In our cinema, mostly love stories have been made or the audience gets to see films glorifying the hero. Paheli When Shah Rukh Khan's name comes up, only his romantic style comes to mind, but in the film 'Paheli' he played the role of a ghost. This film was based on traditional folklore, in which a ghost falls in love …
It happened almost 35 years ago. In Tamil Nadu, there are folk deities with pan-regional appeal, those worshipped in a specific area, and deities of particular communities and families. Folk Deities of Tamil Nadu covers a few, such as Madurai Veeran, Kathavarayan, and Muthupattan, who were raised to the status of guardian deities after being killed for questioning the norms …
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin released two coffee table books titled – ‘Folk Deities of Tamil Nadu: Worship, Tradition and Custom’ and ‘Forts of Tamil Nadu: A Walk-Through’ — brought out by The Hindu Group of Publications in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and Tourism Department. Sekarbabu, Minister for Hindu Religious and …
December is the month of festivals, and music fills the air in Chennai, the actual and cultural capital of Tamil Nadu. Despite the clear divide between “classical” and “folk” which is also drawn on the lines of caste and location, the Chennai Sangamam created a platform for the coming together of classical and folk art performers, and offered a continuity …
Nothing captures the tension between the classical and folk art forms more powerfully than Tharai Thappattai, directed by Bala. A classical nagaswaram and thavil troupe performs only Carnatic ragas and keerthanas, whereas naiyandi melam follows a set of folk tunes and a lot of cinema songs. A set of tunes “Naiyandi melam follows a set of tunes, beginning with ‘thooku’, …
