Thilagavathi Palani Premieres Kattaikoothu Play on Climate Change in Ranipet

Sri Thilagam Kattaikkuttu Kuzhu, led by pioneering female artiste Thilagavathi Palani, will premiere its new Kattaikoothu play 'Veppathin Veriyattam' at Vedavalli Vidyalaya in Ranipet on Tuesday. The production, which addresses the pressing impact of rising temperatures and climate change, will subsequently tour seven schools across Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai districts.

The 13-member troupe comprises five professional artistes and five schoolchildren trained directly by Thilagavathi, a 36-year-old native of Kalavai Koot Road in Ranipet. The play was developed over a six-month period in collaboration with Asar, an organisation working in climate change and education. By involving young students on stage, Thilagavathi aims to make the message about extreme heat more relatable to school audiences across the region.

Thilagavathi broke into the male-dominated tradition of Kattaikoothu after joining the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam in Kancheepuram in 2002, where she trained under renowned exponent P. Rajagopal. Following eight years of rigorous training and a two-year apprenticeship, she became one of the first women to perform professionally in the art form. Over the years, she has used traditional theatre to highlight various social causes, including anaemia, leprosy, and gender equality. After moving to Chennai, she engaged in social work involving fisherfolk, women, and children, and collaborated with the Katradi Trust.

The motivation for 'Veppathin Veriyattam' came after researchers from Asar shared material on climate change and extreme heat. Thilagavathi connected these global reports to local observations, such as the removal of hundreds of trees along the Arcot-Cheyyar Bypass for road widening. Her personal perspective was further shaped by reading reports on heat-related health risks, particularly for pregnant women, around the time her sister suffered a miscarriage.

The play illustrates daily struggles caused by extreme temperatures, featuring scenes of children studying in overheated classrooms, women cooking in tin-roofed homes, and outdoor labourers working in dangerous conditions. In the performance, heat itself is personified as a character, encouraging audiences to view rising temperatures not as an isolated villain, but as a consequence of environmental degradation.