Purisai Festival ...

Kalaimamani Kannappa Thambiran Memorial Festival.

The Kalaimamani Kannappa Thambiran Memorial Festival is an annual festival organised in Purisai by the Purisai Kannappa Thambiran Therukoothu Manram.The festival brings together performances from the traditional and contemporary worlds in music, theatre and arts. With a view to offer the next generation a creative continuum, the festival brings together workshops for children in addition to crtitically-acclaimed, thought-provoking performances. The festival hosts screening of select short films.

Purisai is a village 120 kilometers from Chennai between Cheyyar and Vandavasi. Historically a centre for Vedic studies, Purisai today, is best-known for its therukoothu, the traditional theatre of Tamilnadu. Kannappa Thambiran was feted with the Kalaimamani title for his unparalleled contribution to this popular form. The Purisai Kannappa Thambiran Therukoothu Manram is a performing ensemble with an unbroken tradition over 150 years old. Exceedingly popular in Tamilnadu, this ensemble is no stranger to the festivals abroad, like the Avignon Festival in France and the Bogota Festival in Columbia to name a few.

Over the last few years we have noticed growing numbers in the audience coming from the city. Purisai has always been a popular destination for theatre among the surrounding villages. Our goal is to nurture the growth of this festival so it may rise to become an important event in the cultural calendar of Tamilnadu, bringing in performers from all over India and abroad.

2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009