The wardens and teachers of Besant Nagar’s Avvai Home TVR Girls’ Higher Secondary School are committed to preserving the sanctity of lunches and dinners at this school cum boarding. They hope for quiet meals with minimal food wastage. However, when food is delayed by a few minutes, a concert of cacophony erupts.
Students like A. Kaviya hold their plates as one would hold a parai, the traditional Tamil percussion instrument, and begin with simple beats. Their vaai paadu (vocal rhythms) spill out through spoons, while their fingers become their kutchi (sticks). “We do not need much. Even a table would do. I have broken pots at home because of banging a tune on them,” she says.
During moments like these, the canteen hears booming percussive sounds—thaku-ku-tha—the basic vaai paadu holding the instrumentalists together. A symphony ensues, and a dance breaks out. Kaviya’s obsession with catchy beats is not entirely her own. The school has meticulously groomed a group of 20 young women to form the only regularly performing all-girls parai attam group in Chennai.
For two days a week between 3 pm and 5 pm, the school’s foray resembles a concert venue as the girls learn new dance routines while playing the parai. At the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha in January 2024, N. Deepan, their parai attam teacher who has been teaching the girls since 2016, expressed his pride in the three teams of ‘Avvai Home Girls’ that have graduated, playing the parai. The current crew, which had most recently played at the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha in January of this year, is relatively new.
“Don’t be fooled by their shy demeanour. They are all vaaiadis (chatterboxes),” he says. Deepan, who runs the popular Nanbargal Gramiya Kalai Kuzhu (Friends Folk Cultural Crew) out of Korukkupet in North Madras, has witnessed the group’s growth over time. His time as an instructor has been unique because girls typically do not play the parai. For the longest time, the instrument was reserved for men. Although mixed groups of men and women have recently begun playing together, it is still rare to find an all-female team playing this instrument.
“Adding a cultural program to their education has significantly increased their confidence. You should see the number of cups they have won over the years. Everyone knows what to expect from the Avvai Home Girls—a great performance,” he says.
Sangeetha Shivakumar, part of the core team organizing the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, explains that the parai attam program at Avvai Home began in 2016 as part of the Vizha’s cultural outreach. An extensive selection process was conducted when an announcement regarding parai training was made. “Several people turned up for the audition. We had to filter over several rounds. There was great enthusiasm,” she says. She adds that the group first performed at the festival in 2017.
“It was initially envisioned as a program for that year alone, but on the day of the festival, something changed. One of the girls looked terribly sad and asked me, ‘Avlo dhana?’.. ‘Is this it?’ That is when we decided to keep the program going,” she says.
Charulatha, a student of Class XII who is graduating from the school this year, has been playing the parai since Class VII. “I love to dance. I would stand outside the parai class and watch everyone perform because the beats were extremely catchy. I’ve learned so much over time that I now have blisters from playing the instrument. I wear them with pride,” she says.
Students from the group have gone on to play at numerous festivals and events organized by the Department of Arts and Culture of the Tamil Nadu Government. R. Monika, a student of Class VIII, says that her favorite performances have been at the Urur Kuppam Vizha, where there were hundreds of onlookers who chanted enthusiastic ‘hey’s, disco lights, gentle sea breeze, and an air of festivity. Charulatha adds that winning second place at the event organized by the TN government is a memory she will cherish. “The judges began dancing with us too,” she says.
Charulatha acknowledges that she will soon leave school, and the opportunities to play the parai will diminish. However, she is determined to continue playing the instrument. “I have already booked a spot with Deepan anna’s group. We create a ruckus during meal time here despite the scolding. The beat is a part of us. It isn’t going anywhere,” she declares.
