Woman Who Breached Tribal Male Bastion in Singing

Hyderabad: Keekri musical ballads have traditionally been sung by men in the tribal communities in Telangana. However, a woman, Marsukola Kalavathi from Tosham in Adilabad district, broke this pattern after learning the traditional art form from her father. She is now preserving the Keekri ballads in gond language.

The first time she picked up the Keekri, Kalavathi was only seven years, watching her father sing the traditional ballads. While men sing as the lead singers, others give chorus including a female.

However, Kalavathi, belonging to Thoti tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), has been performing as the lead singer for the last several decades and teaching the art form to her children.

Kalavathi took up this tribal art form as her brother passed away at a young age. Prior to her brother's death, her father, T. Bheem Rao, a renowned Thoti artist, used to take Kalavathi and her brother for performances in villages.

"After my brother died due to snake bite, I expressed my interest in going to school instead of travelling along with my father for performances. However, my father asked me who would continue the tradition if I chose to study. His words moved me emotionally and eventually I learnt the art form," she told 'Deccan Chronicle'.

Since then she has been performing Gond cultural songs that narrate stories from Ramayana, Nagoba, Mahabharatham and other ancient histories through the traditional Keekri ballads.

Kalavathi's journey of learning and performing this traditional art form has been no cake walk as she faced challenges, including from the community people who questioned as to why as a woman is allowed to be a lead singer for the Ballads, which is a prerogative only for men.

However, she received support from the then Adilabad collector Divya Devarajan who encouraged her to continue the art form.

Recognising her talent, even the state government provided her opportunities in various platforms as the lead singer and awarded her as well. "Initially, I struggled a lot while travelling with my five children as there was no proper transport facility and sometimes there was no food to eat. I have overcome these challenges and continued my passion", she said.

"Now, my children are accompanying me during performances. While my daughters sing the chorus and son performs the instruments. I performed in Hyderabad and other States as well," she added.

Kalavathi, who had debuted with an Adivasi song for the film ‘Maisa’, said "Despite the challenges I have never given up the art and continues to carry forward the legacy".