Revisiting Cultural Relevance Of 15th Century South Indian Folk Art Villupattu Or Bow Song

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Revisiting Cultural Relevance Of 15th Century South Indian Folk Art Villupattu Or Bow Song

As the Padma Shri awardee and popular 'Villupattu' exponent Subbu Arumugam bids goodbye to the world, here's revisiting the cultural relevance of the South Indian folk art form that he kept alive over the years.

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Subbu Arumugam is a name familiar to folk art-loving crowds. The Padma Shri award receiver and Villupattu exponent played a key role in popularising the fifteenth-century artform. He had authored over 15 books on 'Villupattu' narratives, songs, short stories and novels and took them to larger audiences across the world.

His demise was considered a huge cultural loss to the nation, and many people came together to convey their heartfelt grief. Historian V Sriram said that the world lost a humorist, a humane person and a brilliantly talented artiste with the passing of Arumugam. Political analyst Sumanth Raman noted that the artist had made the ancient music and art form of 'Villupattu' reach every corner of the State through his performances.

Even though the passing of the maestro creates a void within the folk music space in India, his legacy continues to live through the lessons he imparted and the songs he played. An example of the same is Bharathi Thirumagan, Arumugam's daughter, who has been practising the art form since the age of seven. About decades later, she has been able to take the art form to the stages of Dubai Expo 2022 and perform it for international crowds.

A media report had quoted her saying, "My father's message was to carry a story and help people evolve into good human beings, and I follow his path. Music will make a person happy, but sowing good thoughts will help the person grow."

Here's looking back at the history of the culturally treasured art form of Southern India.

Revival Of A 15th Century Art Form

Villu Pattu is an ancient art form performed across the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

It is a catchy folk music which continues to remain treasured among the southern states. Believed to be introduced in the fifteenth century by Arasa Pulavar, the folk art form is orchestrated with instruments such as a bow made out of palmyra wood, a few bells and rods.

The bow or the 'villu' has a string stretched across both its ends with bells and cymbals attached, which creates music when being struck by the two wooden rods known as the 'veesukkol'. A chief vocalist would be seen narrating the story using these instruments and will have a few others coordinating along in the music using other instruments such as the 'Udukku'.

Illustrating Social Messages Through Humour, Wordplays

It is conducted in a format similar to that of ballads and was earlier used to convey mythological themes. As the performances were commonly observed during the temple festivals, most of their narratives stuck along the lines of supernatural, mythological, devotional, and historical themes sung in the rural dialect.

However, it evolved further to illustrate important social messages and indulged in interactions with the audience. Sometimes the performers would divide themselves into two groups and have a face-off kind of musical debate. Bringing in humour and wordplays that easily capture people's attention, they conveyed messages relevant to different ages, according to an article by the Madras Documentaries.

Today, villupattu continues to live through the efforts of multiple communities who have recognised and enjoyed the folk art for its cultural richness. One example of this is the way a few second-year MBBS students in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu, staged a 'Villupattu' performance in August this year. According to a report by The Hindu, the performance was conducted at a Primary Health Centre to raise awareness of breastfeeding.

Also Read: Three Young Musicians Are Promoting India's Folk Music And Helping Create Livelihood Options For Artists

Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Laxmi Mohan Kumar
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Editor : Snehadri Sarkar
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Creatives : Laxmi Mohan Kumar

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