Chennai photographer documents Tamil Nadu’s tribal festivals

Chennai photographer Naveenraj Gowthaman captures tribal life in Tamil Nadu through stunning photos at Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum.

For two years now, Chennai photographer Naveenraj Gowthaman has been documenting tribal life across Tamil Nadu. He is particularly drawn to their festivals, and how despite changing times, celebrations remain the same. Naveenraj is set to display 35 photos from his series at a show titled ‘Roots & Rhythms: Tribal Tales’ at DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum.

Naveenraj has been spending a lot of time at remote tribal settlements in the Nilgiris to photograph the Todas and Kothars, apart from the Irulas at Chengalpattu, Viluppuram, and Tindivanam. His show, being held as part of World Folklore Day on August 22, will feature photos of the annual festival of the Todas. “They celebrate it to pray for a good harvest the next year,” he says, adding that on the second day of the two-day festival, the pastoral tribe pray for their cattle, particularly, their buffaloes.

He has also documented the Masi Magam festival celebrated by the Irulas during the Tamil month of ‘masi’. “The people pray to their deity Kanniamma, gathering at the Mamallapuram beach near the Shore temple,” says Naveenraj, adding that the young and the old come together to cook pongal in pots over firewood to offer it to their deity. “They take sea water back home as a blessing from Kanniamma,” he says.

Naveenraj says that even men and women who have moved to far off places for work make it a point to travel to Mamallapuram to participate in the festival. “Many families walk for over a day from their hometowns to reach the seashore for the festivities,” he explains, adding that nothing has changed over the years. “They firmly hold on to their traditions and belief systems,” he says.

Naveenraj, who also does wedding photoshoots, wants to document the daily lives of every tribe in Tamil Nadu. “There are 36 tribes in the State and I hope to cover every aspect of their life — right from birth to death,” he says. He knows this is a monumental task, and says “This will take me a minimum of 15 years of work.”

Roots & Rhythms: Tribal Tales is on till August 28 at Kadambari Gallery, DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum, Muttukadu. The museum is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays and from 10am to 7pm on weekends.