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{{short description|Indian social activist and Therukoothu artist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2020}}
{{Indian patronymic|Thilagavathi|Palani}}

'''Thilagavathi Palani''' (alternatively '''P. Thilagavathi''', abbreviated as '''Thilaga''';<ref name=":1" /> born 13 September 1990<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=P Thilagavathi|url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=1961&at=5|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]}}</ref>) is an Indian social activist and [[Therukoothu]] artist,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Subramanian|first=Lakshmi|date=6 December 2015|title=Touch and feel|url=https://www.theweek.in/webworld/features/heroes/touch-and-feel.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=30 December 2020|website=[[The Week (Indian magazine)|The Week]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Shivram|first=Praveena|date=23 March 2019|title=Disc dance revolution with Bharatanatyam and Ultimate Frisbee|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/disc-dance-revolution/article26606678.ece|url-status=live|access-date=30 December 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> performing primarily through the form of [[Kattaikkuttu]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Srikanth|first=Rupa|date=12 March 2020|title=Of copyright, choreography and the way forward|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/of-copyright-choreography-and-the-way-forward/article31048976.ece|url-status=live|access-date=30 December 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> She is one of the founders of the ''Sri Krishna Kattaikattu Kuzhu'', a [[Koothu]] group in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Devika|first=V.R|date=21 March 2019|title=Where Koothu makes village girls liberated|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/where-koothu-makes-village-girls-liberated/article26598757.ece|url-status=live|access-date=30 December 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Thilagavathi is the recipient of the [[Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar|Akademi Award]] for her contribution to traditional theatre.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vasinc|first=|date=28 November 2017|title=Mukhi presents Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to 32 young artistes|url=https://www.thehillstimes.in/regional/mukhi-presents-ustad-bismillah-khan-yuva-puraskar-to-32-young-artistes/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=30 December 2020|website=[[The Hills Times (Diphu)|The Hill Times]]}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Thilagavathi was born on 13 September 1990 to Parimala and Palani Pandu and the eldest of four siblings.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> She grew up in the village of Seelavam in [[Kanchipuram district]] where her father was the member of a [[Kattaikkuttu]] folk theatre trope which would perform in nearby villages in which she is described to have become deep invested at a small age. Her parents allowed her to perform in the male dominated theatre performance art with the trope till she hit puberty. Eventually, she was able to convince her parents to permit her to continue participating, who according to her bestowed confidence on her amid backlash from their neighbors and relatives.<ref name=":1" /> She joined the [[Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam]] of P. Rajagopal and finished her general schooling till her [[secondary education]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The Gurukulam was a residential theatre school which provided mainstream education alongside Kuttu training.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dave|first=Ranjana|date=14 December 2017|title=T.M. Krishna will perform with Kattaikkuttu Sangam|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/rediscovering-lost-traditions/article21665016.ece|url-status=live|access-date=1 January 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Thilagavathi graduated from the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam in 2010.<ref name=":0" /> Following her graduation, she became involved in social service work and began performing in various schools in impoverished areas. Her theatrical compositions were depictions of the struggles of women and children, raising awareness and educating children on hygiene and cleanliness through the medium of the traditional theatre and with a primary focus towards preventing [[child sexual abuse]] by raising awareness of [[sexual harassment]]. By the end of 2015, she had visited over 100 schools in various slums across the state of Tamil Nadu. She has also worked with [[differently-abled]] students including teaching social interactions and facial expressions to children on the [[autism spectrum]] through her Koothu performances.<ref name=":1" />

She co-founded the group called ''Sri Krishna Kattaikattu Kuzhu'' in 2014,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> becoming the youngest and the first woman among proprietors of a Koothu group.<ref name=":2" /> The group was an all women Kattaikkuttu troop.<ref name=":1" /> She also joined the Wind Dancers' Trust, an organisation specialising in imparting education to children through traditional arts. The trust was founded by the Bharatanatyam dancer [[Sangeeta Isvaran]],<ref name=":1" /> who herself is a social worker having worked with marginalised groups in an attempt to bring about social reform.<ref name="thehindu">{{Cite news|last=Sivashankar|first=Nithya|date=30 November 2011|title=Making a song and dance of it|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/making-a-song-and-dance-of-it/article2674583.ece|url-status=live|access-date=30 December 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name="deccanherald">{{Cite web|last=Vijay|first=Hema|date=21 January 2012|title=With society as stage|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/221040/with-society-stage.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231071235if_/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/221040/with-society-stage.html|archive-date=31 December 2020|access-date=|website=[[Deccan Herald]]|language=en}}</ref> Thilagavathi has produced a number of theatrical compositions and choreographed street plays with the organisation to entertain and educate street [[children]] and [[sex workers]]. Through the Trust, she has also introduced Kattaikkuttu in the countries of [[France]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Malaysia]] and the [[United States]].<ref name=":1" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1990 births]]
[[Category:Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Social workers from Tamil Nadu]]

Thilagavathi - Revision history

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