From fringes to centre

Aadhi Kalaikol captures the lives of marginalised communities through their history, literature, arts, and music and familiarises their struggles and movements

- ARCHITA RAGHU

AS the lush harvest festival begins, the scenes in Tiruchy’s Gandhi Market are filled with music and the magnetic Tamil folk art, sattai kuchi attam. With bamboo sticks, and detailed steps, this folk dance is no easy feat. “This is an art form special in Tiruchirapalli and originated as transformed from a game with vaazhai thandu or karumbu, and now is passed on through generations,” explains Bhuwaneshwari, a sattai kuchi artiste.

All the way in Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam, Bhuwaneshwari brings her thozhil and instruments to city folks, bringing awareness to an artform that is often restricted to villages. Gesturing to costumes, trident, and parai, the 28-year-old explains that while s attaikuchiaatam, karagattam and others escape textbooks, it is the reality of her community and family. “We may not study this artform in paragraphs but we learn it through talam and ragam. For us, kalai and kalvi are one.” She was among the 1,000 plus artistes who attended the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing & Development Corporation Ltd’s Aadhi Kalaikol, 2024.