Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu): With the world coming to a standstill with no immediate signs of resumption of any kind of entertainment programmes, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be a double whammy for the already-struggling folk theatre artists from Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district, who say it has devastated their livelihood by forcing them to sit idle in their homes for months together.
These Koothu or Therukoothu artists now plead that the government provide them succour and save the traditional art form from dying a slow death.
“It has been more than two months since we have performed anywhere, and don’t have any future orders or bookings either. We are struggling to feed ourselves and our family,” Sabari a Therukoothu artist told ETV Bharat.
Seeking government assistance for all folk artists, Achutha Menon, another theatre artist said, “The cash assistance of Rs 1,000 announced by the government for folk artistes is only limited to those who have registered themselves with the folk artists Welfare Board, leaving many out. If the same assistance is extended to all artistes – in each panchayat, it would be of great help. It is not difficult to distribute cash in each village and panchayat.”
Therukoothu is an ancient form of theatre, where artists don colourful attires and sing and dance while narrating tales from the epics of Mahabharata and the Ramayana apart from local legends.
In the Dharmapuri district alone, there are over 50 Koothu or Therukoothu troupes having a membership of not less than 5,000. Each district in Tamil Nadu has similar folk cultural troupes with a more or less equal number of members attached to them.
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For a day and night performance, a troupe is usually paid a paltry sum of Rs 400 to 600 per head.
