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Talk of the week: Indonesia’s Tamil community hosts cultural carnival
Balancing act: An Indian Tamil folk dancer performs during the 2019 Tamil sangamam cultural festival at JI Expo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, a showcase of the ethnic group’s cultural expressions drawing more than 800 guests comprising members of the Tamil diaspora in Jakarta and their Indonesian friends
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alancing act: An Indian Tamil folk dancer performs during the 2019 Tamil sangamam cultural festival at JI Expo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, a showcase of the ethnic group’s cultural expressions drawing more than 800 guests comprising members of the Tamil diaspora in Jakarta and their Indonesian friends. (Courtesy of Indonesia Tamil Sangam)
JI Expo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta
The Indonesia Tamil Sangam (ITS) community hosted a cultural carnival recently called the sangamam, showcasing the food, culture and artistic expression of the Tamil people, most of whom come from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore.
In Indonesia, the carnival, which is usually marked in the month of April to celebrate Tamil New Year, is organized by the Tamil community in Jakarta, represented by the ITS. This year, the carnival was marked on April 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Around 800 people joined, comprising not only members of the Tamil community in Jakarta but also their Indonesian friends. The carnival was also attended by Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat, along with representatives of the Indian Embassy in Indonesia.
During the carnival, the guests relished in the traditional Southern Indian food prepared by the members of the ITS. While the guests were enjoying their meal, they were entertained by various troupes showcasing traditional Tamil performing arts.
These groups, flown in from India by ITS members who raised funds for the annual occasion, showcased various dances incorporating acrobatic elements like puliyattam (tiger dance), sivan shakti, theechatti and mohniyattam and many more. In each of them, the dancers showcased nerve-breaking movements, such as balancing a clay pot with burning charcoal in their hands, dancing while wielding sharp blades and much more.
The audience could not help but hold their breath as the folk dancers performed their feats. The children, meanwhile, had fun with games such as uriyadi, where they beat a moving clay pot with a bat while being blindfolded. It turned out that not only the children, but adults too, enjoyed playing this game.
