| Terukkuttu | |
|---|---|
 An artist performing in Therukkuthu | |
| Stylistic origins | Koothu,Ancient Tamil music,Dance forms of Tamil Nadu |
| Cultural origins | Tamilakam |
Terukkuttu is aTamilstreet theatre form practised inTamil Nadu state ofIndia and Tamil-speaking regions ofSri Lanka.[1] Terukuttu is a form ofKoothu, an entertainment, a ritual, and a medium of social instruction,[2] originated from the earlyTamilakam.[3][4] The terukkuttu plays various themes. One theme is from the Tamil language versions of theHindu epicMahabharata, focusing on the characterDraupadi.[5] The terms Terukkuttu andKattaikkuttu are often used interchangeably in the modern times; however, historically the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages, between two different kinds of performance: whileTerukkuttu referred to mobile performances in a procession, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space.[6]
The termterukkuttu is derived from the Tamil wordsTeru ("street") andKuttu ("theatre").[7] The word "Kattaikkuttu" is derived from the name of special ornaments known askattai (orkattai camankal).
The writer M. Shanmugam Pillai has compared terukkuttu to the Tamil epicSilappatikaram, calling Silappatikaram a proto-form of terukkuttu. The Silappatikaram story is still performed by the terukkuttu actors, the terukkuttu drama commences and ends in a manner similar to the commencement and end of each canto in the epic, and the actors sing and converse in verse interspersed with prose, the prose coming after the verse as its explanation. Both Silappatikaram and terukkuttu are centered around thechastity andmoral power of women as cherished values.[2]
However, historically, the terukkuttu is not more than two to three centuries old.[2] The researcher Richard A. Frasca wrote that certain of his performer-informants believed that the terukkuttu originally emanated from theGingee area.[8] It spread from South India to Sri Lanka, and became popular inJaffna andBatticaloa. The earlySinhalaNadagam (open-air drama) closely followed Terukuttu plays in presentation and in style.[9] The Jesuit priests inJaffna also presentedCatholic plays from the Portuguese tradition in Terukuttu style.[10]
Many scholars note the similarity between terukkuttu and other neighbouring regional drama forms, such asYakshagana andKathakali.[11] However, unlike Kathakali, terukkuttu is less codified, and is generally considered a folk art rather than a classical art form.[12] In recent times, some terukkuttu groups have also started operating as professional troupes.[13]
Many terukuttu performances center around the enactment ofMahabharata story, with emphasis on the role ofDraupadi. Terukkuttu plays onRamayana are performed at Mariyamman festivals, and some of the plays also involve local deities.[11]
The terukkuttu plays form part of ritual celebrations including the twenty-one day temple festival starting inChittirai, the first month of theTamil calendar.[2] The terukkuttu performances begin in the middle of the festival, and continue till the morning of the penultimate day.
The core themes of the terukuttu plays include:
The terukkuttu plays are a combination of song, music, dance and drama along with "clever stage tricks".[15] The actors wear colorful costumes. The musical instruments used by the terukkuttu musicians includeharmonium,drums, amukhavinai (an instrument similar tooboe), andcymbals.
An acting arena is marked at courtyard of a temple, open ground or any other convenient site and people squat on the three sides of the rectangular arena. The chorus of singers and the musicians occupy the place on the rear side of the stage, and the actors use the front side. Two persons holding a curtain enter the arena, with an actor in the guise ofGanesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god. The chorus begins an invocation to Ganesha, and prayers are also offered to many other deities. The actor playing Ganesha now moves out of the arena, andKattiyakkaran (jester andsutradhara i.e. the narrator) appears on the stage.Kattiyakkaran relates the story of the play to be performed and introduces the characters. Sometimes, the characters introduce themselves.Kattiyakkaran links the scenes, provides context to the happenings on the stage and also jests in between the scenes. The actors sing themselves, supported by the chorus.
The text of a terukkuttu play is a series of songs related by a theme. Each song is rendered in araga, structured in form of a classical song. It is preceded byviruttam, chanting of four-line verses in the same raga as the song.[16] After the song, an actor delivers a speech based on it.
The French theater group,Théâtre du Soleil, used elements of Terukuttu, including the two stories The Vow of Draupadi, and The defeat of Karna in their play, A Room in India.[15]
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