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In the Puranas, the bow (villu) conquered the enemies, and in 2012 the bow conquers the audience.
This is what the NSS students of S D N B Vaishnav College for Women, Chromepet, understood recently at the end of their ‘villupattu’ performance at the Trade Fair being held at Island Grounds, Chennai.
Organised as part of the traditional dance and drama programme detailed by the authorities, the NSS students pitched for villupattu. This quaint, age-old instrument is an inverted archer’s bow that is played by the lead singer by beating with a pair of sticks on the string and creating a musical sound.
More than 15 girls participated in the villupattu and S Rekha was the lead singer with co-singers M Deivanai, A Divya, K Marithurachi, S Hemlatha, R Hema, A Silomeena, J Jeraildin Jenifer – all clad in traditional sarees.
The main storyteller sat in front of the villu, which is a stringed instrument, and played the villu while singing and the co-singers acted as listeners to the narration.
The theme of the villupattu programme was blood donation. The girls had not only wanted to entertain the audience but also convey a good message at the end of the programme. And what better way to spread the word about blood donation than through music?
The girls were a little upset that the audience was thin when they started out. But as the story progressed, many people converged and listened attentively. The students grabbed the opportunity and spoke about the effects and usefulness of and need for donating blood.
All their efforts paid off when the audience applauded them at the end of a very useful entertainment. But the best prize was given by a 12-year-old boy among the audience. He came up to the girls after the programme and said he was galvanised by their performance and that he would donate blood throughout his life. “Can there be a better gift for us?” grinned one of the performers in sheer glee.
They also came in for praise officially from NSS unit coordinator of Madras University Raja Hussain, who said he was delighted with their performance.
Is it any wonder that though reams and reams may be written about something, once we give an entertaining visual presentation, it stays in your mind forever?
A Divya
J Chitra
M Deivanai
K Marithurachi
E Beula
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