Reviving Tholpavaikoothu: The struggle to preserve Tamil Nadu's vanishing shadow puppetry tradition

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is widely home to various traditional art forms, which continue to survive even today. The art forms include Villupaatu, Therukoothu, Bommalattam, Tholpavaikoothu and many more. While we can see the other art forms in the city and villages, Tholpavaikoothu has somehow lost its way. What could be the possible reason behind this?

Muthuchandran is the seventh-generation puppeteer from Thovalai, a hamlet in Kanyakumari district. “My grandfather told me that our roots are from Maharashtra. We were mainly wanderers, who reached Tamil Nadu, performing Tholpavaikoothu. It is a family occupation,” starts Muthuchandran, who received the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu government for his contributions to the expansion of the art.

Giving us insights into the history of the art form, Dr R Bhanumathi, a researcher of Shadow Puppetry says, “Back then, Tholpavaikoothu was largely performed by the Arya Maratha clan in various parts of south India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Kerala, the clan and kingship are completely different. The art form is associated with the temples and they perform only Kambaramayanam. The exposure of shadow puppetry is fantastic in the state because they believe that as long as there is faith in Lord Ram and Sita, the art form will thrive.” She added that Tholpavaikoothu is not doing well in Tamil Nadu for various other reasons.

When asked how their ancestors settled in the tip of Tamil Nadu from Maharashtra, Muthuchandran elucidates, “During the reign of Serfoji Maharaj, our ancestors came down to Thanjavur. Then they started travelling to different villages within the state to perform the art. That is how I settled in Kanyakumari.” Giving us the difference between Shadow Puppetry in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Muthuchandran adds, “In Kerala, if there are seven characters in an act, seven people will be there to operate the doll and give voice. But in Tamil Nadu, it is a one-man show and I will be enacting the voice of a child, an elderly person and also a demon.”

Muthuchandran feels that the fall of Tholpavaikoothu began with the development of other sources of entertainment. “During my father’s period, the footfall of the audience was equal to that of a movie theatre, as there was absolutely no source of entertainment. After the advent of cable TV, people gradually stopped stepping out of their houses. That is how the art started to vanish. In our hamlet, we have 37 people who have a history of Tholpavaikoothu. But only four of us are practising even today. Lack of income forced many to leave the art behind,” says the folk artiste on a sad note.

Agreeing to Muthuchandran’s opinion, Bhanumathi states, “Even in villages, people are wishing to shift to music and dance events. Many folk artistes, who leave the art form behind, are those who could not equip themselves for the changing times. The way of presentation should be upgraded. This is a traditional art and the artistes should respect this to carry forward the legacy. But in other states, puppetry is doing well because they have a wider outreach. We lack networking here. Only through consistent strong performances, these artistes can make their presence felt. The audience should also be cooperative.” Notably, not

many women were into Tholpavaikoothu as the art was associated with wandering.

The plight of the folk artistes is immeasurable. “If there are not sufficient earnings to run their family, how can an artiste travel to different places and stage his act? It is a vicious cycle. Tholpavaikoothu is a vanishing art concerning Tamil Nadu,” she remarks.

To break the cycle, Muthuchandran has innovated himself and changed his style. “Earlier we used to stage only mythological or devotional epics. Now, I am using this art to create awareness on various social issues including drug-free society, and child marriage, and also take moral lessons for children. It worked well and many educational institutions are inviting me to perform,” he shares with a sigh of relief.

Peaceful with his life, Muthuchandran is on a mission to revive Tholpavaikoothu back to its original glory by taking it to the future pillars of society.