''Villu Paatu'' (English: Bow Song,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

: வில்லுப்பாட்டு), also known as Villadichampaatu, is an ancient form of musical story-telling method performed in Southern India , where narration is interspersed with music, an art of southern states of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, as well as

North-East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. This art form is popular among

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and Ezhava castes of erstwhile

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

kingdom. Simple tunes and verses make the story easy to follow. The ''villu'' (bow), the age-old weapon of warriors - paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument (a musical bow) for the ''Villu Paatu'' artists.

Overview

villages, performers narrate stories ranging from mythological to social. The main storyteller narrates the story striking the bow. The bow rests on a mud pot kept facing downwards. A co-performer beats the pot while singing. There is usually another co-singer who acts as active listener to the narration, uttering appropriate oral responses. The local government sometimes utilises this as a vehicle for social messages and propaganda. Villu pattu troupes usually perform for festivals associated with deities such as Sudalai Madan, Mutharamman, Pechiamman, Isakkiamman, etc. The Villu pattu tradition is associated with the culture of southern Tamil Nadu, southern Kerala and North-East Sri Lanka.

There are also '' Udukki'' (உடுக்கை), ''Kudam'' (குடம்), ''Thala'', ''Kattai''(கட்டை), which are used as supplementary instruments in performances. ''Udukki'' is a small drum with a slender middle portion which is held in the left hand and played by the fingers of the right hand. Occasionally, the ''Villu Pattu'' team divides itself into two groups, each trying to prove opposite points-of-view of a subject. This is called ''Lavani Pattu''. The songs used by the ''Villu Pattu'' artists are mostly traditional

folk-song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

s. They are played during occasions of temple festivals in villages. The songs sung mostly in ''Villu Paatu'' praise a god or tell a story. These days the number of artists performing ''Villu Paatu'' is tremendously reduced as the income earned from it is never enough for running one's life.http://www.wiki.indianfolklore.org/images/a/a1/Villupattu_zWorkshop_.pdf

Books

*
Source

References

External links

{{commons category, Villuppaattu * http://villuppaattu-tamil.blogspot.com/
Video: Performed in a Temple in Kallidaikurichi
Indian styles of music Indian musical instruments Performing arts in India Arts of Kerala