Traditional musical drama performances serve as a great source of relief and rejuvenation for people burdened by stress and mental pressures in today’s mechanized way of life, stated the Governor of the Northern Province, Hon. N. Vethanayahan.
The “Musical Drama Koothu Festival,” jointly organized by the Pachchilaipalli Divisional Secretariat and regional traditional koothu and musical drama artists, was held in a grand manner yesterday evening – on Friday, 08 May 2026, at the Pallai Public Playground under the chairmanship of Divisional Secretary R.T. Jayaseelan.
Participating as the chief guest and delivering the keynote address, the Hon. Governor further stated:
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Pachchilaipalli Divisional Secretary R.T. Jayaseelan for this commendable initiative to uniquely revive and stage koothu, the traditional performing art of our Tamil people. Going beyond the boundaries of routine administrative and cultural events, this new effort undertaken by him is highly praiseworthy. Other Divisional Secretaries should also consider this as a model initiative.
In today’s modern era, the younger generation is increasingly drawn towards entertainment events. However, we rarely see young people attending traditional koothu performances or similar cultural programmes. Nevertheless, it is truly encouraging that in these regions, koothu traditions continue to survive, and that senior artists are actively involving younger generations in these art forms. It is important that such performances continue to take place in the temples here and spread to other areas as well, as this would be healthy for society.
Although this Musical Drama Koothu Festival had been postponed twice due to certain reasons, it has today been staged very successfully.
We are all concerned about the growing social deviations among our younger generation and continue to search for solutions. Even adults, who are at an age where they should guide the younger generation towards the right path, remain confined to their homes watching television serials. Their entertainment is limited to watching films on television. They should instead attend cultural events such as these, and they should bring their children along with them. Only then will our children understand the value of these art forms, and we will be able to steer them away from harmful social influences.
I sincerely congratulate the senior artists who were honoured today, and I also request them to nurture and guide young artists through the benefit of their experience.”
As a major highlight of the event, senior artists who had made significant contributions to the traditional arts sector of the Pachchilaipalli region were honoured. During the ceremony, “Kalabhooshanam” Kanthaiya Arumugam, “Kalabhooshanam” Sellaiya Thanabalasingam, “Kalabhooshanam” Sellaiya Sundarampillai, “Kalabhooshanam” Rasaiya Pararajasingam and “Kalaikkili” Michael Alex were conferred with the prestigious title of “Traditional Kala Vithagar.”
Following this, renowned traditional and epic-themed musical drama koothu performances including Sathyavaan Savithri, Gnanasoundari, Arichandra Mayanakandam and Kaathavarayan Koothu were staged impressively by the artists.
Among the special guests who attended the event were Kilinochchi District Secretary S. Muralitharan and the Hon. Chairman of the Pachchilaipalli Pradeshiya Sabha, S. Suren.
In addition, although Hon. Member of Parliament and Regional Coordinating Committee Chairman K. Ilankumaran had been scheduled to attend as a special guest, he was unable to participate due to unavoidable circumstances. In his place, the Coordinator of the Regional Coordinating Committee attended the event as his representative.
A large number of artists and members of the public also participated enthusiastically in this grand koothu festival.
