Other States - Puducherry

No booming business this

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

On the decline: For many ‘boom boom mattukarans’ like Ravi, it’s a tough road ahead.

PUDUCHERRY: Dressed in his traditional attire, Ravi, along with his decorated bull, stops in front of houses wishing them health and wealth. But closed doors are all that greet him. A ‘boom boom mattukaran’ for generations now, life has become difficult for many like Ravi in the last few years.

A number of ‘boom boom mattukarans’ move from village to village in and around Puducherry for a livelihood. Hailing from across Tamil Nadu, they stay in Puducherry for more than 20 days in a month. “Times have changed drastically. People close their doors when they hear our voices and sound of beating drums. Earlier, people gave us not only money but also rice,” Chinna Thambi from Kaatrampakkam, in Villupuram district, said.

Apart from poor living conditions, many of them have lost their bulls to ill-health. “My bull died three months ago. We do not take the bulls for any medical treatment. The bulls are usually donated from temples. That practice too has stopped now,” he said.

Their daily income is usually around Rs.50 to Rs.60, mostly spent on food. “Though we have our attire and drums, people are no longer interested in listening to us. We prefer to move around villages as they give us at least 50 paise. We do not come to the town due to the heavy traffic,” Ravi said.

Chinna Thambi has started to train his 13-year-old son in the profession. “I am not sending him to school. He comes around with me and also earns some money,” he said.

It’s the same story for ‘boom boom mattukaran’ Sekar. “There are several families who still continue this tradition and are solely dependent on it for a livelihood,” he pointed out.

“We have asked our village heads for help. But no one is bothered about us,” Mr. Thambi rued.

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