Several years ago, Kokilan struggled with the “burden” of being the child of a parai artiste and a mother deeply involved in oppari singing during ceremonies.
“A few years ago, my friends invited me to an event — Margazhiyil Makkalisai. As the child of marginalised artistes, if I didn’t feel proud of my heritage, how could others understand?”
Today, Kokilan is actively ensuring that his parents know that he is proud of them. “I openly discuss our art with my friends irrespective of their caste or class,” he proudly shares.
Each year, director Pa Ranjith’s Margazhil Makkalisai invites artistes from marginalised backgrounds across India and showcases art forms that often struggle to find space.
“The goal is to elevate artistes who perform on the streets to a big stage, with guests attending and numerous musicians and audience listening to them live.”
“The idea is to progress as a community. Currently, we are striving to achieve this through music to represent what the movement stands for,” shares one of the organisers.
They can also engage with artistes, sharing their collective experiences. Idhu enge kalai, enge kondattam (This is our art, our celebration),” he concludes.