Villuppattu

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Tamil folk artists presenting a Villuppattu near Tirunelveli during a festival (panguni uththiram) at an Ayyanar temple.

Villuppattu is a Tamil folk art of story telling where narration is interspersed with music. Simple tunes and simple verses make the story to be followed easily. The villu, a bow, used as a primary instrument, is struck while narrating the story and singing the songs.

In Tamil villages, performers narrate stories ranging from mythological to social. The main storyteller narrates the story striking the bow. The bow rests on a mud pot kept facing downwards. A co-performer beats the pot while singing. There is usually another co-singer who acts as active listener to the narration, uttering appropriate oral responses. The local government sometime utilise this as a vehicle for social messages and propaganda.

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