Ranipet – Artifex.News

The woman reimagining Kattaikoothu for a warming world

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:49:00 +0000

The stage is set as it has been for years, with music, colourful costumes, and dramatic dialogue. However, there are no demons to slay or kingdoms to defend. Instead, the story unfolds around an invisible enemy that people from across Tamil Nadu know all too well: blistering heat.

It is an unlikely story for Kattaikoothu, the centuries-old Tamil folk theatre that has long drawn from the Mahabharata and other epics. But for Thilagavathi Palani, using the art form to talk about contemporary issues is nothing new. Over the years, she has staged productions on anaemia, leprosy, gender equality, and other social issues.

More than two decades ago, the 36-year-old from Kalavai Koot Road in Ranipet became one of the first women to perform professionally in Kattaikoothu, breaking into an art form that had long remained the preserve of men. Beginning Tuesday, Sri Thilagam Kattaikkuttu Kuzhu will premiere the show at Vedavalli Vidyalaya, Ranipet, before touring seven schools across Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai — districts that regularly experience the highest temperatures in Tamil Nadu.

The troupe comprises 13 members, including five professional artistes and five schoolchildren trained in Kattaikoothu by Thilagavathi. She believes involving children on stage makes the message more relatable. “When students see performances by children of similar age, the connection is stronger,” she says.

The production was developed over six months in collaboration with Asar, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the climate and education space. Born into a lower-income family as the eldest of five daughters, Thilagavathi first encountered Kattaikoothu through her uncle, who taught the traditional theatre form. She was the only girl among boys learning the art in her village.

In 2002, she joined the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam in Kancheepuram, where she trained under renowned Kattaikoothu exponent P. Rajagopal. After eight years of rigorous training and a two-year apprenticeship, she became one of the first female Kattaikoothu artistes in a tradition that had, for generations, been performed exclusively by men. “It gave me confidence,” she says.

Since then, she has continued to expand the possibilities of Kattaikoothu, guided by the belief that art should not merely be a means of livelihood, but also a vehicle for social change.

After moving to Chennai, she was involved in social work with the fisherfolk, women, and children, and also worked with Katradi Trust, founded by dancer and social worker Sangeeta Isvaran. Through her work, she was approached by Asar for a series on the environment through koothu.

‘Giving voice to dying discourses’

Thilagavathi dismisses the idea that Kattaikoothu is a dying art form. “That’s a misconception, especially in cities,” she says. “Come to the villages during the festival season and you’ll see how vibrant it still is. Kattaikoothu isn’t a dying art form. It gives voice to dying discourses.”

Researchers from Asar shared articles and material explaining climate change and the effects of rising temperatures on people’s health and livelihoods. Thilagavathi said the examples came from different parts of the world. “But as I kept reading them, I realised the same things were happening around me,” she says. She remembered the widening of Arcot-Cheyyar Bypass, where hundreds of trees on the roadside had been cut to make way for the work. “Now, the heat has become unbearable,” she says.

Around the time she was reading news reports about older people succumbing to extreme heat and studies linking high temperatures to adverse pregnancy outcomes, her sister tragically suffered a miscarriage. While Thilagavathi does not attribute her sister’s loss to the heat, the experience made the issue deeply personal. “I began thinking about how to portray loss and the human impact of climate change on stage,” she says.

That became the foundation of Veppathin Veriyattam. The play follows the lives of children struggling to learn in overheated classrooms, women cooking in tin-roofed homes, and outdoor workers enduring dangerous temperatures. One of the play’s characters is veppam (heat) itself. “I wanted people to look at heat from a different perspective. I even wanted the audience to feel sorry for the heat, because it isn’t the villain by itself. It is what we have done to the environment that has made it this way,” she adds.

Published – July 28, 2026 01:16 am IST

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Assistant Director of Mines in Ranipet relieved of duties

admin — Thu, 21 May 2026 18:38:00 +0000

An Assistant Director of Directorate of Geology and Mining in Ranipet has been relieved of duties on Thursday over allegations of demanding money from a stone quarry operator to relax mining norms.

As per an official order, a copy of it available with The Hindu, D. Mohan, Director of Geology and Mining, has relieved E. Srinivasarao, Assistant Director (AD), Directorate of Geology and Mining, Ranipet, with immediate effect.

Instead, A. Arumuganainar, Regional Joint Director of Geology and Mining (Villupuram), will hold full additional charge of the post of AD of Geology and Mining for Ranipet district.

The order cited “administrative reasons” for relieving Mr. Srinivasarao of his duties. He has not been allocated any posts. Sources in Geology and Mining department, which is located inside the sprawling Ranipet Collectorate complex, said that the issue related to an incident where the said officer reportedly demanded ₹2 lakh in cash from the stone quarry operator in the district to ease norms.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the operator reportedly complained to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Minerals and Mines, that also comprises the Department of Geology and Mines, headed by Minister T.K. Prabhu. Following the incident, the officer was relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

Published – May 22, 2026 12:08 am IST

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Residents apprehend vehicle dumping of sludge in open plots in Ranipet

admin — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:20:00 +0000

Apart from contamination of groundwater in the area, residents said that such dumping of wastes turned plots into mosquito breeding grounds.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Residents of Edakuppam village, near Walajah town in Ranipet, blocked a tractor that carried loads of sludge to illegally dump in open plots on Edakuppam Main Road in the village, posing health hazards and polluting groundwater.

Residents said the village comprises nine wards with more than 10,000 persons, who are mostly petty traders, agricultural labourers and low-level government staff. Walajah and Ranipet towns are closer to the village. Along with other local bodies, Edakuppam village also depends on water supplied by the civic body through the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board and local water sources. “Such illegal dumping of sludge in open government plots poses health risks to residents. It will also pollute groundwater on which we depend for agriculture as our livelihood,” said G. Mahesan, a farmer.

Residents said that the village has a few lakes within its limits. Civic bodies around the village are illegally dumping sludge, meat wastes and other garbage on open plots near these water bodies. “During rain, slush from the dumped waste gets washed into nearby water bodies and pollutes water that is used for domestic consumption and irrigation. Schools, a government hostel and a temple are located on the stretch where such dumping is being done,” said R. Vimala, a resident.

Residents said that the village road has been used by many motorists including government buses, ambulances, cars and two-wheelers. Frequent accidents are caused by stray dogs and cattle thriving on garbage dumped on open lands along the stretch.

Apart from contamination of groundwater in the area, residents said that such dumping of wastes turned plots into mosquito breeding grounds. Regular fogging has not been done by the civic body for many months. They also alleged that no action has been taken by the civic body and panchayat union officials against waste dumping in the village despite numerous complaints.

Against this backdrop, residents stopped a tractor with a full load of sludge on the stretch on Thursday. The sludge was removed from clogged drains by surrounding civic bodies. Residents said that such vehicles that carry sludge to dump in open areas will be seized in the future. As the traffic was hit on the route, local police rushed to the spot and pacified the agitated residents, who dispersed peacefully.

Published – May 08, 2026 12:50 am IST

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Two persons killed in accidents on Chennai – Bengaluru Highway

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:15:00 +0000

Two persons, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed in three separate accidents on Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) near Arcot town in Ranipet on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Two persons, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed in separate accidents on Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) near Arcot town in Ranipet on Sunday.

Police said the deceased were identified as V. Harish, 27, a native of Krishnagiri, and E. Jersey, 11, a resident of Chennai. Initial inquiry revealed that the omni-bus from Chennai was proceeding towards Bengaluru with 22 passengers when the bus driver, Mohammed Sherif, 28, a native of Chennai, suddenly lost control of the vehicle and hit a trailer lorry, which was going ahead of the bus on the stretch. The incident occurred around 3.30 a.m.

The lorry had a consignment of long concrete poles to deliver at a godown in Hosur town in Krishnagiri from Kancheepuram. As the bus driver tried to take the service lane from the carriageway behind the lorry, he lost control of the bus and rammed into the lorry. In the impact, Harish was killed and 18 others including six women passengers and two children were injured.

Immediately, passersby and other motorists rescued the injured persons, who were admitted at Government Taluk Hospital in Arcot town. A case was registered by Arcot Town police.

In the second accident, along with his wife Mary, 39, and daughter Jersey, 11, a businessman Edin, 45, was driving his car from Bengaluru to Chennai when he lost control of the vehicle at Ammananthangal village near Walajah town in Ranipet on the stretch and hit a jeep, which was ahead of the car. The incident happened around 8.30 a.m. Injured persons were rescued and sent to a private hospital where doctors said that Jersey was brought dead. A case was registered by Walajah police.

Published – October 06, 2025 05:45 am IST

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