The Role of The Narrator in The Traditional Koothu and its Reproduction

பாரம்பரியக் கூத்தில் பறையறைவோன் பாத்திரமும் அதன் மீளுருவாக்கமும்

Abstract

The caste structure, which is deeply rooted in the culture of Tamil societies and its inequitable mentality, has a great influence on the traditional forms of performing arts carried on by Tamils.
We often see caste inequality and gender discrimination reinforced in traditional chants that are mostly epic and mythologically centered. As a result, traditional performances have become increasingly predictable. The vast majority of artists who seek to speak of the progressive issues of the time are drawn to express their ideas not in the traditional arts but in the modern art form. In this context, the participatory research work on the koothu renaissance carried out at the Eelathu Kootharangu in the years 2002-2003 is proposed as a practical study to recreate the subject of traditional performing arts forms with the participation of the communities that follow them in a timely manner. In this way, this article examines the process by which the Valluvar community, which has been marginalized as a marginalized caste in Tamil culture, and therhetorical character it represents, have recreated that character in a contemporary manner, questioning the structure of Eelam’s Vadamodik koothu.