPT. OF FINEARTS, EASTERN UNIVERSITY @ 'THESATHTHIN MAHUDAM' EXHIBITION IN AMPARAI, SRI LANKA

TRIBUTE TO OUR GREAT NONCHIPODI 'ANNAVIYAR' (1913-2013)

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGES DAY-FEBRUARY 21

poses and positions in thenmodi kooththu-03

POSES AND POSITIONS IN THENMODI KOOTHTHU-02

POSES AND POSITIONS IN THENMODY KOOTHTHU-01

PAINTING OF ARUNTHATHI RATNARAJ

Parai and Thampaddam of Northern Sri Lanka!

 

ANCIENT AND VIBRANT MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF AN ART FORM LOST ITS STATUS?! YES, BECAUSE OF CASTEISM!
AN ENEMY WITHIN !!
BUT ITS VIGOR VIBRATES OVER THE SHELLS OF OPPRESSIONS!!!

Head Gear of Kings in Kooththu the Traditional Theatre of the Tamils of Sri Lanka

CULTURAL HERITAGE  AND AS LOCAL ART INDUSTRY

SUDALAIAMMA VAKKUMOOLAM

Marapachi Presents Vakkumoolam & Sudalaiamma Text: V. Geetha Direction: A. Mangai

In our unjust and cruel society, struggles for equality, dignity and justice have to reckon with violence, sexual torture and death. A majority of  our  poor  is  engaged  in  these  struggles, which they must wage even as they continue with  their  everyday  lives  -  making  a  living, raising  children,  taking  care  of  the  elderly... These two plays are attempts at understanding lives led in the shadow of state violence and apathy on the one hand, and in the uneasy yet nurturing  glow  of  sorrowing  affection  on  the other. Both plays are fictional explorations of actual events.

Contact Details: Marappachi, 4, Veerasamy Road, Kurinji Nagar, Perungudi, Chennai - 600 096 Ph: 044-24963079 Email: marappachitrust@gmail.com

Vakkumoolam Author's Note: V. Geetha Vakkumoolam    (Testimony)    centres    around    a    peasant woman, Nagamma, who dares to fall in love with and marry a young dalit man. She is ostracised by her community, but undeterred  she  takes  them  on,  exposing  their  many  acts of  local  corruption,  deception  and  violence.  In the event, she is  falsely  accused  of  theft  and  arrested.  She  suffers  unspeakable  acts  of  torture  and  is  made  to witness  the continued  sexual  assault  of  her  daughter.  All  this  happens in  early  1977  in  the  last  months  of  the  Emergency.  Once she is released, she begins her long journey towards justice. She is distraught and shocked to find that the man who is to investigate the crimes against her was one of her torturers. Drawing on Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden the play deals with issues of impunity and accountability. We came to know of Nagamma's story from an article written by Mythily Sivaraman  (of  the  CPM  and  AIDWA)  for  the  Economic  and Political  Weekly  and  we  see  this  play  as  a  tribute  to  her politics of justice and empathy. Director's Note: A. Mangai In   our   conversations   about   violence,   emotions   tend   to predominate: even as we give vent to sorrow, rage and pain we risk losing sight of the everyday. This is especially so with discussions of sexual violence,  where  symbols,  metaphors and notions of honour take over. As far as state violence is concerned,  the  terror  it  arouses  overwhelms  all  else.  Yet,even as pain and sorrow prove insistent, people continue to live. How do we mark the experience of pain, now resonating as memory, especially memories of sexual violence that are invariably burdened? What sort of language may we use to express all of this? Black and white sheets, a revolving chair, the click of a  all- point  pen,  the  sound  of  grain  being  winnowed  -  several images  unfold  on  stage,  with  each  leading  to  the  other, and  each  adding  to  the  other's  meanings.  In  and  through these  images,  Vakkumoolam  unfolds  as  a  tough  and  close struggle between authority and a will to ethical justice. On Stage: Jeny, Neethirajan, Geetha, Srijith Sundaram Backstage: Art: Natraj, Guruz. Stage Management: Aswini, Senthalir. Sound: Prema Revathi. Sound Execution: Devendiran. Lights: Surendar/Bhaskar. Text: V. Geetha. Direction: A. Mangai

Sudalaiamma Author's Note: V. Geetha Sudalaiamma  features  a  female  graveyard  worker  who  is determined  to  grant  a  decent  burial  to  an  ‹encountered› young  man’s  body.  He  is  a  much  loved  political  activist, engaged  in  organizing  agricultural  workers,  and  taking  on caste injustice. However with the police guarding his corpse, a habitual task turns into a risky act. Sudalaiamma decides to risk police disapproval and in the event comes to learn of how even the dead can prove seditious. So much so, she begins to wonder about what makes for legitimacy and what makes for treason. The play is a journey into her consciousness and reasoning: she is keenly aware of the folly and injustice that attend even death in our social context. On the other hand, she has a deep existential sense of human dignity and frailty.  Inspired by Sophocles’ Antigone and the exemplary courage of our poorest and most marginal citizens who yet believe in justice and in tremendous good faith work the law and its protocols, we would like to dedicate this play to the memory of the late Dr K. Balagopal. Director's Note: A. Mangai We pride ourselves  on  our  lineage  of  honoring  the  dead  -   in   propitiating   their   memory   from   time   immemorial, reading  their  abiding  presence  in  crows,  in  hero-stones¼ Yet  today,  as  the  state  attempts  to  secure  its  sovereignty by  threatening  to  'disappear'  its  citizens,  the  ancient  right to  offer obeisance  to  the  dead  is  constantly  violated.  In a society where graveyards grow by the day, seeking respect for the dead becomes a crime. For Sudalaimma, the graveyard worker,  witness  to  many  deaths,  to  tend  to  the  dead  is labour well-done and she sees this labour of love as her way of doing right by the dead. She confronts the authority of the state in matters of life and death, by continuing to speak of the value of life from the field of the dead. Images  of  life  and  death  jostle  on  stage,  and  even  as  food reeks  of  decay,  death  is  kept  at  bay  by  everyday  acts  of living  -  water,  a  hearth  and  a  clothes-line  frame  this  world of the dead. A box of memories, a bed that is a refuge, and a cluster of voices and forms, accompanies Sudalaimma in her journeys between the two opposed worlds of violent state power and the uneasy calm of the graveyard. On Stage:  Prema  Revathi,  Janagi,  Sampathkumar,  Selvi, Sowmiya Backstage:  Art:  Natraj,  Guruz.  Lights:  Surendar/Bhaskar. Text: V. Geetha. Direction: A. Mangai

Friends, We are glad to inform you that at Cre-A's initiative, its publication Kutti Ilavarasan (The Little Prince) was published in Braille by IAB, Madurai. At a function on April 3rd at Madurai, the French Consul General Mr. Pierre Fournier released the Braille edition. Copies of the edition were distributed free among 40 institutions that train the visually handicapped. S. Ramakrishnan Braille edition of French classic released ‘Kutti Ilavarasan’ given away to 40 institutions across the State “One sees clearly only with the heart because what is essential is invisible to the eye,” says a fox to the little prince in the French classic The Little Prince. True to those words, a group of children who could see everything with their hearts but nothing with their eyes had gathered at the Indian Association for the Blind (IAB) at Sundararajanpatti near here on Wednesday for the release of a Braille edition of the book translated into Tamil. “One sees clearly only with the heart because what is essential is invisible to the eye,” says a fox to the little prince in the French classic The Little Prince. True to those words, a group of children who could see everything with their hearts but nothing with their eyes had gathered at the Indian Association for the Blind (IAB) at Sundararajanpatti near here on Wednesday for the release of a Braille edition of the book translated into Tamil. Pierrre Fournier, Consul General of France at Puducherry, released the Braille edition and A. Chermathai, secretary, IAB, received the first copy. Ms. Chermathai, 62, was among the first batch of visually challenged people who benefited from rehabilitation programmes conducted by the IAB during its inception in 1985. She worked as a government school teacher for long and associated herself with the IAB after her retirement. The IAB was founded by S.M.A. Jinnah, a visionary who lacked the use of his eyes since the age of 13. It was administered by a managing committee comprising 13 members, six of whom were visually challenged women and three visually challenged men. It runs a higher secondary school and assists the visually challenged in gaining education from Standard I to post-graduation. It also helps them become self-reliant and employable. The association joined hands with United Way of Chennai, a philanthropic organisation, to start the IAB-UWC Finishing School aimed at assisting visually challenged youth seeking employment. The school was also inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of Shyamala Ashok, Executive Director, UWC. K.N. Subramanian, Lead District Manager, Canara Bank, participated in the function and distributed CD players to visually challenged students of Standard IX. The CD players were donated by Ability International Charitable Trust in the United States. C. Rama Subramanian, a renowned psychiatrist and also the president of IAB, said that the Braille edition of the French book, translated into Tamil with the title ‘Kutti Ilavarasan,’ would be distributed in 40 institutions, including 10 schools, 10 colleges and 10 organisations involved in rehabilitation of the visually challenged in the State. S. Ramakrishnan of Cre-A publications in Chennai  had taken the initiative to bring out the Braille edition of the book in Tamil. Appreciating the effort, the Consul General said that it was one of the greatest books of the century which almost every French citizen, including himself, knew by heart. It had been translated into more than 200 languages and around 14 crore copies of it had been sold since it was published in 1943. “I am delighted to release the Tamil Braille edition on the 70th anniversary of the book’s publication. It is written for the child within an adult,” he said. Mr. Subramanian applauded the work of IAB and said that it had been mandatory for all banks to provide education loans to visually challenged students who had successfully completed Standard XII. “We are also providing financial assistance to those who want to be self-employed,” he said.

Contact Cre-A: New No. 2 Old No. 25 First Floor, 17th East Street, Kamarajar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur Chennai - 600 041. Tel: 72999 05950 / 044 - 4202 0283 Email: creapublishers@gmail.com  (Office Time 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Contact IAB Mr. S.M.A. Jinnah Indian Association for the Blind Sundararajanpatty Arumbanoor Post Madurai 625 104 Mob.: 96008 22994