The third edition of Village Ticket aims to present the essence of Tamil Nadu. “I come from a farming background, and this event has been conceived by me with a lot of passion,” says L Hemachandran, founder-CEO of Brand Avatar, the brains behind this carnival.
He says that he wants to give the city a chance to experience the emotions of a village, by participating in farming, rural games and folk music. Hence, the organisers have recreated a miniature village at YMCA grounds, which even boasts a paddy field, so you can try your hand at tilling the soil.
Visitors can register and participate in uriyadi (breaking an earthen pot with a bamboo pole, eyes blindfolded), kozhi pudikiradhu (catching the hen), kallanga (games played with tiny granite stones), dhayam (dice game) and pallankuzhi (a traditional mankala game).
Wedding feast
The highlight, however, is the moi virundhu (wedding feast), which is being served at the venue.
“We have identified 32 cooks from as many districts of the State and each of them will be dishing out one speciality of their region. The moi virundhu (₹1,499 for non-veg and ₹1,199 for veg) will serve regional specialities such as Pallipalayam chicken roast, seeraga samba biryani, Pudukottai mutton chukka and more,” says Hemachandran. Apart from this, rural food items will be available at 30 stalls, which include a military hotel, Muniyandi Vilas, Jigartanda and Soda Kadai.
- Village Ticket, as part of its CSR, will be honouring individuals who have made meaningful contributions to make villages self-sufficient. Arun Krishnamurthy of Environmentalist Foundation of India and Odanthurai R Shanmugam are some of those who will be honoured at the event.
To attract students, there are folk dance and music competitions, which will be held on all three days of the event. “I have brought together about 45 folk artistes who specialise in singing, playing instruments or dancing, across Tamil Nadu. When it comes to dance, there will be karagam , puli attam , mayil kaavadi , and more.
A farmers’ market will be set up at the venue, offfering vegetables, earthenware, cold-pressed oils, ghee, rice and a range of podis and pickles.
Children can try bullock cart rides and take selfies with jallikattu bulls.
Watch out for the special events planned for each day: these include a puppet show, therukoothu by Akku Theatre and pattimandram by Gnanasamandham.
Village Ticket, is on February 7, 8 and 9, from 11 am to 10 pm, at YMCA Grounds, Nandanam. For details, call 9840239669. Entry is ₹200 and for kids below six, it is free.
Published - February 03, 2020 04:49 pm IST
