Thilagavathi Palani, the first woman Kattaikkuttu artiste, is a force to reckon with 

Kattaikkuttu, a male dominated rural theatre form practiced in the state of Tamil Nadu, has witnessed a wave of change in the past few years, with many girls now taking up the art form as a full-time career. But the first woman to initiate this change was Thilagavathi Palani.

A powerful artiste, and a name to reckon with, Thilagavathi Palani didn’t have it easy. Hailing from a small village, Kalavaikootroad (an hour’s drive from Vellore and Kanchipuram), where girls are married off at a young age, Palani fought and stood for her rights. Fortunately, her parents were understanding and supportive of her choices. “I wanted to learn Kattaikkuttu from a very young age. My guru D Rajagopal sir started a residency school to teach this art form, and I enrolled myself there,” Palani says, adding, “There were other girls along with me who were studying this art form in the school, but after a certain age, they were forced to quit and get married. But I didn’t follow that path. I was adamant to carve my own. I spoke to my parents, promising them that I will achieve something in this field if I am given the freedom. My parents were supportive. My father said only one thing: ‘I am ready to give you the freedom, but later in life, don’t blame me.’ It’s been 20 years that I have been in this profession and I have never blamed him. I am only grateful that he let me be me.”

Kattai means wood and traditionally, men used wooden ornaments while performing. Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space acted by an ensemble of about 15 to 18 actors and musicians.

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Palani says that traditionally since only men pursued this art form, her relatives taunted and discouraged her. “I was told that if I am on stage, I will lose my purity, because all the men will look at me, and that no one will marry me. But my whole life wasn’t about planning and seeking marriage! And over the years, I have realised that if a woman is independent, the men (especially in my village) will not take a chance. But you know what, I am happily unmarried and pursuing what I love,” says the artiste.

Kattaikkuttu entails performing for long hours at night. The peak season is from March to October, and Palani informs us that last year, she along with her troupe did 150 full night shows, starting from 10 pm and winding up only at 6 am!

The performances are usually based on episodes from the Mahabharata — for example, Draupadi’s marriage, her vastra haran, Krisha’s stories, and the likes; one episode from Ramayana and Shiva and Parvati’s marriage. “People usually request particular episodes and we just plan our acts accordingly. Kattaikkuttu is a team work, it’s like theatre; we have to sing, dance, act, while wearing all that heavy costume. We have three different instruments — harmonium, the mridangam and the mukavinai — and two talams. There are background singers too.

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Traditionally, men played all the roles, but now that women have come into the picture, they too play roles of both men and women. Palani has played all the important characters from the Mahabharata like Duryodhana, Bheema, Shakuni, Krishna, Draupadi, Kuruti, Purrunuvi, and Mrinuluvi. Ask her what’s her favourite role, and she tells us, “I love playing Draupadi in ‘dice and disobey’ episode. It’s beyond two to three hours of performance, but it’s very powerful. However, I am most famous for Kurithi’s role. For this, I have to perform eight long hours, with a 10-minute break every two hours. When I was learning, it seemed like a task, but now I am a pro!”

Free entry. December 19, 6 pm. 
At Medai – The Stage, Alwarpet.
 
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain