Das CADALfest took place in Adishakti from December 16 to 20, 2022. I hadn't planned to go, but I was very surprised by the four days of round-table discussions, poetry and film screenings, concerts and theater performances by a fascinating Group by artists, activists and academics. I picked out a few things and went to the "Adivasi Round Table discussion with Vandna Tete, Ganga Sahay Meena, Seral Murmu & Ashwini Kumar Pankaj, moderated by Gopika Jadeja" followed by the "Thudumbu Percussions Performance by Unique Folk Son" on Saturday.
Above all, what I would call a 'performance lecture' by Ashwini Kumar Pankaj was energizing, evocative, charming and critical. He spoke in a mix of Hindi and English about the Adavasi cultures and their language and narratives. Ashwini Kumar Pankaj emphasized that the Adavasi have no expressions of violence or villains and therefore it is difficult to write in this language the popular narrative formats that revolve around crime stories and violent excesses. The Adivasi culture is not only different historically and culturally, as it lives in harmony with nature and collectively, but also in its languages:
The Thudumbu Percussions performance of Unique Folk Song is, if I have understood correctly, in the tradition of Thudumbu drummers from Kerala, which tie in with temple rites.
Then on Monday I saw Abhimanyu, or Chakra Vyugamstreet theater play in the tradition of Therukootu. This type of temple/street theater is typical of temple festivals in Tamil Nadu. The performers sing, dance, play music, it is a complex tradition of dramatic storytelling. For me, it has qualities of an opera. The group here has worked with Cirque du Soleil, among others. It was an impressive performance.
And finally, a small excerpt from a performance by Tenam.
„Tenma is an Artist, Composer and Curator based out of Chennai, India. With an educational background in visual communication and music production, he is invested in the uplifting and development of artists from the lower cadres of society. He has co-founded two iconic bands that revolutionized the music scene - The Casteless Collective with film director Pa. Ranjith, and the Tamil rock band, Kurangan. Simultaneously, he built two important platforms for indie artists - the Madras Indie Collective and Madras Medai. His recently released film Natchathiram Nagargiradu was critically acclaimed for its unique sound design as well as the brilliant use of the theatrical idiom." https://dalitadivasitext.wordpress.com/adishakti-participants/
RoundGogu Shyamala, Salma, and Meena Kandasamy, moderated by Nicole Thiara, Ritu Tyagi, and Chandra Sekhar.
