Article Title: Villu paatu
11-10-2022
History & Art and Culture Prelims Plus
Why is in news? Villu paatu exponent dead
Villu Paatu also known as Villadichampaatu, is an ancient form of musical story-telling method performed in Southern India , where narration is interspersed with music, an art of southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as North-East Sri Lanka.
This art form is popular among Nadar and Ezhava castes of erstwhile Travancore kingdom.
Simple tunes and verses make the story easy to follow. The villu (bow), the age-old weapon of warriors - paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument (a musical bow) for the Villu Paatu artists.
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.
The local government sometimes utilises this as a vehicle for social messages and propaganda.
Villu paatu troupes usually perform for temple festivals.
There are also Udukki (உடுக்கை), Kudam (குடம்), Thala, Kattai(கட்டை), which are used as supplementary instruments in performances.
Udukki is a small drum with a slender middle portion which is held in the left hand and played by the fingers of the right hand.
The songs used by the Villu Pattu artists are mostly traditional folk-songs. The songs sung mostly in Villu Paatu praise a god or tell a story.
These days the number of artists performing Villu Paatu is tremendously reduced as the income earned from it is never enough for running one's life.
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