Jun 04 2021 to Jun 10 2021 10 a.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Ranga Shankara

36/2, 8th Cross Rd, R K Colony, 2nd Phase, J. P. Nagar 560078

Event Description

In its fifth week, 'View from the 4th Row' brings Kattaikuttu Sangam's 'Draupadi Tukil'. The piece is a presentation of the disrobing of Draupadi, from the epic 'Mahabharata', in Tamil Nadu's Kattaikuttu folk art form. It is performed by the Kattaikkuttu Young Professionals Company and senior students of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam, Kanchipuram. 'Draupadi Tukil' is adapted and directed by foremost Kattaikkuttu practitioner, actor, playwright, and director P. Rajagopal, and theatre scholar Hanne M. de Bruin.

The cast includes a mix of well-known Kattaikkuttu practitioners and students, including A Dillibabu as Sakuni, M Kavitha as Dharmaraja, S Jothi and S Tamilarasi as Draupadi, R Devan and M Greenkumar as Duhsasana, P Moorthy and M Doraisami as Katiyakkarans, and P Rajagopal himself as Duryodhana. The live music onstage is performed by J Loganathan (harmonium), E Periyasami (mridangam/ dholak), T Veluchami (mukavinai), and T Rangasami (talam), with A Kailasam in the chorus. The play is in Tamil.

 'Draupadi Tukil' is based on the all-night Tamil drama 'Pakatai Tukil'. It is performed in villages in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu on ritual occasions, including ten-day-long festivals dedicated to Draupadi. In this condensed version, the game of dice between the oldest of the five Pandava brothers, Yudhisthira or Dharmaraja, and Sakuni, has been omitted. During this game, Dharmaraja loses everything – including himself, his brothers, and their common wife, Draupadi – to his nephews and adversaries, the hundred Kauravas led by Duryodhana. 'Draupadi Tukil' was performed in Ranga Shankara for the 2010 annual festival.

 The not-for-profit Kattaikkuttu Sangam was established in 1990 by husband-wife duo P. Rajagopal and Hanne M. de Bruin. The Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam was established in 2002 and has provided Kattaikkuttu training, full-fledged education, and comprehensive care to rural children. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the institution to shut its doors in 2020 and with no rural festivals, all Kattaikkuttu performances have also come to a standstill. This has resulted in professional Kattaikkuttu artistes losing their livelihood and income. The second wave of the pandemic has further exhausted their reserves. Viewers can support the artistes by donating to Kattaikkuttu Sangam's Welfare Fund. Donations can be made via www.kattaikuttu.org.

'Draupadi Tugil' will be followed by other curated plays in the 'View from the 4th Row' programme. A new play premieres every Friday on Ranga Shankara's YouTube channel. The plays have been curated carefully to ensure the viewers get a variety in terms of age, language, and format. 

Phone: 080 2649 3982

Date:  Friday, 4th of June till 11:59 PM Thu 10th June 2021

Time: 10:00 am onward