How an ancient art form became a symbol of resistance
On a Sunday morning at the usually crowded Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, the loud beating of drums began echoing through empty streets. It was a group of youths from Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, who had gathered for their weekly practice of parai attam.
The youths, part of a group called the Neelam Kalai Kuzhu—Blue Arts Collective—began by chanting a Tamil slogan:
Parai ongi olikatum
Idhu uzhaikum makkalin viduthalaikai
Engal parai mulakam savukaga alla
Uzhaikum makkalin valvukaga
Onki adipathil kiliyatum
Paraigal alla suya sathiya perumai
pesuvor mugathiraigal
Let the parai sound loudly For the freedom of the working people Our parai shouts not for death But for the life of the working people By beating loudly Let the veils of proud casteists be torn apart
Parai attam refers to a performance of the parai—a hollow drum made of a wooden frame, with cow skin stretched over one side, played with sticks of unequal size and thickness—accompanied by a folk dance. The parai is said to be one of the oldest percussion instruments in human history. It has its origins in ancient Tamil society, where it had several uses: gathering people, broadcasting announcements and warnings, celebrating weddings and festivals, as well as invoking divine spirits during funeral processions.
Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av The Caravan.
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Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av The Caravan.
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