Sunday, October 14, 2018

TAMIL FOLK DANCES : KAALI ATTAM : PONDICHERRY GNARARAJ EXCELS



THE DANCE OF GODESS KALI 

N. Nandhivarman  : New Indian Express: 25th June 2005

When nations emerged out of societies of strife, the concept of Motherland and Fatherland emerged, denoting the two trends of social living. In matriarchal societies, women warriors were common. They fought forces of evil. These warriors were later personified as goddesses. We can see such goddesses in almost all primitive societies. In India the goddess Kali has a nationwide appeal. In Tamil villages we have Kali temples everywhere. Mari Amman temples and Kali temples are most common places of worship in our society. 

Maari in Tamil means rain, thus the worship of rain Goddess was common in water starved Tamil Nadu. Goddess Kali is also known as Kotravai in Tamil, a fierce protector of the good versus evil. Tamil culture, which inclines towards musical or dance forms in every walk of life, sees Kali Attam as one of the interesting forms of practice. Kali worship was beautifully spelt by Swami Vivekananda in a poem titled Kali The Mother A thousand, thousand shades Of Death begrimed and black Scattering plagues and sorrows, Dancing mad with joy, Come, Mother, Come! For terror is thy name Death is in thy breath And every shaking step Destroys a world forever Thou ―Time the All-Destroyer Come O Mother Come The dance of Kali is a dance of destruction against forces of evil. And in portrayal of such dances masks are used.

The mask culture, dating back to the Pre-Historic rock paintings of 3000 BC, has traveled down the ages. Terracotta masks (2500 BC) were found in the Mohen-ja-daro excavations. Bhutan has fearful masks of animal spirits. There is a strong belief in masks belonging to souls of 215 ancestors amongst rural population. Mask dancers who propitiate the spirit, in a state of trance give manifold blessings to the gathered devotees. Masks of Siva and Durga are powerful iconic masks in India. In modern India, mask dances at theatrical and ritualistic levels are thriving well. Many stage artistes and performers have been practicing these dances and they specialize in the forms that are of interest to them.

Gnanaraj hails from a traditional family of artistes who have been performing for eight successive generations. Gnanaraj has skills to perform Karagam, Kavadi, Silambu firepot – dance and tiger-dance. This back-ground helps him in performing Kaaliattam, in which he excels. Gnanaraj alias Kuppusamy has many performance to his credit. Of particular mention is his participation in the 150-year celebrations of the arrival of Indians as indentured labourers to Gayana, which was celebrated in May1989 ―The performance of this troupe of 17 artists from Pondicherry was of high calibre and it was much appreciated by the Guyanese audiences including President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, ―says a communication from High Commission of India. 

Tamil artistes have won recognition from all over the world. An example is LR Krishnamithra who stands on a clay pot or glass tumbler and rotates it while dancing. These rare performances and talented artists bring fame to Pondicherry. South Zone Cultural Center of Tanjavoor and Arts and Culture Department of Pondicherry have commonality to the Tamil audience by inviting artistes from other states and introducing artistes like Gnanaraj to other states. 

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