Chennai | Attend this symposium of art, science, and knowledge to learn from the experts

Porombokkiyal 2024: A celebration of diverse knowledge sources and the importance of the commons in intellectual discourse.

Often when we say that someone is educated, what we mean is literate. Because knowledge has multiple sources and formal education is just one of many. If there is ever an opportunity to gain more than book knowledge, it is the Porombokkiyal 2024. This symposium is a celebration of the arts, sciences, and knowledge born from our commons.

The term commons originated in medieval Europe, where communities developed rules for managing land that was held in common. The term has since evolved to include a broader range of resources like land, nature, and even culture and traditions, and is often used to describe resources that are governed by the community of users, rather than by the state or market.

“This is an initiative of the Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha. Our work through the festival, has been about creating intersections in society between different cultural and social groups through art and conversation, and to look at the unevenness that exists in the way we perceive society. One area which we feel needs addressing is intellection and thought,” says acclaimed singer and supporter of the festival, TM Krishna. 

The word poromboke is a term for a piece of land that is not listed in the revenue records. It originates from Tamil and is often used as slang to mean “useless” or “waste”. Porombokkiyal is another attempt to reclaim it. “A lot of intellectual activity takes place in the commons. These are not private institutions. Ideas are shared in the commons,” says Krishna speaking about the aspect of commons and why it is important to Porombokkiyal. “The commons is a very important space where knowledge is constantly created and that is why it is called Porombokkiyal.”

“The idea of this symposium is to say that we will listen to the people who are knowledge bearers. They learn differently, they absorb differently, and they express differently. They use vocabulary that you and I are not familiar with, but this is what we must listen to, to really understand what happens in their lives and their occupation,” he adds. 

The symposium will host four speakers who are experts in their fields. Each speaker will converse with a moderator for 45 minutes, followed by a 30-minute interaction with the audience. The first session, titled Life on the Shores is a conversation with women prawn pickers of Pazhaverkaadu (Pulicat). Next one, titled Seeds of Survival will be a telling of rice stories from Thiruvannamalai with paddy farmers E Lenindhasan and Baskar Manimegalar. The third session will speak about the science and art of goat herding with goat header A Thangavelu, titled Beyond the Flock. 

The series of talks will conclude on a musical note with a conversation on the living tradition of the instrument Mukavinai with musician Sasikumar titled Wind and Rhythm.