Twenty-two-year-old D. Govindaraj is a man of many talents. A trained folk artist, he has performances lined up on almost all days.
“Most of my performances are to create awareness among the public of social and environmental issues. There is no other medium as effective as folk art to reach out to people,” Mr. Govindaraj, who is well known for ‘Marakkal’ dance, said on Wednesday.
Despite the emergence of social media, folk arts and street play are preferred very often to address concerns on social issues.
According to Mr. Govindaraj, his group performs frequently for the government departments to create awareness of rain water harvesting and health issues, predominantly in rural areas.
C. Jim Jesudoss, Director of Childline 1098, says, “Folk arts and street plays have a better reach. These art forms call for attention of people immediately and convey the messages directly.”
The Childline has 25 volunteers who are well trained in folk arts and street play. They are actively involved in creating awareness of child rights. “We also teach folk arts and street play to children from slums. Involving them in child rights campaigns is effective,” Mr. Jesudoss adds.
People are generally drawn towards social and mass media for entertainment, whereas street plays and folk arts are the best way to reach out to the marginalised, poor and illiterate, says Fatima Mary, a sociologist and Vice-Principal of Fatima College.
“The focus of folk arts and street plays is on creation of social consciousness, while it is not the case with other media. It also gives people the chance to respond immediately and interact with performers,” she notes.
Students of Fatima College are trained in the art forms and are involved in social cause awareness programmes, she further says.
Thavasi Gnanasekar, a folklore researcher and retired professor Government Music College here, says the traditional art forms are sure to retain their charm and be in existence forever. Puppet shows, whose origin is traced to the Sangam era, might have evolved, but has only become effective, he notes.
“Performing on social causes gives immense satisfaction to the artistes. There is nothing comparable to artistes receiving the applause and encouragement of people on the spot,” he concludes.
