The play is being organised and carried out by city-based Udalveli Arts Basis 
| Picture Credit score: Particular association

The road play Panchali Sabatham initially lasts a whole evening. “It’s normally carried out from 10.30pm and goes on until 6am the subsequent day,” says therukoothu veteran PK Sambandan. The 72-year-old, who runs the Purisai Duraisamy Kannappa Thambiran Therukoothu troupe in Purisai village in Thiruvannamalai district, is bringing the play to the town this weekend.

This model although, is fitted to stage performances, and is an hour lengthy. The play is being organised and carried out by city-based Udalveli Arts Basis in affiliation with Purisai Duraisamy Kannappa Thambiran Parambarai Therukoothu Manram, and is produced by Chennai-based Ilulu, a collective that goals at offering financial stability for artistes. “The concept is to take the artwork type of therukoothu to kids,” says Dharanidharan, the founding father of Udalveli. “They could have seen or examine it in textbooks; we wish to present that them what it truly is.”

Members of the Purisai Kannappa Thambiran Therukoothu troupe preparing for a play
| Picture Credit score:
PERIASAMY M

It’s doable to relate a dense and layered story from the epic Mahabharata in 60 minutes? “Sure,” says Sambandan, including that their play will depict Panchali’s story, beginning with Duryodhana’s sport of cube by means of which he defeats the Pandavas, getting them to guess every little thing of their arms, together with their spouse. “He sends his brother to fetch her,” he says, including that their model ends along with her being humiliated and disrobed, lastly taking a vow by no means to tie her hair till these chargeable for her destiny pay for it with their lives.

Sambandan continues to show therukoothu to these . A number of of his college students have gone on to carry out at phases internationally. “Final 12 months, we had college students from the Nationwide College Of Drama in Delhi go to us in Purisai,” he says, including that they educated below him for 40 days, ultimately performing the piece they realized – Indrajit – in Russia.

The brief codecs of their intense and in depth items, carried out to reside music and with no mic, developed as a result of calls for of the current instances. “We conceptualised these some 15 years in the past, once we began performing within the cities. In an auditorium arrange, we should not have the luxurious of performing by means of the evening,” he explains.

Sambandan says that their performs could be understood and appreciated by kids aged 10 years and above, and to behave, they’ll begin to prepare as soon as they’re 15 years outdated. Youngsters, particularly from rural backgrounds, proceed to be drawn to therukoothu. “We hope extra kids from cities perceive this conventional artwork kind,” he says.

Sambandan says that the play within the metropolis is being carried out by actors of their 20s, who as soon as joined his troupe once they had been simply 12 or 13 years outdated. The actors are all from his village, and joined his college drawn by their performances that had been and nonetheless are a part of the soul of Purisai.

Panchali Sabatham is on June 28 and 29, 6.30pm at at641 Group. Entry is free, however prior registration is required. For particulars, name 9500641043, go to at641 Group on Instagram. There is also a present at Rhukra Mahal, Municipal Colony Fundamental Street, Erode on June 30.