A long time ago, erstwhile Desinganad used to resonate with the rhythm of Seethakali during the festival days starting with Atham. A dance drama primarily performed by Dalit artistes belonging to the Veda and Pulaya communities, it presents minuscule episodes of the Ramayana at every homestead.
Over the years, the staging became sporadic and around three decades ago the folk art started fading away from public domain. Saving Seethakali from its slow death was no easy task, but a group of folk art aficionados cutting across caste and communal barriers could successfully salvage it in 2017. The Perinad Seethakali Sangham currently has artistes from all walks of life and the 20-member group is all set to perform outside Kerala for the first time.
“I started performing at the age of 15 and I was trained by my maternal uncles who were Seethakali artistes. Small scenes from the epic were staged at each house during Onam. People used to follow us carrying petromax lamps so that they can see the full play. It usually takes till dawn to complete the story,” says 64-year-old Babu, the senior most artist of the group.
