Theru Koothu

Subject: Art and Culture

Context: A group of TheruKoothu, a declining art form,saw artists performing their first performance in political party rally this year.

Concept:

It is the most popular form of folk drama of Tamil Nadu, literally means “street play”.
It is mostly performed at the time of annual temple festivals of Mariamman (Rain goddess) to achieve rich harvest.
At the core of the extensive repertoire of Therukoothu there is a cycle of eight plays based on the life of Draupadi.
Kattiakaran, the Sutradhara of the Therukoothu performance, gives the gist of the play to the audience and Komali entertains the audience with his buffoonery
In TheruKoothu make-up and costumes are considered to be of prime importance.They perform with menacing moustaches, heavy make-up, colourful dresses and a handful male dressed as female mythological characters as well.
Generally performed in open air, under the gas lights.