Purisai: a village festival seeks the world stage

The sounds of artists rehearsing their parts echo through the lanes of Purisai, the village that does not sleep in October. Eager audiences throng the village square, music fills the air, and the modest houses lining the streets transform into green rooms. Small local businesses like the tea stall run by Kupusami and Chandra serve customers through the night. There are performers from across the country— folk theatre people from Jharkhand, local Therukoothu artists, Parai troupes from other parts of Tamil Nadu, performers from Kerala, Puducherry, and modern theatre artists from Chennai and beyond. It is October 6, 2024, and the famous Kalaimamani Kannappa Thambiran Memorial theatre festival, more popularly known as the Purisai festival, is back again.

Earlier it used to be a three-day event. After the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted many such traditions, it is now held every alternate year for a day and a half at the most. The festival’s roots go back to 1989, when it was known as Kodai Vizha (Summer festival), started by the modern dramatist N. Muthusamy along with Kannappa Thambiran and his elder son Kaasi from Purisai. Muthusamy was inspired by the raw energy of this folk form and worked with Thambiran to blend Therukoothu with modern storytelling techniques.

This village has had a reputation of being a hub of Therukoothu artists. “Everyone is an artist here, be they farmers or daily wage labourers,” says Palani Murugan, 49, a resident of the village, a Therukoothu artist, and one of the organisers of the festival. After decades in city-based modern theatre and contemporary dance, Murugan has returned to Therukoothu. “Adapting to its spontaneity after years of rehearsed performances was challenging,” he admits, “but it has been a homecoming.”

Like most folk artists, Murugan balances multiple roles—working in cinema, teaching acting, and performing Therukoothu. “It’s difficult to survive as a full-time folk artist,” he admits, “but my life will always revolve around art.” He has enthusiastically embraced the raw energy of the folk form.

The very first festival in the 1980s saw folk performances like Thappattam and Karambai Koothu with modern Tamil dramas by writers like Mu. Ramasamy and Indira Parthasarathy. But the excitement did not last long. “In 1991, the festival had to stop because we encountered financial and other problems,” recalls Murugan.

It was only after about a decade, when Kannappa Thambiran died in 2003, that his son Kaasi and fellow drama organizers tried to revive the then annual event in his memory. It was renamed as the Kalaimamani Kannappa Thambiran Memorial theatre festival. Then in 2021 when Kaasi passed away at the age of 75, his younger brother Sambandan and Murugan, along with other trustees, took charge of the festival.

Sambandan, 72, the younger son of Thambiran, is a reputed artist and a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee. He had learned the art as a child along with other children in the village, but his own father did not want him to practice Therukoothu for a living, as it would not bring in enough money. He moved to the city then and temporarily worked as a postmaster and a taxi driver. But eventually he gave in to his passion for the art form and returned to his village as a full-time actor. “This is the only thing I know best and which I can keep doing,” he says. Today he also teaches in schools across the country and even overseas.

The festival he handles along with Murugan has grown to be more diverse with each passing year. In 2010, the festival welcomed Sri Lankan theatre groups, Kerala’s Kathakali performers, and even Seraikela Chhau artists from Jharkhand. The villages have also witnessed varied kind of performances by Bharatanatyam dancers, jazz musicians, and contemporary artists unfolding on the Purisai stage. “In Purisai, people watch performances in languages they don’t understand, but they connect through rhythm and emotion,” says Palani Murugan.

The Ministry of Culture has come to recognise the importance of the festival and has come forward with grants to fund it in addition to the money that always came from the villages, and the artists associations and theatre supporters. “How long can we carry on as a village mela? We want to improve facilities, offer proper accommodation for artists, and enhance the stage setup,” says Murugan. “Our goal is to make Purisai festival an event that honours its roots while reaching for the world stage.”

The author would like to thank M. Palani Kumar for his guidance and help with the photographs.