Kollattam (Puducherry)

Understand

Where Kollattam (Puducherry) comes from

Kollattam is the Tamil stick-dance of Puducherry, performed by the men and women of the Tamil community at the central village festival. The dance is the regional adaptation of the broader Tamil stick-dance tradition (the Kolattam of the Tamil state) and is associated with the social and the cultural life of the community. The form is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the union territory and at the regional Tamil community festivals.

How it's practiced

Kollattam is performed by men and women of the Tamil community of Puducherry in two facing rows at the central courtyard of the host or at the open ground of the festival. The men and women hold two small lacquered sticks and strike them against partners' sticks in coordinated rhythmic patterns. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Tamil tradition. Music is the dholak and the small cymbals of the regional ensemble. Costume is the everyday Tamil dress — the colourful sari for the women and the dhoti for the men. Performances are at the central courtyard and at the cultural programmes of the union territory.