Folk dancers from rural TN steal spotlight at Chennai Sangamam

Chennai: The 55-year-old Thanjavur Karagam dancer Thenmozhi Rajendran places a decorated steel pot onto her head, sways and teases fellow dancers into losing their poise while her own remains steady. Minutes later, she climbs onto a bench, slips into a semi-squat, lifts one leg, and extends her arms horizontally, drawing massive applause from nearly 2,000 spectators at Elliot's beach in Besant Nagar."I have performed karagam since I was 11. Crowds across the world clapped for me, yet every stage feels the same," she said. "Karagam is deeply scientific; the balance it requires is physics at work. I wish youngsters understood that." It is women like her who took to the stage at venues across the city for Chennai Sangamam, organized by the state dept for tourism and culture and Tamil Maiyam, from Jan 15 to 18 this year. This year, women were not just at the forefront of performances but also played crucial roles behind the scenes. Suresh Kumar, the lead singer of an Oyilattam troupe from Tuticorin, said that while he fronted the performance, the lyrics were written by S Rajalakshmi, Indian folk and playback singer. Many women artists also wore multiple hats. The 29-year-old Mari Latha, who was part of the same Oyilattam team, is trained in Bharatanatyam and Marakkal Attam as well. "I performed Bharatanatyam in front of Xi Jinping in 2019 at the airport to welcome him," she said.For the Irular dancing community, however, Chennai Sangamam carried a more serious purpose. "Our ancestors composed and sang while hunting, gathering herbs, and travelling through forests to endure the gruelling work. We learnt them orally and since the 1990s, we documented 184 such songs," said S Rani, leader of the Irular dance community. The community also began adapting performances to contemporary themes. "In our distinct Chengalpet style, we staged performances against child marriage and for women's empowerment, which attracted many youngsters," she said. B Hemanathan, deputy director (Schemes), state department of art and culture, said around four lakh people attended the event over four days.