Fisherfolk kids take art route to happiness

Over the last few weeks, children from the Urur-Olcott kuppam have been punctually waiting for Veronica Angel, a Villuppattu teacher, to begin their daily practice sessions. These children, who will be performing at the Urur-Olcott Kuppam Vizha starting today, are eager to show off their newly-acquired skills. Veronica said these sessions are helping the children gain confidence. “They ask so many questions, which even I can’t answer at times. Villuppattu, which is a form of musical storytelling, is easily understood by the children and they are eager to learn. I teach 15 students, out of which almost eight are performing at the vizha,” she said. Veronica added that these classes ensure that children are occupied constructively after school hours. “These children are in a safe place and are learning something constructive —this helps them stay out of trouble,” she added. K. Saravanan, a local fisherman, pointed out that more children from the kuppam are now interested in learning new art forms. 

“Around 7-8 children from the kuppam are learning Bharatanatyam,” he said, with a hint of pride. Thilagavathi Palani, a Kattaikuttu artiste, has been constantly working with children from various kuppams in Ennore. “Some of these children come from broken families and violent backgrounds, where physical abuse is quite common. When they start learning this folk art form, they learn how to perform in front of a crowd and how to present themselves. They gradually gain confidence. Over a period of time, they express themselves through art. Sometimes, we have used plays and storytelling to get the children to open up, especially about abuse. In one such situation. I remember this instance where a young girl said that her legs hurt when she danced. We got her to create a play around pain and realised that she had been a victim of abuse,” said Thilagavathi. V.R. Devika, cultural expert, uses the power of storytelling to get the children to express their painful experiences. 

This storyteller, who also coaches trainers working with disadvantaged children, said, “By creating a character in a story or narrating a first person experience, children get the confidence to express their stories. Through this, children were able to reveal cases of abuse. What we need to do is share more positive stories — this is what I tell trainers who are being groomed to work with disadvantaged children. In a world filled with hopelessness, we need to talk more about the positive stories and encourage children to do good.”