The eighth edition of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival concluded on Sunday with Alliance Francaise of Pondicherry given the ‘guardian of heritage’ award and a dance-storytelling performance by Anita Ratnam marking the finale of the three-week celebrations. ‘Colour Play’, led by the versatile dancer-choreographer and other artistes, was a five-piece set at the courtyard of the Kariappa House. The content team, she said, was reassembling in Puducherry for a live show after over two years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is no overarching story or theme but the show was curated in the manner of a tribute to the cultural syncretism which is the strength of the country”, said Ms. Ratnam. After the Alarippu, the team presented performances based on Muthuswami Diskhitar’s Ardhanariswaram and poems by Kabir Das and Jayadeva (Priye charusheele...). Anita Ratnam’s performance, the pièce de résistance of the evening, focused on the Sangam-age goddess of war, victory and wisdom and protector of arid lands, Kotravai using as a backdrop Ilango Adigal’s poem, Silappadikaram, about the legend of Kannagi who wrought havoc on the city of Madurai to avenge the wrongful beheading of her spouse Kovalan by the Pandya king on suspicion of stealing the queen’s anklet. The transformation of a demure woman into a symbol of formidable agency and unimaginable power serves as the leitmotif of the presentation as an enraged Kannagi, and Kotravai, the goddess she prays to, virtually become one and the same, curses the city to burn down for the killing of an innocent man. Earlier, the ‘Guardian of our Heritage Award 2022’ was presented to Alliance Française Pondicherry in recognition of the institution’s contribution to preserve and enhance the heritage of the city. Alliance Francaise president Satish Nallam, Lila Kernoua, director and members of the executive committee were felicitated. Sunaina Mandeen and Kakoli Banerjee, co-organisers of PHF, spoke. The PHF 2022, held from March 4 to 27, had put the spotlight on “celebrating the natural, cultural and built heritage of the bio-region.”
The events ranged across a re-appreciation of French-era landmarks, guided heritage walks and biodiversity workshops and a showcasing of Creole cuisine, indigenous food systems and ethnic handicrafts.
The PHF collaborators included the Tourism Department, Alliance Française Pondicherry, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), (AFP), French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), People for Pondicherry’s Heritage (PPH), Pondicherry Citizen’s Action Network (PondyCAN) and Alliance for Good Governance (AGG).