Any Kodai Vizha (summer festival) celebration in the temples of folk deities like Mutharamman, Santhanamariamman, Petchi Amman and Sudalai Madan will be incomplete without a villupaatu performance. In the stillness of night, particularly in the months of Panguni, Chithirai and Vaikasi, the songs hailing these deities will fill the air, riding on the string and the drum of the bow-like musical instrument.
The folk art form, confined mostly to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, has suddenly received global attention after Singapore-based rapper Lady Kash dedicated a song titled ‘Villupaattu’ in honour of Poongani Ammal, an 82-year-old artiste from Kanniyakumari. It was also tweeted by Minister for Tamil MaFoi K. Pandiarajan.
While the album sheds light on the traditional folk art and its performer, it does not capture the darker side of her real life. Poongani Ammal is living in abject penury, with hardly any source of income but for a paltry pension.
“I live on my old-age pension of ₹1,000, out of which ₹300 goes towards rent. The free rice distributed through the public distribution system and the remaining ₹700 keep me going,” said Ms. Ammal, one of the oldest performers of the art.
She is a native of Saravanan Theri near Agastheeswaram, but now lives in a rented single-room house in Kottaram. Her efforts to secure pension for old artistes have also been in vain. Ms. Ammal stopped performing nearly 15 years ago due to her advanced age. She was, however, invited to perform at the University of Madras two years ago. A widow whose husband passed away three years ago, she has been running from pillar to post seeking assistance from the government.
“I have made representations to MPs and MLAs, but to no avail,” said Ms. Ammal, who learnt the art from Sivalingam Vathiyar, an yesteryear villupattu artiste. The inspiration came from the twin sisters – Lakshmi and Dhanalakshmi – who were then the most sought-after villupattu artistes.
Husband and wife duo
Ms. Ammal was the main singer of the troupe while her husband Thangapandian played the kudam , a ghatam -like claypot instrument. Music will be produced by hitting the mouth of the pot with pad, made of the outer cover of the areca palm flower. Since the main instrument resembles a bow, the art form earned the name villupaatu. The main singer uses veesukol, comprising two sticks, and beats the bowstring as he/she sings.
Folklorist A.K. Perumal said there were over 250 stories meant for villupaatu but only 70 were being used today. Literary works like Mookoodal Pallu and Virali Vidu Thoothu have references to villupaatu.
“There were many great performers of the art including Sundapatrivilai Saraswathi, Thovalai Sundaram Pilli, Punnarkulam Kolappa Pillai, Kadukkarai U. Thangappan, Kazhugumalai Velavan and Sangeetha and Vilathikulam Muthlakshmi,” he added.
