Therukoothu icon Kalavai Kumarasamy's family asks state govt to build memorial

NEARLY 150 years later, the streets of Chenna Samuthiram village in Kalavai, from time to time, are still pulsating with the legacy and the words of celebrated "therukoothu" (street play) writer Kalavai Kumarasamy Thambirar.

- RAJALAKSHMI SAMPATH

Renowned for their lyrical and thematic quality, Kumarasamy's timeless works, later published as books, have continued to influence a whole crop of koothu artistes, many of whom include a homage to the writer in their invocations, even today.

The descendants of Kumarasamy have urged the state government to establish a manimandapam (memorial hall) for the writer as a befitting recognition of his immense contributions to the traditional art form.

"His works such as Krishnan Thoothu and Iranya Vilasam continue to inspire koothu artistes across the North Arcot district," said S Manickavelu (65), a fifth-generation descendant of the writer.

Kumarasamy's ancestral home, where the writer had once crafted his manuscripts, now holds the stories of his artistic journey.