As a baby, the clatter of rain on the tin roof of their mud residence usually gave P. Senrayaperumal sleepless nights. In his 20s and 30s, as a folks artist, he sang and danced late into the night time, going days with out correct sleep. Although his life modified after he secured the put up of assistant professor at Manonmaniam Sundaranar College in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, sleep continues to elude the 43-year-old.
Senrayaperumal is now combating a authorized battle with the college, which eliminated him from his job over a 12 months in the past. He travels to Madurai for court docket hearings and conferences together with his lawyer, with a file filled with certificates and the hope of getting reinstated.
Documenting a battle
The Folks’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) has made a shifting 28-minute documentary on Prof. P. Senrayaperumal and his authorized battle. Titled Punishing the Professor, the movie, accessible on YouTube, has been directed and shot by Aayna, and is ready to be screened on the Bangalore Worldwide Centre on August 31 at 4 p.m. The screening is free and open to the general public.
Early challenges
Senrayaperumal, who holds a Ph.D in Artwork Historical past from Madurai Kamaraj College, was the primary in an extended line of people artists to be awarded a doctorate. The journey was lengthy and tough. At 13, he was compelled to drop out of college.
Seated in his residence in Soolapuram village, 60 km from Madurai, he remembers strolling again residence from faculty for the final time as a Class VII pupil. “I knew I might be requested to cease going to highschool,” he says. With eight mouths to feed, his father, Ok. Perumal, wished him to affix his folks theatre group, Soolapuram Sinna Set.
Preserving a dying artwork kind
A Raja Rani Attam group efficiency in Madurai.
Perumal was an exponent of Raja Rani Attam, a folks artwork kind standard in rural South Tamil Nadu. Whereas not as historical or closely-tied to temple rituals like Therukoothu, the artwork kind faces stiff competitors from the extra standard Karagattam and Aadal Paadal dance exhibits based mostly on movie music.
A troupe usually consists of round 12 male performers in glittery costumes, who entertain crowds at temple festivals. Utilizing track, dance, and theatre set to the beats of dwell percussion, they weave tales round household, values, and historic occasions. “The time period ‘Raja Rani’ comes from the truth that every play incorporates a Raja and a Rani, accompanied by a comic,” says Senrayaperumal.
Male actors who play the Rani develop their hair and practice to stroll and discuss like a lady. “My father performed the Rani, and so did I,” he says. Performances happen at night time in brightly lit village squares, persevering with gone daybreak. The people artwork kind has been carried ahead by individuals from the Arunthathiyar Scheduled Caste neighborhood.
P. Senrayaperumal in costume for a Raja Rani Attam efficiency.
Although busy six months a 12 months, travelling between villages, life is much from simple. “We used to stroll lengthy distances within the solar, carrying our costumes bundled in material atop our heads,” remembers Senrayaperumal. Now they’ll e book taxis for occasions. “However the ₹35,000 we make per present is break up amongst all of the performers, and a big chunk goes in direction of journey,” he says. Office dignity can also be usually a rarity, with these enjoying the Rani generally dealing with sexual harassment from onlookers.
From stage to highschool
When there are not any bookings, the troupe performs at funerals. It was at one such occasion that Senrayaperumal felt unhappy about how his life had turned out. “I needed to dance on the funeral of the grandfather of a former schoolmate,” he says. “There have been a number of girls and boys my age within the viewers.” They had been all in faculty, and he was embarrassed to face them in costume and make-up. That night time, he made up his thoughts to proceed his schooling. He was seized by a veri, a rage, to review.
After failing to take his Class VIII exams privately — they clashed together with his exhibits — he accomplished a pre-foundation course at Madurai Kamaraj College, adopted by two basis programs (equal to Class X and Class XII). He then earned a B.A. and M.A. in Historical past, adopted by an M.Phil in People Performing Arts and a Ph.D in 2013. “My thesis was on Raja Rani Attam and its social influence,” he says.
With the troupe in Madurai
He juggled lecturers with exhibits, rehearsals, and strain from his troupe to maintain performing. Solely after being appointed at Manonmaniam Sundaranar College’s Division of Historical past by the SC(A) quota in 2016 may Senrayaperumal lastly bury himself in books.
On his first day as assistant professor, he felt jittery. “However after I stood in entrance of my college students, I realised I had no stage worry,” he says, crediting it to years of performing.
No completely happy ending
After eight years in academia, when he was due for a promotion because the Head of Division, Senrayaperumal started listening to rumours about his imminent elimination. Letters had been despatched to different departments questioning his ‘irregular schooling’. “I obtained a letter informing me of my elimination from service on March 13, 2024, with none dialogue or likelihood to current my aspect of the story,” he says. “This regardless of the college syndicate scrutinising and verifying my certificates earlier than my appointment.”
Prof. P Senrayaperumal hopes the judicial system will come by for him.
| Picture Credit score:
Ashok R.
Senrayaperumal appealed his elimination on the Madurai bench of the Madras Excessive Courtroom, which dominated in his favour, stating that beneath the UGC norms of 2010, he was eligible to work in a college since he held an M.A., M.Phil, and Ph.D. “I went again to work with a duplicate of the court docket order and a becoming a member of letter, solely to be advised that the Registrar deliberate to file an attraction,” he says. When contacted by The Hindu, the Registrar refused to remark.
Preventing caste bias
With out a month-to-month wage, Senrayaperumal is working out of funds. His 4 brothers and two sisters are his solely supply of assist. “We’re unable to see him endure after working so exhausting to safe this job,” says P. Pilavadi, one of many brothers, who performs the comic within the troupe. “We’re not mere observers on this story, we’re going by as a lot ache as he’s.”
Senrayaperumal is aware of that even when he wins the authorized battle, life on the college won’t be the identical. “Everybody will take a look at me with prejudice,” he says. “How will I be capable of sit in my division, have tea on the canteen like earlier than?” Even earlier than the problem cropped up, lots of his colleagues refused to work together a lot with him fearing censure from the higher-ups. For now, although, Senrayaperumal needs to solely give attention to the authorized proceedings.
“I place confidence in our judiciary,” he says, hoping the authorized system will work in his favour. “I’m grateful for the assist of Hon’ble Chief Justice (Retd.) Dr. S. Muralidhar, who has volunteered to seem in court docket for me professional bono,” he says.
However the query that haunts him is, “Would they’ve achieved this to me if I wasn’t a Dalit?” He calls his elimination “modern-day casteism”.
Life has come full circle as Senrayaperumal has returned to Raja Rani Attam. “I want cash to outlive,” he says, including, “I respect this artwork kind, however I maintain asking myself if that is progress.”
akila.ok@thehindu.co.in
