Kattaikkuttu Sangam
Founded in 1990 by actor, director and playwright Perungattur P. Rajagopal, together with theater scholar Dr. Hanne M. de Bruin and 15 actors and musicians, the Kattaikkuttu Sangam is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to uphold the prestige and quality of the Kattaikkuttu theater.
Other facts
The Sangam is—
registered in Kanchipuram as a not-for-profit organization under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 (Reg. No. 91/90)
registered under Sections 12A (a) and 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (Reg. No. 2039(140)/93-94)
registered under Section 6 (1) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA Reg. No. 075820199) valid until 01-11-2021
a membership-based organisation governed by an executive board that is elected for periods of 3 years from among its artist-members.
Our vision
To realize Kattaikkuttu’s full potential as a carrier of traditional artistic knowledge and skills and a contemporary theater that is attuned to the cultural and economic demands of today’s society.
Our mission
As a democratically representative body, the Sangam works towards maintaining and developing Kattaikkuttu as a respected art form of exceptional quality and craftsmanship and a sustainable profession for its performers.
We strongly believe that all art forms count equally and should be inclusive and accessible to all.
The Kattaikkuttu Sangam is in TRANSITION —
a transition that has been complicated by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
From 2002 to 2020 the Sangam has provided rural children access to Kattaikkuttu training in combination with fully-fledged education and comprehensive care under its flagship program, the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam. The Gurukulam closed its doors in March 2020. During its 18 years in existence this unique residential theater school trained, educated and cared for more than 750 students.
Now we are moving back to our core business of making and performing theater. We envisage the future of the Sangam as an indigenous knowledge center where embodied theater know-how is preserved and made available to current and future generations. We look forward to working with young people — as well as people of all ages — for whom making theater is a conscious choice.
In its new format, the Sangam will continue to represent Kattaikkuttu as a part of the living intangible cultural Tamil heritage; a theater tradition that constantly refreshes and reinvents itself artistically through sharing knowledge and know-how with those genuinely interested in an experiential “knowing through performing”.
We will continue to work with Kattaikkuttu’s traditional repertoire, which for us is a source of inspiration and a source of appreciation for our village audiences. In addition to adapting old texts we hope to develop new ones to produce stirring performances that demand creative ensembles, innovative costumes and inspiring collaborations.
We call on performers and other artists to join us: come and train or work in our space. We invite people with an interest in the arts and/or sustainable farming to stay onsite and let themselves be inspired by the beautiful surroundings and the unique theater form we practice.
Read here what the directors have said about the transformation of the Sangam.
The transition of the Gurukulam from a residential school to the Sangam’s indigenous knowledge center is made possible by a grant of the Dalyan Foundation.
Our History
Origin: 1990
On 12 October 1990 Perungattur P. Rajagopal invites representatives of all regional Kattaikkuttu companies known to him to discuss the state of the profession. 15 performers respond to his call. As a result, the Tamil Nadu Kattaikkuttu Kalai Valarchi Munnetra Sangam (Association for the Growth and Development of the Art of Kattaikkuttu) is born. The organisation is registered in Kanchipuram on the 1st of November 1990. In 2009 the name of the association is shortened to Kattaikkuttu Sangam.
The immediate goal of the Sangam then and now is to connect performers and provide them with a platform where they can share their professional and artistic interests. Membership of the Sangam is on an individual basis and open to all professional performers and persons who subscribe to the Sangam’s vision. Currently the membership fee is Rs. 50/ per year.
30 years in a glimpse
1991-1994
First PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL organised by the Sangam at Sengunthar Poovarasan Toppu, Kanchipuram. The festival becomes an annual event with its scale, location and programming differing from year to year. Begun to showcase Kattaikkuttu’s regional performance styles, the festivals come to include a number of different theater, dance, music and puppetry forms representing the traditional, classical and contemporary.
1994-2006
EVENING THEATRE & MUSIC SCHOOL PROGRAM in more than 70 villages giving rural children and young people free-of-charge access to Kattaikkuttu training.
Establishment of ARTIST WELFARE FUND & First-ever ALL WOMEN KATTAIKKUTTU ENSEMBLE (1996).
Establishment of the Sangam’s REPERTORY COMPANY and acquisition of 3.72 acres of LAND situated at Punjarasantankal Village, Kanchipuram District (2001).
P. Rajagopal donates 3.49 acres LAND to the Sangam to facilitate the construction of a performing arts center (2005).
In 2000 and 2005 five-night long mega-festivals take place to celebrate the Sangam’s 10th and 15th anniversaries. Artists from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu representing different performing art forms participate, in addition to a collective Sangam company.
2002-2020
Inauguration of the KATTAIKKUTTU GURUKULAM on Vijayadasami (October 17) 2002 at rented premises in Vedasala Nagar in Kanchipuram. Through the Gurukulam, P. Rajagopal realizes his dream to have Kattaikkuttu training and education under the same roof so that children like himself will no longer be forced to leave school when they opt for a career in Kattaikkuttu.
Inauguration of the KUTTU KALAI KUDAM by the Netherlands Ambassador to India His Excellency Eric F.C. Niehe (2006).
GIRLS PROGRAM established to prevent the removal of girls from Kattaikkuttu training and performances when they reach puberty (2006).
Creation of the first-ever mixed gender Kattaikkuttu theater ensemble, the KATTAIKKUTTU YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMPANY (2008).
Establishment of a CORPUS FUND (2009).
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME for alumni of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam to bridge the gap between education and the professional (arts) world (2010).
2020—
TRANSITION of the Kattaikkuttu Sangam.
A team of senior Kattaikkuttu performers led by P. Rajagopal put up a special performance of Karna Moksham facilitated by Kattaikkuttu Ambassador Rustom Bharucha for Singapore-based director Tze Chien.
2nd ACADEMIC KATTAIKKUTTU COURSE at Ashoka University and onsite workshop for participants at the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam.
Outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and abrupt CLOSURE of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam (17 Mar 2020); live Kattaikkuttu performances are cancelled and new ones are not commissioned, leaving professional performers without work and income.
COVID-19 RELIEF TO ARTISTS — Fund raising campaign to support the artist-members of the Sangam financially.