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| Photo by Express lensman S.Kamalakannan |
As a revolution in
the tradition of Kambalathu Naicker community, its folk dance form Devarattam, which is generally performed
only on auspicious occasions like weddings and temple festivals, took a radical
turn when it was presented by a team of dancers in the funeral of their Guru
and veteran dancer ‘Kalaimamani’ Kumararaman mourning his demise on June 8,
2014
Hailing from an
agricultural family at Zamin Kodangipatti, a hamlet in Tuticorin district, Kumararaman,
a retired headmaster, took efforts to revive the traditional dance form and
popularized it by presenting his shows in the Indian Republic Day parade in New Delhi
and Wereld Kinderfestival (World
Children’s Festival) in the Netherlands.
But, it is no exaggeration
that Coimbatoreans felt as if they were at Zamin Kodangipatti, when they
enjoyed the performance of Devarattam
by Sri Sakka
Devi Gramiya Kalai Kuzhu in memory of Kumararaman here on Sunday
evening. Hats off to Aruvi, a
city-based art and literary forum for arranging the show
“Reviving the folk
dance form, Kumararaman also pioneered the innovation in bringing girls to
perform Devarattam, while it was only
confined to men” averred Ramraj, a street play artiste and Tamil professor from
P.S.G.College of Arts and Science
While reading out an
introduction to Devarattam from an
article by A.K.Perumal, a scholar in folk arts, he pointed out:
“Devarattam is generally performed only in the festival nights of
worshipping Jakkamma, the family
deity of Kambalathu Naickers”
Legend has it that the
daughter of the sage Kalaikottu Maamunivar asked her father to provide her a
boon that she would beget a child without coital relationship with a man. And
the sage provided her the fruit ‘Kan
Pazham’ (The artistes refer it to a lemon), through which she gave birth to a
child. Hence, the descendents of the child, later, came to be called as ‘Kan Pazhathar’ which has got corrupted to ‘Kambalathar’
A mythology behind Devarattam (The dance of Devas)
discloses that the creator God Vishwakarman, made a new percussion instrument
called ‘Deva Thunthubi’ and asked the
‘Devas’ ( celestials) to play on it. As they could not do so, a Pandaram (Priest), whose job is
stringing flowers to Gods, played the instrument after worshipping Lord Shiva
and the Devas danced to his music. Hence, it came to be called ‘Devarattam’
Performed through
generations in the villages surrounding Madurai and Tuticorin, the Devarattam is a unique dance form, in which the Arunthathiars, one
of the nine clans of Kambalathu Naicker community play the percussion
instrument ‘Deva Thunthubi’ (Urumee) while members from the Sillavar clan dance
in a row.
Now the dancers get ready to display their skills, as the percussionist
rubs his stick on the ‘Deva Thunthubi’ which produces a music resembling the
moaning of a wild animal.
The dance that begins
with a slow tempo gradually increases its speed and becomes artistically
vigorous. With the dancers pausing at a point, the ‘animal moans’ for a
silent few seconds. And the little pause provides the dancers a new vigor to
rock again.
Link to my article in The New Indian Express: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/3838332
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